Author: scott

Latest Bess O’Brien Film to Be Shown on February 21 at Rockingham Free Public Library:

‘Coming Home’ documentary discusses the transition from prison to community

Greater Falls Community Justice Center and Greater Falls Connections have teamed up to put on a showing of the latest Bess O’Brien documentary, titled Coming Home. The event will take place on Thursday, February 21^st at 6:30pm at the Rockingham Free Public Library. The showing is free and open to the public.

Coming Home is a documentary film that looks at five people returning back to their Vermont communities from prison. The film focuses on the innovative COSA program (Circle of Support and Accountability) that helps reintegrate folks back into their daily lives. The COSA program is run through Vermont’s Community Justice Centers and is part of the restorative justice model. The film first premiered in the fall of 2018, and this showing is part of a tour Vermont.

Mike Malick of the Greater Falls Community Justice Center has been the lead facilitator for COSA groups in our area. According to Malick, “We work with people who were formerly incarcerated, because they are here in our community. We are all worthy of attention, and we all have needs.”

Malick added, “Vermont uses this program more than any other state in the country. Part of the population thinks that it is weak to treat our previously incarcerated clients fairly. But this work is rewarding. We do this work, because after people have been incarcerated, they often don’t have anything. The clients are in need and are often starting out with nothing when they return to the community.”

COSA’s are made up of community volunteers who meet once a week with offenders returning back to their towns and cities. The idea of the COSA model is to “walk with a core member as he or she transitions from prison to community.” Folks coming out of prison meet once a week for a year with their volunteer group, enabling them to create strong bonds of support, friendship, and accountability as they work to become healthy members of society. Prisoners who are placed in COSA’s often include sex offenders, those convicted of drug-related crimes, and felons. The rate of recidivism drops when folks are involved with a COSA team.

According to Deb Witkus, Outreach Coordinator with Greater Falls Connections, “We know that COSAs help families to heal and can help to break the generational cycle of addiction. Our partnership with the Greater Falls Community Justice Center is essential to the work we do to create the change we all want to see.”

Coming Home is a film that takes an intimate and powerful look at this COSA process, the struggles and challenges of folks coming out of prison and the successes of the restorative justice model. Following the showing, Bess O’Brien and Susie Belleci, Director of the Greater Falls Restorative Justice Center, will lead a discussion on the impact of COSA and how the model is being utilized in the Greater Falls area. O’Brien is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and theatre producer. According to her website, Bess O’Brien co-founded Kingdom County Productions with her husband Jay Craven in 1991. She made the documentary The Hungry Heart, about the prescription drug crisis in Vermont and the compassionate work of Dr. Fred Holmes. The film has been widely used to start community discussions on the topic of opiate addiction across the state.

This event is hosted by Greater Falls Community Justice Center, Greater Falls Connections, Rockingham Free Public Library, Turning Point Recovery Center of Springfield, and Parks Place Community Resource Center. The Rockingham Free Public Library is located at 65 Westminster St, Bellows Falls, VT. For more information, contact Deb Witkus from Greater Falls Connections at 802-463-9927 x212 or Michael Malick from Greater Falls Community Justice Center 802-463-9927.

Belleci says, “Sitting with Bellows Falls community members in a circle with someone who’s done harm and been harmed gives me such hope. We here in Bellows Falls don’t have to wait for Washington to solve our problems, or Montpelier to solve our problems. Among our neighbors and friends and coworkers here in Bellows Falls, we have the strength and resilience to be with those who’ve made some mistakes, even very serious mistakes, and hold them accountable while at the same time offering our support so it doesn’t happen again. Bellows Falls has a long, proud history of taking care of their own. It’s what I love about Bellows Falls.”

She added, “We have a phrase in our work that guides us and it is a two-part phrase that must go together: ‘No more victims, and, no one is disposable.’ We take both of those concepts completely to heart in our COSA work.”

BBQ RESCHEDULED FOR AUGUST

Join Greater Falls Connections on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at the Rockingham Rec Center for the annual Greater Falls Connections July BBQ from 5:30-7pm. This is a fun summer potluck to celebrate inspiration, community and prevention. We will be making the official announcement of this year’s ACE Award (Active Community Engagement) winner. If you would like, you can bring a dish to share. We will provide the hamburgers and hot dogs. Prevention through inspiration!

Greater Falls Connections is inviting community members to nominate an unsung hero for the annual A.C.E. (Active Community Engagement) Award. This award recognizes a local individual who is active in community engagement in the Greater Falls area.  There are members of the community who work tirelessly to make a difference. They coach teams, organize fundraisers, or volunteer at our local hospitals, schools, churches and more. Consistently, they selflessly devote their time and efforts, going above and beyond without thought of reward or recognition. For example, a hero may exceed the requirements of their job or in their role as a volunteer. They could work with community organizations such as Parks Place, the Rockingham Free Public Library, SEVCA, or Our Place, etc.

You can help Greater Falls Connections to recognize​ ​an unsung hero by filling out a nomination form. Stop by Parks Place or the Rockingham Free Public Library to pick up a paper nomination​ ​form or go to the Greater Falls Connections Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greaterfallsconnections to fill out the online form. Paper forms can be faxed to Parks Place at 1-802-463-8138. Forms should be submitted by July 15^th.

The 2018 A.C.E. Award winner will be announced during the annual Greater Falls Connections Barbecue on July 17^th at the Rockingham Recreation Center.​ Previous winners include Sam Fletcher, Sam Maskell, Christine Bullard, Barbara Ternes, Ryan Stoodley, Mike Malick, and Gina DeCampo. The 2018 winner will be determined by a group of previous winners and the Greater Falls Connections staff members. Recipients of this award are the unsung heroes within our community who foster positive change and are dedicated to creating safe, healthy and fun options for youth, families and the community at large. If you have any questions about the award, please contact the Greater Falls Connections A.C.E. Award Committee at (802) 463-9927 ext. 212 or e-mail at deb@greaterfallsconnections.org.

Our next coalition meeting will be on June 22 at 12:00pm at Parks Place. This is the annual coalition meeting, where we will vote on the slate of candidates for the Greater Falls Connections advisory board and on one proposed change to the coalition’s bylaws. There will also be a presentation by members of the Advanced Above the Influence youth group.

Bringing Hope Home: Responding, Recovering, and Restoring Communities Affected by the Opioid Crisis will be the theme of our next community meeting on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 from 6-8pm at the Rockingham Free Public Library. The meeting will look into the immediate response to opioid addiction, stories of recovery, and examples of restorative justice.

Community members who attended the National Rx & Heroin Abuse Summit in early April will present lessons learned, including the importance of sharing stories and reducing the stigma surrounding substance abuse. This will also include a discussion of the US Surgeon General’s recommendation for expanding access to Narcan, the opioid overdose reversal drug. Community organizations will share information on recovery services and workforce development.

The Advanced Above the Influence (AATI) youth group and staff from the Greater Falls Community Justice Center will share restorative justice tools for rebuilding community.  The final part of the evening will include fun, engaging activities to get everyone involved.

Anyone interested in being part of the solution to the opioid crisis is invited to participate. Dinner will be provided, and childcare is available upon request. The Greater Falls Connections coalition is organizing this event with coalition members from HCRS, Springfield Medical Care Systems, Turning Point Recovery Center of Springfield, Greater Falls Community Justice Center, and Friends for Change.

March Coalition Meeting: Prevention in our Schools.

Greater Falls Connections will be hosting their monthly coalition meeting from 12-1:00pm on Friday, March 23 at Parks Place Community Center on 44 School St in Bellows Falls with staff members from Windham Northeast Supervisory Union. The topic of this month’s meeting is school-based substance abuse prevention, which will be presented by Heather Waryas, the Student Assistance Program Coordinator, and Orianna Baez, Director of the AIM Afterschool & Summer Program. Come and hear about how the schools are making a positive impact on our youth.

The monthly coalition meetings for Greater Falls Connections provide informative presentations on issues related to substance abuse prevention and updates on our work. Come learn, share, and be part of community-oriented solutions. Meetings are open to everyone. Lunch will be provided. Prevention through inspiration!