Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 10267
Tallahassee, FL 32302
Email:
Executive Director
Telephone:
(850) 942-2569
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A Center For Girls In Need
PACE Center for Girls
Providing a Way Out for Girls in Need
Article published Friday, September 1, 2006
By Karen Shorette
Nestled in a small, unassuming complex behind the hustle and bustle of Apalachee Parkway is one of
Tallahassee's best-kept secrets - the Tallahassee PACE Center for Girls. The school has been helping
troubled 12- to 18-year-olds turn their lives around since 1994.
"I love this school," said Anne (not
her real name), a PACE student who previously lived a life of continual physical and emotional abuse
at home. "It's the best school in Tallahassee. Even though my mom left when I was 4, I still feel loved
here. We're all like family.
"Anne, who was referred to PACE when she was in the sixth grade, is one of
57 girls currently attending school at the center. With her father on drugs and her mother long gone,
she eventually became overwhelmed and no longer could focus on schoolwork. The PACE staff helped her
work through her problems, and she was able to return to her regular school about 15 months later.
Because
her family situation hadn't changed, however, it wasn't long before Anne once again found herself in dire
straits. Thinking she should stay home to care for her brothers and sisters, Anne dropped out of school.
She was able to manage for a while by sneaking drug money from her father to pay the monthly bills, but
when she discovered that her father had physically abused her younger brother, she realized things were
beyond her control.
That's when Anne once again turned to PACE for help. She has been attending classes
there since December, and although she is two years behind in her schoolwork, she said she is confident
that with the help of PACE, she will be able to graduate on schedule.
PACE - which stands for "Practical,
Academic, Cultural Education" - was founded in Jacksonville in 1985 to prevent juvenile delinquency, teen
pregnancy, drug and alcohol addiction, and welfare dependency. A social worker started the nonprofit
organization when she began taking girls who had gotten into trouble to a church building rather than
allowing them to be detained in the same facility that housed troubled boys.
Jackie Wilson, a former CEO
of the Tallahassee Builders Association and now a partner in Business Edge Consulting, was instrumental
in bringing PACE to Tallahassee 12 years ago. Wilson said a friend who oversaw funding for state programs
became aware of PACE and immediately thought of her as the right person to get the school up and running in
Tallahassee because of her previous work with organizations such as Refuge House, a shelter for victims of
domestic violence. Wilson facilitated the initial meetings with the Jacksonville founder, worked with judges
and politicians to garner support, and helped create the board of directors, serving as its chairwoman until
this past year.
"I'm real interested in programs that help women and children," Wilson said, "because there are more
programs to help men and boys but not many for women. I've known girls who had problems and ended up dropping
out of school, and once they've done that, they usually don't go back. But the PACE program provides an
opportunity for them to get back up to grade level and hopefully graduate with their class.
"According to
Jacquelyn Ledbetter, special projects manager for the Tallahassee PACE Center for Girls and herself a former
PACE student, all of the girls who are referred to PACE have experienced some type of emotional problem or
abusive situation that made it difficult for them to perform well academically or socially in their regular
environments. Some have been in trouble with the law, others may have been in an abusive situation and unable
to cope (such as Anne), and still others simply could have had difficulty coping with normal teen issues and,
as a result, were acting out in school or at home. Referrals are made any number of ways: Some girls are
referred by the juvenile justice system, some by friends or family, and others choose to self-refer.
Regular
school isn't currently an option for these girls primarily because they are unable to control their emotions
around other students or, as was the case with Anne, they drop out, fall behind in their studies and need
extra help to catch up with their schoolwork and to deal with their situation. At PACE, each girl's academic
program is tailored specifically for her. Every classroom has a teacher, but each girl could be working on a
completely different assignment from the others. Another benefit of PACE is that, in addition to academics,
he girls and/or their families receive ongoing counseling as needed - something not available in a typical
school setting.
The 17-member Tallahassee staff includes social workers and certified teachers who receive
more in-depth, specialized training once they've been hired."We ensure that all potential staff members have a heart for helping the girls, an understanding of what kind of students they are teaching, and compatibility
with this type of environment," Ledbetter said.
With a staff-to-student ratio of 6-to-1 in the Tallahassee facility, staff members are able to provide each
girl with individual attention. Class assignments are based on each student's level of progress, allowing
each to work at her own pace. Once a student is placed in the program, she typically stays anywhere from
10 to 15 months before transitioning back to her regular school. If the student is close to finishing high
school when she is referred to the center, she may actually end up graduating from PACE. "Last year, we had 27
girls graduate from the center," Ledbetter said, "one with honors."
Ledbetter said the Tallahassee center's success rate is higher than 90 percent, which means that 90 percent
of the girls who attend the facility have managed to straighten out their lives enough to stay out of the
juvenile justice system. The key to that success is in recognizing that girls need different types of
intervention than do boys.
"Girls don't respond well to the boot-camp style of discipline and reform,"
Ledbetter said. "Until PACE was established, girls in the juvenile justice system were being treated the
same as boys and were being held in the same facilities. We've learned that girls have very different needs.
"Another major factor in the center's success, according to Ledbetter, is that the program is strictly
voluntary. Each student must agree to actively participate in the program, so if a girl is attending PACE,
it's because she truly wants to make a positive change in her life.
"We've helped 700 girls become
successful in the last 12 years," Ledbetter said. "But success is defined differently for each individual.
For some of these girls, success delaying having babies until after they graduate high school."
In addition
to typical school subjects such as math and English, PACE provides special classes and activities designed
to help the girls discover their strengths and realize their own potential and self-worth.
"My favorite class
is Spirited Girls," Anne said, "because it helps a lot with problems. We get to talk about our feelings, and
we learn about different careers and all kinds of practical skills for everyday living."
The students recently
participated in a cathartic activity called "My House," a metaphor for the way each girl perceives herself as
an individual. The idea was to write personal thoughts in each section of the house. For example, in the attic
they would place secrets and regrets they were unwilling to share with others; the front door represented
opportunities in their lives; the chimney was where they blew their smoke and released all of their bad habits.
Exercises such as these help the girls become aware of their feelings and thoughts and also provide a healing
opportunity for those who are less likely to talk about their problems.
Another important aspect of the
program is community service. The students have several opportunities and events to choose from throughout
the year. Some of them recently partnered with students from Florida State University and, as a part of Girls
in Motion, traveled to Gretchen Everhart School to teach the students there how to "step" dance.
Numerous
incentives and rewards are built into the PACE program, such as ice cream and pizza parties. The girls also
can earn points for good behavior, which they apply toward their "point cards." Once they've accumulated
enough points, they can visit the center's Point Store, where they can purchase various items.
There now are
19 PACE centers throughout the state that have served more than 15,000 at-risk girls. The Tallahassee facility
is funded by several different agencies, including the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the Leon County
School Board, the Leon County Commission, the City of Tallahassee, the United Way, and other local foundations
and private donors. As with many nonprofit organizations, however, there are needs that cannot be completely
funded. Some of the items currently on the center's wish list include sports equipment, musical instruments,
filing cabinets, tickets to community events, vanity products, calculators and books.
Wilson, who remains
involved with PACE, said there always are volunteer opportunities available. Last year she organized the annual
fundraising golf tournament. Anne, the student mentioned earlier, was selected to represent PACE at that
tournament.
"It was so much fun," she said, "and I even got to have my picture taken with (Florida State
University football coach) Bobby Bowden."
For more information or to find out how you can make a difference, please call (850) 921-9280.
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