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Annual event spotlights prevention
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| In the know: Denise Caraballo, Cochise County Juvenile Court supervisor, was in foster care as child. (Thelma Grimes/photo.) |
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Every year, the San Pedro Family Resource Council hosts a breakfast aimed at preventing child abuse and celebrating the success stories that come from a bad situation.
This year was no different. Last Tuesday, the local group hosted about 30 people, with three people who had success stories speaking about their experiences in the state's system.
Robin Dursma kicked things off, talking about how at one time she hated that Child Protective Services would knock on her door and tell her how to take care of her own daughter. But after a long road of learning and a fight to get her daughter back, she now welcomes the visit.
With her teenage daughter sitting nearby, Dursma said she is a recovering parent, alcoholic and drug addict.
Two years clean, Dursma spoke from a wheelchair as she explained that she had two strokes last August.
"I couldn't really speak; I could barely walk," she said. "Without the support, I wouldn't be where I am today. In February I got custody of my daughter, and now I have new horizons. I'm just really blessed that I'm here and moving forward. Through all of this, my daughter has been my best friend; she's been my enemy."
Dursma, who is enrolled in parenting classes and attends AA meetings, said at one time she didn't think she could willingly be in the same room with a police officer, but it was all because of decisions she made.
"I was a liar and a cheat," she said. "But now, I'm recovering."
Sepp Sprietsma, Benson High School probation officer, said many situations just need someone to intervene and for the right agencies to work out a plan that in the end will bring a family back together.
The National Child Abuse Statistic Center estimates that 906,000 children are victims of abuse and neglect every year. The rate of victimization is 12.3 children per 1,000. A high percentage of the abuse cases are at the hands of a parent or guardian.
The second guest speaker of the breakfast hosted by Cochise College Benson Center was Denise Caraballo, supervisor of Cochise County Juvenile Court.
Caraballo didn't attend the breakfast to talk about her career choice, but instead what she went through as a child as one of those reported cases of abuse.
Caraballo said she was removed from her home by Child Protective Services when she was 13. Her mom was bi-polar and alcoholic.
Caraballo said she suffered a lot of abuse throughout her mom's four divorces, and when she was removed from the home, her real father in California didn't want her, so she was turned over to the state.
She went through several foster homes before her dad eventually came for her and worked to repair a broken relationship. She went to California to live with him, but said her heart was always set on coming back to Arizona.
Now in law enforcement, Caraballo said for many child abuse victims it is difficult to come back, mend fences and work to understand what happened. She did just that, learning more about her mother's illness before her death in 2000.
The final speaker of the day was another victim of abuse, but much younger than Caraballo. Eighteen-year-old Bobby Porter closed the breakfast by talking about his own issues with a drug-addict mom, an absent father and 12 years in the state system before finding a permanent home in Benson.
"My mom and dad told me I was the devil," Porter said. "I hope I am pretty nice now."
He joked some about his life, but said when he was six he remembered his mom going to jail, and he and his siblings went to live with his grandmother.
Porter said his grandmother couldn't handle the children, and he was put into a group home not long after that.
Porter came to Benson from Phoenix when he was officially adopted, to a home he has now had for 10 years.
"I feel I've been lucky, and they are special for taking the patience to deal with me," Porter said of his adoptive parents. "Without them, I would be a totally different person than I am. Child Protective Services has given me a better life."
Porter said he is allowed to visit his real family during the summer and at Christmas, but pointing to his adoptive parents, he said, "Overall, these are my parents. They are going to be the ones I come back home to."
Porter, a senior, has enlisted in the United States Air Force, and will begin service in August.
"I think about where I came from," Porter said as he talked about his future. "I have to stress that it's not just the kid, it's the people that provide for that kid. In the future, I think I can become someone my parents can be proud of."
The annual breakfast is not just held to bring light to the growing problem of child abuse in America, but also to thank those who help the cause each year.
Gary Douglas, president of the San Pedro Family Resource Council (SPFRC), presented several groups and organizations throughout the community with plaques of appreciation for support over the last year.
In accepting a plaque, Cochise Terrace continued their support, presenting Douglas with a $2,600 check.
Douglas said they appreciate the support, noting that every little bit counts.
Besides a focus on child abuse prevention, the SPFRC has become known the last several years for the annual Back to School Fair. The growing program makes it possible to get school supplies for students throughout the San Pedro Valley at the start of each new school year.
Every year, the San Pedro Family Resource Council hosts a breakfast aimed at preventing child abuse and celebrating the success stories that come from a bad situation.
This year was no different. Last Tuesday, the local group hosted about 30 people, with three people who had success stories speaking about their experiences in the state's system.
Robin Dursma kicked things off, talking about how at one time she hated that Child Protective Services would knock on her door and tell her how to take care of her own daughter. But after a long road of learning and a fight to get her daughter back, she now welcomes the visit.
With her teenage daughter sitting nearby, Dursma said she is a recovering parent, alcoholic and drug addict.
Two years clean, Dursma spoke from a wheelchair as she explained that she had two strokes last August.
"I couldn't really speak; I could barely walk," she said. "Without the support, I wouldn't be where I am today. In February I got custody of my daughter, and now I have new horizons. I'm just really blessed that I'm here and moving forward. Through all of this, my daughter has been my best friend; she's been my enemy."
Dursma, who is enrolled in parenting classes and attends AA meetings, said at one time she didn't think she could willingly be in the same room with a police officer, but it was all because of decisions she made.
"I was a liar and a cheat," she said. "But now, I'm recovering."
Sepp Sprietsma, Benson High School probation officer, said many situations just need someone to intervene and for the right agencies to work out a plan that in the end will bring a family back together.
The National Child Abuse Statistic Center estimates that 906,000 children are victims of abuse and neglect every year. The rate of victimization is 12.3 children per 1,000. A high percentage of the abuse cases are at the hands of a parent or guardian.
The second guest speaker of the breakfast hosted by Cochise College Benson Center was Denise Caraballo, supervisor of Cochise County Juvenile Court.
Caraballo didn't attend the breakfast to talk about her career choice, but instead what she went through as a child as one of those reported cases of abuse.
Caraballo said she was removed from her home by Child Protective Services when she was 13. Her mom was bi-polar and alcoholic.
Caraballo said she suffered a lot of abuse throughout her mom's four divorces, and when she was removed from the home, her real father in California didn't want her, so she was turned over to the state.
She went through several foster homes before her dad eventually came for her and worked to repair a broken relationship. She went to California to live with him, but said her heart was always set on coming back to Arizona.
Now in law enforcement, Caraballo said for many child abuse victims it is difficult to come back, mend fences and work to understand what happened. She did just that, learning more about her mother's illness before her death in 2000.
The final speaker of the day was another victim of abuse, but much younger than Caraballo. Eighteen-year-old Bobby Porter closed the breakfast by talking about his own issues with a drug-addict mom, an absent father and 12 years in the state system before finding a permanent home in Benson.
"My mom and dad told me I was the devil," Porter said. "I hope I am pretty nice now."
He joked some about his life, but said when he was six he remembered his mom going to jail, and he and his siblings went to live with his grandmother.
Porter said his grandmother couldn't handle the children, and he was put into a group home not long after that.
Porter came to Benson from Phoenix when he was officially adopted, to a home he has now had for 10 years.
"I feel I've been lucky, and they are special for taking the patience to deal with me," Porter said of his adoptive parents. "Without them, I would be a totally different person than I am. Child Protective Services has given me a better life."
Porter said he is allowed to visit his real family during the summer and at Christmas, but pointing to his adoptive parents, he said, "Overall, these are my parents. They are going to be the ones I come back home to."
Porter, a senior, has enlisted in the United States Air Force, and will begin service in August.
"I think about where I came from," Porter said as he talked about his future. "I have to stress that it's not just the kid, it's the people that provide for that kid. In the future, I think I can become someone my parents can be proud of."
The annual breakfast is not just held to bring light to the growing problem of child abuse in America, but also to thank those who help the cause each year.
Gary Douglas, president of the San Pedro Family Resource Council (SPFRC), presented several groups and organizations throughout the community with plaques of appreciation for support over the last year.
In accepting a plaque, Cochise Terrace continued their support, presenting Douglas with a $2,600 check.
Douglas said they appreciate the support, noting that every little bit counts.
Besides a focus on child abuse prevention, the SPFRC has become known the last several years for the annual Back to School Fair. The growing program makes it possible to get school supplies for students throughout the San Pedro Valley at the start of each new school year.
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