Community in Eagle
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Laguna Pointe Embraces the Gift of Hope
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By Corey Fagan
As Eagle begins to celebrate this holiday season, we watch the spirit of the community come alive. We drive through our streets and see shop owners decorating. The feeling in the air begins to change and you can literally smell the season. The shopping frenzy begins, the homes light up, and our hearts are directed to a familiar place. The sense of giving is prominent and remarkable during the holiday season, and touches each of us in a unique way. This time of year always tugs at my heartstrings, whether I see families ice skating, carolers singing, trees being decorated, children anticipating Santa, or I am home with my kids, curled up on the couch watching The Miracle on 34th Street or It’s a Wonderful Life. This year I find that my heart is, again, touched by the community I am blessed to live in.
The developers and homeowners of our newest development, the exquisite Laguna Pointe, are preparing to give us all a peek into their amazing kindness as they open their hearts and doors for the children of our community. With generous donations from local businesses and community supporters, this holiday event proves exactly what this community is made of: heart. It is amazing how much everyone has put into this event. From donations like a trip to California and concert at the Hollywood Bowl, to the countless hours that the developers of Laguna Pointe have put into organizing the event, the overwhelming theme this season is the spirit of giving. But all of this wonderful compassion seems easy to find when the benefit is such a worthy cause.
The Family Advocate Program, which will receive 100% of the funds from this event, is a local foundation that has a twenty-eight year history of successfully serving children and families through its two major programs: the “CASA” (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program, which is committed to the protection and healing of children who have been neglected or abused, and the “Families First” program, which works to help parents keep their families strong and give their children the best possible start in life. As upsetting as it is to hear about children being harmed by those who are supposed to protect them, it brings comfort to know that there is help and a foundation out there that cares about each and every child, and brings peace and moments of happiness to the tumultuous lives of these little ones.
These programs are designed to protect children and be a voice for them as their family works on coming together again. After a child is removed from an abusive environment by the Court System, they are placed in the CASA Program and matched with a trained volunteer to serve as a third party advocate, speaking solely for the child and his or her needs. They file court reports and appear before the judge to promote the best interests of the child. Their follow up ensures the child receives the services necessary to heal from the trauma of abuse. In 2006 alone, CASA protected 722 children, nearly half of whom were under the age of six.
Through family training and counseling by the Families First program, 97% of the children protected by CASA were saved from future abuse after being returned to their homes and families. A trained parent educator shares research-based parenting skills during regular home visits that occur weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. They provide group meetings for parents where they can hear of others in similar circumstances and can share with one another and not feel alone. Additional families are referred to the program through hospitals, clinics, schools, family service agencies, individuals, counselors, and others. Once a family joins the program, the parent educator works with the parents to create an individual support plan, tailored to the needs of that family. In 2006, the Families First program created strong families for over 250 children by mentoring 248 parents. They helped families enjoy more reading activities, and brought holiday gifts and food to more than sixty needy families by partnering with more than forty sponsoring organizations.
What struck me most was the story of a little boy named Jacob. He came to the hospital at a mere twenty-nine days old with broken bones, bruising to his scrotum and trauma to his stomach after being abused by his father who was, thankfully, arrested, and later convicted. Jacob was placed into the Family Advocate Program. His mother was given custody of her baby, but lacked parenting skills, and at times even resented the program that was trying to help her. Jacob’s mother came from an unfortunate background and never had a role model to learn from. The trained volunteer from The Family Advocate Program worked patiently and intently with his mother and eventually succeeded. Jacob’s mother is now able to provide a home for him. She was able to complete her GED, and now attends BSU. The program gave her the courage to make the changes that she needed to be an excellent parent for baby Jacob. This is only one of hundreds of similar stories where lives have been touched by the honorable and incredible volunteers that make a difference for the future members of our society. Last year, they brought Santa to 140 children through the Santa Project. An incredible feat if you ask me.
As Laguna Pointe embraces the gift of hope for these children, with the heart of giving and holiday spirit, they invite you to join them for an amazing raffle and silent auction of many fine items. They will be serving hors d’oeuvres, graciously donated by Mortimer’s, wine, and hot cider throughout the day, as well as enjoying carolers, hay rides, Santa portraits, and Monkey Dooz makeovers for the kids. Adjacent to the Boise River and surrounding a mystic 43-acre lake with stunning views of the Boise Mountains, the tours of the Laguna Pointe community, including the beautiful custom homes in this unique waterfront neighborhood, will inspire you.
The longer I live and explore the treasure valley, the more evidence I see that heart is what makes a community work and this place really gets it. I often wonder if there is a criterion of character that has to be met before you can live here. Or maybe it is just the common denominator that attracts a certain breed of amazing people to this place we call home.
Laguna Pointe Embraces the Gift of Hope
December 1, 2007 from 12-6pm at the Laguna Point community of the east side of Eagle Road, between Chinden and State.
To find out more about this event or the Laguna Pointe development please contact:
Woodhouse Group
Andrea Coddens (208) 484-3589
or Krystal Steininger (208) 272-0700
Visit the Laguna Pointe website at :
www.LagunaPointe.com
To learn more about the Family Advocate Program visit www.FamilyAdvocate.org or call (208) 345-3344.
Special thanks to the following businesses for their generous donations to support the Family Advocate Program:
Adrenaline Truck Performance - R. Coddens
Advanced Home Systems
Arrowrock Landscape Contractors
Avery Charters Seed Company
b&b Photography
Bank of America - Jason Ames
Barbacoa Restaurant
Bardenay
Bill Silva Presents - Andrew Hewitt
Bravo Entertainment
Bridgetower Dental
Burke Family, The
Caritta Salon - Cassie Ricks
Charity Chant
Coast 2 Coast, LLC
Cook Family, The
CSHQA
DJ11 - Brad Rowen
Eagle Arts Commission - City of Eagle
Eagle Day Spa
Eagle Life Magazine
Epic Apparel and Board
Foothill Knights, LLC
Handmade
Idaho Commercial Brokerage
Idaho Independent Bank
Idaho Martial Arts
Interior Elements
Jac’s Home Staging
Jennifer Baldwin Design
John Driscoll - Wachovia Securities
Laguna Pointe Homeowners
Mai Thai
Monkey Dooz Eagle
Mortimer’s
Ogata Chiropractic
Orson Woodhouse
Penny Lane
Rembrandts Coffee House
Ruby Lou
Saint Alphonsus Life Flight
Sassy Cook’N
Smoky Mountain Pizza & Pasta
Sue Cook Designs
Sysco Foods
Taylor Family, The
The Blue Moose Cafe
The Melting Pot
The Tavern at Bown Crossing
Thornton Family, The
Tiffany Hix Photography
Whiptail Graphics - Asa Nims
