Buckner aims for revolution in Odessa's young families
___By Russ Dilday
___Buckner News Service
___ODESSA--In an annex of Central Baptist Church, a quiet revolution is taking place. It has no political strategies and no armament, no troops and no equipment. But the revolution that has begun through the Buckner Healthy Families program has a battle plan and does expect successes, one family at a time.
___The Odessa program is just one of many Healthy Families programs in the state operated by Buckner and supported in part by the Texas Department of Public and Regulatory Services. It seeks to help new parents in Ector County with the growth and
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ERIKA, 17, represents one of 45 families learning parenting skills through Buckner Healthy Families of Ector County. She is mother to a 15-month-old son, Alexande. The program, which helps educate first-time parents, is located in an annex of Central Baptist Church in Odessa.
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development of their first child--from two weeks prior to birth to age 5--through information and a supportive network for finding resources at no cost to its clients.
___Typically, revolutions bring change. The relatively new Healthy Families program is changing the face of Odessa, said its leader, Program Manager Anna Rodriguez.
___"We are getting phone calls constantly," she said. "The community is finally becoming aware of Buckner Healthy Families in Odessa. We basically serve as the resource center here in Odessa. As a matter of fact, there was a lady who, through a referral from another agency, came in requesting help as well. We provide resources for the community. Not only for the clients we serve, but for the entire community as well."
___In addition to Rodriguez, the program relies on an assessment worker and three family support workers who provide information and resources to the 45 participating families.
___Erica, 17, has been a Healthy Families client for 15 months, ever since Family Support worker Mercy Hinojos met her at the hospital after Erica had delivered her son, Alexander.
___"She told me she was going to be giving me information and showing me things about the baby, like how they develop and how to take care of him," Erica said. "I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I was willing to give it a try."
___"When we got the referral on Erica, I went to see her at the hospital," Hinojos recalled. "She was in the hospital bed, that's how quick we got to her. I wanted to go meet her and tell her a little bit about the program, and she was so open from the beginning."
___As Erica had discovered during her pregnancy, a child has the power to change a parent's life.
___"You realize that you can't live for yourself," she said. "There's always somebody who depends on you. I have to think about the future. I have to see what I'm going to be five years from now, 10 years from now. He's helped me realize what I'm going to be in a few years, not for me but for him."
___Their hospital room meeting soon developed into a lasting relationship that Erica says goes beyond the call of a support worker. Over the next year, the two held weekly meetings to discuss the child-development curriculum used as part of the program and to set short- and long-term goals.
___"Mercy's always there," Erica said. "I'm learning things with the baby. There are little games she teaches me, and she made little books for the baby. It has helped my child develop as well as I have. She's not only my caseworker, she's gotten close to the family. If I need somebody to talk to, I talk to Mercy."
___"We want to do whatever it takes to get her and her baby ahead," explained Hinojos. "We want her to know there are people who care for her.
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JASON, 19, recently entered the Buckner Healthy Families program with his girlfriend, Christina, 17, after the birth of their 2-month-old daughter, Ambrey. Buckner Family Support Worker Mercy Hinojos met Erica at the hospital after Erica had delivered her son.
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___"A lot of times, the girls who are in this situation have no self-esteem or they've been kicked out of the house because they were pregnant," she said. "A lot of things are going on in their lives. We come in non-judgmental. We let them know, 'We are going to be there for you and your baby.'"
___That tight relationship has been important not only in educating Erica as a parent but in guiding her through life crises. Nine days prior to Alexander's birth, Erica's father died after a lengthy illness. Hinojos led the family to participate in counseling through another local service.
___After her son's birth, another crisis emerged in Erica's life.
___"I was in a real abusive relationship," she explained. "I would talk to Mercy a lot. She made me see what I was in. I wouldn't go to school. I would stay home. I was always depressed. She made me realize what I was going through."
___Erica plans to finish her high school education this year and begin classes at the University of Texas at Permian Basin during the spring semester. She's also going to focus on Alexander's education.
___"I plan to keep him ahead, keep him in school, keep his head straight," she said. "I remember my daddy used to always tell me, 'Without your education, you are nothing in this world.'"
___Helping young parents find resources sometimes is just as important as educating families about parenting, said Rodriguez, the program director.
___"Right now, shelter is one of their big problems," she said. "They get pregnant, they are very young and, if they get kicked out of their home, there is nowhere for a teen person to go to who's pregnant or with a child. They can't sign for an apartment on their own. They don't have a job or don't make enough money to support themselves. We help them.
___"Another big issue we answer is transportation. There's no public transportation here. So how do they get to their appointments? How do they take their babies to get their shots or to their food-stamp appointment or WIC appointment?"
___Many observers see the Healthy Families revolution as changing the lives of mothers, but the focus of the program is on families. Several fathers also have become active participants in the child education.
___Jason, 19, and his girlfriend, Christina, 17, recently entered the program after the birth of their daughter, Ambrey.
___Jason said he wanted to openly discuss how Healthy Families had helped him overcome anger and abusive behavior to become a good father.
___"We had a rough time together, and we're trying to get over it," he said. "Counseling for my anger has been the most helpful. I had a real bad temper, just in a lot of arguments. I wanted Ambrey to have a better life, not seeing us fight, not worrying about having a safe home. It was getting to the point where it was really physical and I told Christina, 'I'm leaving; I don't want you in the hospital.'"
___He credited Buckner Family Support Worker Elizabeth Romo with "motivating me" to receive professional counseling and be a model father.
___Romo said she took a two-stage approach to helping the couple after she offered her assistance through Healthy Families.
___"When I went to meet them, I right away knew there would be some kind of counseling with family issues," she said. "You want to make sure the family you work with is healthy and happy. I wanted to start getting them to focus on their (relationship). Once we passed that stage, we began focusing more on their child."
___Christina said that, with Romo's help, she is now focusing on Ambrey's development. "We're reading books to her, saying the ABCs, playing with her, teaching her her body parts.
___"We want to be good parents," Christina emphasized. "I knew there were a lot of things we needed to know, like taking care of her, feeding her and showing her love, especially when we have had problems of our own."
___Romo said Jason is one of three active fathers in the group of 15 families she assists. She is helping him look for a job after he earns his high school diploma.
___Romo said the support of Buckner will help the young family set and achieve their goals.
___"I want them to know that no matter what, they're going to have my support," she said. "This is a very strong family. They tend to look at their weaknesses, but they have so much strength."
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