1. Our Thanks To…
Susi Taylor, Director of
Financial Literacy, New England
Federal Credit Union
From: Stacey Wood
Susi has been an amazing
resource for the Lund Family
Center’s residential and community
programs. Susi offers her expertise
and support for women in access-
ing their credit reports and
working with them individually
in identifying ways in which they
can repair and rebuild their credit
histories. In addition, Susi has
been a co-facilitator for money
management and budgeting
life skill classes, offered in day
programming groups. Susi does
a wonderful job in establishing
relationships with the women
involved in Lund programming.
She provides support in a respect-
ful and non-judgmental manner,
which is greatly appreciated. Susi
is an integral part of the support
and education that Lund strives
to provide for women in our resi-
dential and community programs.
Susi offers insight and tools that
provide women the opportunity
to learn and grow and that will
support goals they have for them-
selves and families.
news
Helping children thrive by serving families with children; pregnant or
parenting teens and young adults; and adoptive families.
Summer 2008
O
n June 13th, our alterna-
tive high school program
hosted its annual honoring
ceremony that recognizes
students for high school gradu-
ation, college participation, and
completion of coursework. This
was a wonderful day where,
among others, we celebrated the
accomplishments of four first
generation college students who
completed their academic year.
The Kit Stone Humanitarian
Award was presented to the first
ever award recipient, Lindsey
Bruzzesi. This award will be given
out annually at the Honoring
Ceremony, and recognizes a
young woman who has taken the opportunities
presented to her and made them work for herself,
her family, her peers and her community. She
should show a commitment to furthering her
own education, and demonstrate compassion,
kindness and goodwill for others.
Lindsey is a remarkable young woman who has
successfully utilized Lund’s services to realize her
potential and provide a loving, nurturing environ-
Honoring Ceremony/Kit Stone Humanitarian Award
ment for her son Colby. Lindsey
is currently attending college
for her degree in counseling,
working full time to support
herself and her son, and serving as
a peer substance abuse counselor,
all while parenting her son full-
time. We were pleased and
proud to publicly recognize her
accomplishments.
Once the honoring cer-
emony was complete, the young
women primped for a prom-
like dance held that evening.
The full team at Moon Studio
Day Spa in Shelburne came
in to do the women’s hair and
makeup. 95XXX volunteered to
DJ and Main Street Landing provided the space.
Volunteers helped to prepare food, provide child-
care, and donate semi-formal dresses for the occa-
sion. This was a nice way to wrap up the academic
year and celebrate the accomplishments.
Those wishing to contribute for future Kit Stone
Humanitarian Awards should contact Kitty Bartlett at
802-864-7467 or kittyb@lundfamilycenter.org.
JulieRichards
Doing Good One Search at a Time!
What if even a fraction of the $20 billion generated by search engine advertisers and online shopping was directed
towards helping Lund Family Center help children to thrive?
That is the concept behind GoodSearch.com a new search engine powered by Yahoo! GoodSearch donates 50%
of its revenue, approximately a penny per search, to the charities designated by its users – in our case, we hope
you choose Lund Family Center! GoodSearch works exactly as any other search engine and the pennies add
up quickly – just 500 people searching four times a day would earn around $7,300 in a year. Similarly with
GoodShop.com, consumers are helping their favorite causes by shopping at hundreds of well known retailers
including Amazon, Target, Apple, Macy’s, Best Buy, Orbitz, Staples and others.
Lund Family Center is registered with the sites, giving you a chance to help us out every time you are online!
While doing a search or shopping online, why not raise money for Lund?
2. Lund’s Kim Coe Outstanding
Professional of the Year
I
n April, Kim Coe, Director of Residential Programs was given
the “Outstanding Professional of the Year” Award at the Kidsafe
Award Ceremony. Barbara Rachelson spoke about Kim and her
accomplishments at the Ceremony. The following is an excerpt
from her comments.
“For Kim, this isn’t a job, but a calling. Her vision, dedication
and commitment to do everything possible to keep children safe and
help families to thrive, and her unwavering belief in our clients and
staff make her outstanding. At the roof-raising ceremony, describing
what the new “home” for Lund would mean, Kim stated:
At Lund Family Center, children will be born substance free and
healthy, women will learn self-sufficiency and nurturing parenting.
Women will find their inner voice and strength, they will learn to
believe as we do, that they are capable of anything and that they
and their children deserve and have a right to safety and well-being.
Because of Kim, Lund sees this vision carried out every day.
She works long and hard to foster collaboration among all the
different players working with and on behalf of children and fami-
lies. She has developed resources to benefit children and families in
our community, and across the state. The approach in one of these
puts her in the category of pioneer in the field as it involves partner-
ing the child welfare and substance abuse treatment systems to work
towards collaborative early interventions with families and better
permanency outcomes for children.
Kim is also very active on a state-level on behalf of Vermont’s
children. She is the past president of the Vermont Coalition of
Residential Programs, current president of Vermont Foster and
Adoptive Families Association, a foster parent instructor, a foster
parent. Kim is also the mother of two wonderful children, very
devoted to her family, and of course, a fabulous mentor and col-
league to so many at Lund and in the community.
Kim believes that all children have the right to be loved and kept
safe. She inspires us to believe in the strength of families.”
Congratulations Kim, and thank you so much for all you do for
our women, staff, families and community!
Pioneering Partnership Between
Lund and DCF
C
hild welfare and substance abuse treatment systems are
fragmented nationally and in Vermont. Differences in per-
spectives and policies between child welfare workers and
substance abuse treatment providers, service shortages in
both substance abuse treatment and child welfare systems, and lack
of communication and coordination of services that sometimes set
competing goals and timelines for families create obstacles to collab-
oration. As a result, child well-being and permanency have suffered,
as has the effectiveness of parental substance abuse treatment.
Lund Family Center, the Department for Children and Families,
and the Vermont Department of Health Office of Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Programs have been working diligently to address this issue
locally. In the fall of 2007, the coalition was awarded a federal grant
to strengthen our collaboration. The five year grant focuses on the
Burlington DCF Office and Lund’s Residential and Community
Treatment program. These programs already work very closely with
DCF as many of the young women we serve are involved with or at
risk becoming involved with the child welfare system; they may be
in foster care themselves or they may be coming to Lund with the
goal of maintaining or regaining custody of their child(ren).
Through this new grant, the partners are working to cross train
to increase capacity to identify substance abuse as a contributing fac-
tor at the beginning of a child welfare investigation in order to get
the family appropriate services as soon as possible. In cases of a child
welfare investigation where substance abuse is suspected and the risk
is too high for the child to remain with the parent unsupervised,
Lund Family Center has established two 30 day assessment beds
where mothers can come with their child and receive a full substance
abuse assessment while being under 24 hour supervision. This helps
to decrease family disruption while the investigation occurs. Finally,
we are providing increased access to supervised visitation for fami-
lies whose children are in custody of the State in order to maximize
children’s attachment and minimize children’s and families’ trauma
resulting from a separation.
The additional capacity to help Vermont families is exciting. This
year, we anticipate providing 250 substance abuse screenings, offer-
ing family education for 50 families, and providing 40 days of resi-
dential assessment. This will ultimately assure that families impacted
by substance abuse have timely access to treatment and services and
that the trauma and disruption experienced by the child and family
is minimal. This is a great step toward improving Vermont’s child
welfare system and its outcomes!
Thanks, Mom!
In our work, we come across
some wonderful testimonials
of love and family. We are
pleased to share this one.
Project Family has helped to
support Binti in parenting her
grandchildren and helping
them to thrive. This one
was written by Megan for
“One major influence in my life
is my mom. My mom always
influences my decisions and
my everyday life. She is a
major part of everything that I do. She helps me to make good deci-
sions and stay on the right road in life.
My future dream is to be a doctor and without my Mom’s support I
wouldn’t know what to do. She always tells me to never give up and
believe in myself, because if this is what I really want to do then I
can do it. She always tells me that I have what it takes to achieve
my dream, all I have to do is try and work hard at it, and most of all
I have to want it.
I am so glad that I have such a good caring mom whom I can share
everything with. My mom understands everything and is always
willing to help me with whatever it may be. She is one of the best
moms someone could ever have. When my real mom died, I was 3
years old. My grand mother whom I call mom now adopted me and
fought everyday for the longest time to try to get all of us together.
My grandmother to me is a hero, because of everything she went
through and she never gave up she believed in herself to keep
going. My grand mother tries to give everything she has to offer. I
don’t know any other word to explain my mom other than wonder-
ful and amazing. So she is one of my major influences that I have
in my life, and everyday I’m proud to be able to wake up and look
at my mom and know she’s by my side all of the time when I need
someone the most, I know that I can always count on her.”
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
M
ore than 150 people gathered on May 16th to
celebrate the completed renovation and expansion
of Lund Family Center’s residential treatment
program, which served 125 women and their
107 children in fiscal year 2007. The ribbon cutting also
celebrated the half-way point of the capital campaign, which
has raised $3.1 of the $6 million goal to-date.
On hand to help cut the ribbon were Lois H. McClure,
Vermont Governor James Douglas, Burlington Mayor Bob
Kiss, Philip Fiermonte of Senator Bernie Sanders’ office,
Lund Family Center capital campaign co-chairs Lisa Ventriss
and Phil Daniels, past Lund board chair Jeff Small, Lund
Family Center executive director Barbara Rachelson, and
House Speaker Gaye Symington. Also assisting were Lee
Dore of Dore and Whittier Architecture, and Andrew Martin
of Pizzagalli Construction who worked on the project.
During the year-long renovation, the building at 76 Glen
Road in Burlington was gutted and a third floor was added
to provide residential space for 27 women and their children
with the capacity to expand to 30, up from 18 in the previ-
ous configuration. The renovation also boasts improved
counseling space, enhanced nursing facilities, and develop-
mentally-appropriate space for children that will be used for
parenting education, play space and supervised visits. The
residential treatment program is the only one of its kind in
the state, providing substance abuse treatment and mental
heath services specifically tailored to women who are preg-
nant or parenting.
This move would not have been possible without the
support of many generous donors, volunteers and commu-
nity members, all of whom were recognized at the ribbon
cutting event.
Sign Up For Lund’s E-newsletter There are two
types of people in this world – those who prefer reading their news
online and those who don’t. Lund Family Center is creating an
electronic version of our newsletter! This format saves trees and
postage, and makes it easy for you to send on to friends. We are not
replacing this newsletter, – you will still receive hard copies unless
you request otherwise. If you would you like to receive Lund updates
and newsletters electronically, email StaciG@lundfamilycenter.org.
JulieRichards
3. A Night At Grosse Pointe
M
agic was in the air as Lund Family Center celebrated its larg-
est fundraiser of the year, A Night at Grosse Point, on June
7th. The setting, the Lake Champlain home of the Hoehl
family, provided an enchanting backdrop for the evening.
It was a wonderful gathering of new and old friends to celebrate
Lund Family Center’s work. The highlight of the evening was hear-
ing from our special guest speaker, Heidi Kelley. Heidi shared her
incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of coming to Lund as
a young mother and her path to success. We are truly grateful to
Heidi and her family for joining us.
The event was made possible by the generosity of the Hoehl
family and lead sponsors Citizens Bank and Pizzagalli Construction
Company. Over 300 guests gathered at Grosse Pointe for an eve-
ning of marvelous offerings: food, music by Mia Adams and the
Vermont Jazz Ensemble, dancing and an exciting raffle and live
auction.
Over $70,000 was raised to support Lund’s services to strength-
en families. Our thanks to all who attended and helped make this a
most memorable event. We extend our special thanks to Jim Crook,
our Master of Ceremonies and auctioneer extraordinaire!
A Night at Grosse Pointe Sponsors:
Affiliates in OB/GYN
Benoure Plumbing and Heating
Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Vermont
Bowl New England
Chittenden Bank
Citizens Bank
Clarke, Demas and Baker
Curtis Lumber
Dinse Knapp McAndrews
Fitness Options
Fletcher Allen Health Care
Good Health
Gravel and Shea
Hickok and Boardman Group
Benefits
HomeInstead Senior Care
Huber+Suhner
Jeff Small, CPA
JMM Associates
KeyBank
Loso Janitorial
Merchants Bank
Northfield Savings Bank
Office Quarters
Pizzagalli Counstruction
Randy and Mary Jo Miller
Spruce Mortgage
TD Banknorth
Tina’s Home Designs
UPS
Vermont Mutual
Wachovia
Women Adopting Project Family
T
he Women Adopting Project Family fundraiser brought
together a sea of women at a festive Lund benefit in
June. From twenty-somethings to octogenarians, over
100 women filled the elegant tasting room at the
Shelburne Vineyard to learn about the children, parents, and
families involved in foster care in Vermont.
While women sampled Shelburne Vineyard’s offerings and
hors d’oeuvres by Lisa Leery of Rocky’s Pizza, Lund Adoption
Director Wanda Audette spoke passionately about every
child’s right to be part of a loving family. Wanda explained
that Project Family is about giving each child in foster care
hope … and the chance to live happily with parents who care
about them.
Montpelier mom Joyce Foster detailed her experience as
a foster parent to the crowd. Her transformation from single
woman to foster parent to full-time mom was a story of car-
ing, commitment and love. Joyce described her challenges and
struggles as an adoptive mom and Jason’s successes in school,
on the playing field, and at home. Project Family continues
to support Joyce in her effort to be the best parent she can
be. Jason and Joyce’s story was just one example of the power-
ful impact Project Family is having on Vermont children and
families.
Our thanks to all the local businesses who donated items
for the silent auction and to those who attended and sup-
ported the event, making a marvelous evening for all involved.
GillianRandall
need photo
4. Furnishings
Love seat and chair
Stuffed chair
Indoor, child-safe plants that
don’t need a lot of light
Crib
Small kitchen appliances
Office Supplies
3” three ring binders
Plastic page protectors
Cardstock
Glue sticks
Linens
Twin blankets
Twin sheets
Pillows
Towels
Wash cloths
Curtains
Toiletries
Deodorant
Shampoo/conditioner
Tampons/pads
Kitchen
Commercial grade stock pots
and bakeware
Commercial immersion blender
Commercial salad spinner
Cuisinart
Cards
Gas Grocery cards
Toys
Toddler toys
Arts/crafts – play sand, art
smocks, crayons, markers,
finger paint, tee shirts, coloring
books, glue, playdough
Learning toys
Puzzles
New stuffed animals for adop-
tion finalization (Mid-side TY
are great!)
Books
Heather has Two Mommies
by Leslea Newman
My New Family: A First Look at
Adoption by Pat Thomas
ABC: A Family Alphabet by
Bobbie Combs
Technology
Photo printer and paper
Digital camera
Digital video camera – new or
used (in good condition)
Transition Baskets
(for women successfully leaving
residential)
Laundry basket
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Sponge
All-purpose cleaner
Light bulbsBleach cleaner
Diapers – all sizes
Wish List
Contact Staci Grove at 802-864-7467, ext: 2001 or
stacig@lundfamilycenter.org to coordinate a donation.
Getting The Word Out About Teen Pregnancy
A
fter a decade of declining, the number of Vermont’s teen
pregnancies is on the rise again. Vermont consistently has
one of the lowest rates of teen pregnancy in the United
States, but that does not mean that the problem doesn’t exist
here. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and
Unplanned Pregnancy $12 million dollars was spent in Vermont to
support mothers under the age of 19 and their children, or a cost
approximately $1784 to each taxpayer, per teen birth.
Since the beginning of the year, Lund Family Center has gone on
over 20 Outreach presentations to local schools and agencies, reach-
ing more than 900 students.
facts discussed during a typical outreach
• 72% of teens who give birth are not yet married
• Daughters of teen moms are 22% more likely to become teen
moms themselves
• Only 1.5% of teen moms will earn a college degree by the age of 30
• 48% of teen girls think it might be possible they’ll become preg-
nant in the next 5 years
• It costs over $1.4 million to raise a child (education, clothing,
food, etc.)
Outreaches bring a real face and story to these statistics. Lund
moms talk about the realities of having children at a young age. A
Lund staff member talks briefly about the statistics and Lund Family
Center and its programs; mostly, it is the girls’ stories and one-on-
one dialogue that drives these presentations. You can see the impact
in the expressions on students’ faces. Through encouragement, edu-
cation, and discussion, the Outreach Program works to help prevent
teen pregnancy, substance abuse, sexually-transmitted infections and
to help teens choose responsible decisions and healthy lifestyles.
Overheard on a recent outreach
• If you decide to bring a child into this world – every decision
you make from there on out is centered around that child. It will
affect the child’s life in a positive way or a negative way. I’ve seen
both of them done. Today I am living more for the positive than
the negative, and I thank my higher power for that.
• I am grateful I did come to Lund. Lund has been a saving grace
for me. It’s helped me to open my mind to different things. It has
given me the opportunity to go back to school…I start college
June 16th and I’m excited about that, furthering my education.
For information on coordinating an Outreach for you school or
other group, please contact Cristie Manchester at 802-864-7467.
Board Comings and Goings
Lund Family Center is pleased to report three recent additions to the
Board of Trustees and the election of a new slate of officers.
new Officers
Board Chair: Eileen Simollardes,
Vice President: Barbara Lande Bronfman
Treasurer: Sherry Prehoda
Secretary: Lynn Brennan
Member at Large: Paulette Thabault
We thank Jeff Small, Eileen Simollardes, Mary Anne Murray, William A.
“Chip” Mason, and Lynn Brennan as immediate past President, Vice
President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Member At Large respectively.
New Trustees
Thomas J. Donovan, Jr. was elected as Chittenden
County State’s Attorney in November 2006. Prior to
being elected, Mr. Donovan was an associate with
the Burlington law firm of Jarvis Kaplan. Mr.
Donovan also served as a Deputy State’s Attorney
in Chittenden County and an Assistant District
Attorney in Philadelphia, PA. Mr. Donovan is a
native of Burlington.
Mary Pat Scarpa is Senior Vice President and
Manager of KeyBank’s Private Banking Group for the
state of Vermont. Her responsibilities include devel-
oping the sales culture and managing the execution
of the sales process for the team. Ms. Scarpa has
29 years of Vermont based banking experience. Prior
to joining KeyBank in 1996, she was Vice President
of Chittenden Bank’s Private Banking Group. Ms.
Scarpa is an active volunteer for several local chari-
table organizations and she lives in Burlington with her family.
Thomas Rugg is an Account Executive with Hickok
and Boardman Group Benefits where he has lead
responsibility for medium and large size clients,
consulting them on benefit strategy, design,
and implementation. Prior to joining Hickok and
Boardman in 2001, Tom spent several years in the
Washington, DC office of Senator Jim Jeffords and
he worked as a lobbyist for one of the nation’s larg-
est agricultural associations. Tom served as the Chair of the Lake
Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce Health Care Committee
from 2004 to 2006 and is an active participant in local roundtable
discussions on the topic of consumer-driven health plans.
Lund Family Center thanks retiring Trustees Brian Smith and Linda
Magoon for their service.
Ten Tips for Parents To Help
Their Children Avoid Teen Pregnancy
1. Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.
2. Talk with your children early and often about sex, and be specific.
3. Supervise and monitor your children and adolescents.
4. Know your children’s friends and their families.
5. Discourage early, frequent, steady dating.
6. Take a strong stand against your daughter dating a boy signifi-
cantly older than she is. (Or don’t allow your son to develop an
intense relationship with a girl much younger than he is.)
7. Help your teenager have options for the future that are more
attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood.
8. Let your kids know that you value education highly.
9. Know what your kids are watching, reading and listening to.
10.These first nine tips for helping your children avoid teen
pregnancy work best when they occur as part of a strong, close
relationship with your children that is built from an early age.
(10 Tips from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy)
Staciannegrove
Nurse Sharon Dedication
Patrice DeMarco, RN (left), Susan Myers, and Sean Donnolla are
pictured during a ceremony on June 16th, to remember Nurse
Sharon Donnola and dedicate the new nursing suite in her memory.
The event brought together friends family, students and fellow
midwives. Demarco is a long-time friend of Nurse Sharon, who also
delivered DeMarco’s son. Sean Donnola is a Sharon’s son, and a
graduate of NYU and professional photographer. All who gathered
were impressed by the new suite, and grateful for the chance to
share stories of Sharon’s work as a nurse here at Lund, personally
and in the community.
Staciannegrove
Former Executive Director Visits
Recently, Sr. Suzanne Moore returned to Lund to visit the newly renovated
facility. Sr. Sue started her career first as a Caseworker and then Executive
Director of Lund Family Center. We were excited to share our new program-
ming and recently renovated space with an old friend. She was impressed
with the new facility, and asked to “congratulate the Board and the Staff
for having lived out this interim period well so that dreams could be ful-
filled!”
MISSING PHOTO
5. Barbara Rachelson, Executive Director
76 Glen Road / PO Box 4009
Burlington, Vermont 05406-4009
802-864-7467 / 800-639-1741
802-864-1619 Fax
800-253-0191 TTD/TTY
www.lundfamilycenter.org
Return Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
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permit no 875
burlington vt
Gardens at Glen
T
here is a saying that “When gardeners garden, it is not just
the plants that grow, but the gardeners themselves.” It is little
surprise then, that Glen Road has seen a number of gardens
planted this spring that are now thriving. From the raised gar-
den beds planted and lovingly cared for by the residents to Marty’s
Garden – there is evidence of growth in abundance.
The raised beds were installed with help from Pizzagalli
Construction. The gardens were designed and planted by residents
as a part of a series of life skills classes. In two of the beds, residents
grow fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers. The third bed is a mini-gar-
den for the kids – featuring cherry tomatoes and edible flowers.The
first harvest is just starting to come in – and the residents are really
enjoying the fruits of their labor!
Just to the side of the residence, Marty’s Garden sits – a lovely
combination of sun and shade garden, curving pathway and benches
for relaxation and reflection. The Lund Family Center staff started
the gardens this May. Marty’s Garden celebrates and honors the
memory of Marty Hubert, a beloved former staff member and clini-
cal supervisor in the substance abuse program. Jesse Bradley, Buffy
Caflisch and some friends recently came and helped complete Marty’s
Garden and planted roses and flowers in front of the building.
It’s really exciting watching the growth – personal, plant and pro-
fessional – that is happening at the Glen Road facility.
Staciannegrove