Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 10267
Tallahassee, FL 32302
Email:
Executive Director
Telephone:
(850) 942-2569
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Theirs is a Special Kind of 'Town' House
Girls and Boys Town Provides 'Family Environment'
Article published Sept 18, 2006
By TaMaryn Waters, DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
A young teen recently came to Girls and Boys Town of North Florida and caught Dena Strickland's attention.
He came through the door with a crinkled Wal-Mart bag containing just a few articles of clothing. They
were his only possessions.
This is far too common a scenario, according to Strickland, development director for Girls and Boys Town,
formerly known as Father Flanagan's Boys' Home. The agency provides treatment and care for abused,
abandoned and neglected children ages 10 to 18.
Ken Bender, executive director, said most of the children have gone through as many as seven placements
before coming to the agency. As a result, the need for clothes continues to be a top priority.
"Before they get to us, they tend to lose things along the way," said Bender, who said 19 months is the
average time a child stays.
Strickland said staffers provide a "family environment" within two main programs. Locally, five homes,
separated for girls and boys, offer intimate residential services such as live-in family teachers,
regular dinners with everyone in the house and structured chore duties.
The other program consists of recruiting and training foster parents for adopting children who
typically need more attention and treatment than they may receive in a traditional foster-care placement.
The goal is make each child feel that they're cared for while providing a family environment.
Tahicha and Ricky Hubbard are family teachers and act as "parents" to eight boys in their home, plus
two children of their own.
They said it's important for the children to feel they are as normal as any other child.
"When you look good, it helps them do well," Tahicha Hubbard, 32, said. Her husband, 33, added,
"They are a reflection of us. We treat them like they are our own kids."
The nonsectarian agency, first created in 1917 in Omaha, Neb., encourages their children to
learn tasks that will help them as they get older - and that includes shopping.
"We want the children to be able to select their own clothes and their sizes so they can feel
like themselves," Strickland said.
In addition to casual clothing, the children also need clothes appropriate for attending church
services. In order to stay at one of the homes, the children must attend a church, which can range
in denomination.
"None of the kids come in with church clothes," Strickland said. "Ninety percent haven't had to
experience going to church on a regular basis."
Contact reporter TaMaryn Waters at (850) 599-2162 or tlwaters@tallahassee.com.Here's how to help:
You can drop off gift-cards or financial donations to the agency's administrative office, 3651
Hartsfield Road. Other needs include household items, neutral-colored paint and cookware. For
more information, call Girls and Boys Town of North Florida at 575-6422.
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