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People needed as a voice for children

By Times Staff Writer
Published September 20, 2007

COUNTYWIDE

Nearly 1,000 children in Pinellas County need a caring person to stand up and be their voice in the courtroom and to advocate for them in the child welfare system.

The final training this year to become a certified guardian ad litem will begin Oct. 16 at the Criminal Justice Center in Clearwater.

Guardians ad litem advocate for abused, abandoned or neglected children and teens in the family courts and the child welfare system. The average time needed is four to six hours a month. As a child's advocate, a guardian ad litem visits the child every month, becomes familiar with the child's case and makes recommendations to the court to help ensure the child has a safe, caring and stable environment.

Guardians receive ongoing assistance. To volunteer and arrange to attend a brief orientation, call (727) 464-6528. For more information and an application go to www.guardianadlitem6.org.

COUNTYWIDE

Caregivers of disabled invited to conference

A free information fair for parents and caregivers of developmentally disabled children of all ages is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Salvation Army Joy Center, at the southeast corner of Highland Avenue and Druid Road in Clearwater.

The sponsors are the Clearwater-based nonprofit Advocates For Insuring Retardates Entitlements (AFIRE), which provides educational and life skills programs for the developmentally disabled, and the state-funded Family Care Council, which works with the Legislature on issues affecting the developmentally disabled. Groups to be represented at the information fair include the Social Security Administration, Phoenix Behavioral Services, the Special Olympics, the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens, WorkNet Pinellas and local churches. Along with providing information, organizers will collect used reading glasses and hearing aids to be reconditioned and provided to those who cannot afford them.

The center is on PSTA bus route No. 73.

For more information, call Virginia Ruf at (727) 797-0288.

COUNTYWIDE

Old cell phones can be a lifeline for seniors

Senior Citizens Services welcomes donations of old cell phones to be distributed to needy seniors as 911 emergency phones. The offices are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and phones are distributed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Senior Citizens Services is in Belcher Commons Office Park at 51 S Main Ave., Suite 308-M, Clearwater. For information, call (727) 442-8104.

[Last modified September 19, 2007, 23:01:49]