The hub of information for the Second Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program, our blog contains posts with announcements, news and events, articles, periodicals and additions or updates to our website.
This page contains published posts from the July 2015 archive sorted chronologically with the newest at the top.
We regularly encounter families who are in need of living assistance but our resources are extremely limited. When special requests for essentials such as beds, linens, clothing and school supplies come in from families, our staff reach out to the community for help.
If you can assist in fulfilling the below request or have any questions, please get in touch with the request contact. Thank you for your help!
Update
2016-02-14: update status to "fulfilled"
New Event
We regularly host, sponsor and support a variety of events that provide community outreach, increase awareness of our program, help recruit new volunteers, raise funds and furnish training to our volunteer guardians ad litem. The following event was recently added to our calendar.
New Community Supporter
The Second Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program and Child Advocates II (CAII) work together to build partnerships with individuals, businesses and organizations in the Big Bend Region.
Without the assistance provided by our CAII Partners 
and community supporters, ensuring children have a court-appointed volunteer guardian ad litem, legal assistance and financial resources would be extremely difficult.
The following company was recently added to Community Supporters under Local Businesses.
We thank Tallahassee Furniture Direct and all of our partners and supporters for their generous contributions to children in our community.
On Thursday, July 16, 2015, the Tallahassee Democrat published an article about and two of our photographs from this year's annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and Reception.
The article is presented below in case you missed it. Thank you to the Democrat for sharing our program with their readers.
We regularly host, sponsor and support a variety of events that provide community outreach, increase awareness of our program, help recruit new volunteers, raise funds and furnish training to our volunteer guardians ad litem. The following event was recently added to our calendar.
According to the Florida Department of Children and Families, seventy-three children died from drowning in 2014. In addition, "Florida loses more children under the age of five to drowning than any other state in the nation."
In an effort to prevent further drowning fatalities, the Florida Department of Children and Families along with state and local partners launched two water safety initiatives last year geared toward caregivers and children respectively.
With area temperatures as hot as they are right now, it is the perfect time to revisit these resources and ensure safe summertime swimming.
Eyes on the Kids
Encourages parents and caregivers to practice four water safety rules: supervision, barriers, swimming lessons and emergency preparedness.
Water Safety Is For Everyone
Coloring sheets, activity pages and other fun downloads for children. Free water safety program are also available by reservation.
We regularly host, sponsor and support a variety of events that provide community outreach, increase awareness of our program, help recruit new volunteers, raise funds and furnish training to our volunteer guardians ad litem. The following event was recently added to our calendar.
New Event
We regularly host, sponsor and support a variety of events that provide community outreach, increase awareness of our program, help recruit new volunteers, raise funds and furnish training to our volunteer guardians ad litem. The following event was recently added to our calendar.
Volunteer Form Updates
We have added and updated several resources in the Volunteer Forms and Documents section of the Current Volunteers page.
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Child Visitation Report eForm
We are excited to announce our new eForm web application with the inaugural release of the Child Visitation Report eForm. This interactive form provides an easy way for volunteers to write visitation reports — crucial documents that must be submitted after each visit — and submit them to our office.
The form is now simplified into nine logical groups and is dynamic. eForm will show or hide questions and fields based on the input entered, providing a streamlined experience. Created with mobile devices in mind, eForm features a very clean and basic design that is suitable for use on smartphones, tablets and computers alike.
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Guardian ad Litem Report to the Court
An updated version of the Guardian ad Litem Report to the Court form has been published. This form is available in PDF 
and Word 
formats.
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Continuing Education Form
A new feature has been added to our online Continuing Education Form. After sending the form, volunteers will now receive a copy of their submitted hours by email. Thank you to volunteer Stacey Burns for the excellent suggestion.
Staff Directory Update
The staff directory on the Contact page has been updated to reflect recent personnel changes. Two job titles have also been renamed; child advocacy coordinators are now known as child advocate managers and program attorneys are now known as child's best interest attorneys.
Our partner organization Child Advocates II, Inc. (CAII) has closed the lid on their latest fundraising effort and the results are another success.
The CAII Great Southern BBQ Fundraiser was a delicious way to join CAII on its mission to provide for the needs of abused and neglected children in the Big Bend by purchasing locally sourced, slowly cooked and hickory smoked meats.
CAII is a charitable, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit volunteer organization founded to support the Second Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program.
The sale featured Johnston's Meat Market's specially prepared Boston butt, picnic ham, sausage and ribs. Over forty people participated, purchasing eighty-four items and raising $1,428 for our program and local children.
This is but the latest successful fundraising venture for CAII. Events such as the CAII Happy Hour at Madison Social, CAII Wine Tasting for Charity and CAII Cupcakes and Cookies for Kids all have been successful, innovative ways to reach broader audiences and raise money.
Thank you to the volunteers of CAII, Johnston's Meat Market and everyone who participated in the CAII Great Southern BBQ Fundraiser.
New Events
We regularly host, sponsor and support a variety of events that provide community outreach, increase awareness of our program, help recruit new volunteers, raise funds and furnish training to our volunteer guardians ad litem. The following events were recently added to our calendar.
Continuing Education Library
One new library item has been added to our Continuing Education resource center.
New Community Supporter
The Second Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program and Child Advocates II (CAII) work together to build partnerships with individuals, businesses and organizations in the Big Bend Region.
Without the assistance provided by our CAII Partners and community supporters, ensuring children have a court-appointed volunteer guardian ad litem, legal assistance and financial resources would be extremely difficult.
The following company was recently added to Community Supporters under Local Businesses.
We thank Benson's Heating and Air Conditioning and all of our partners and supporters for their generous contributions to children in our community.
gal.fl.gov
