Somewhere over the Rainbow Room

By Cristin Ross

September 08, 2008 04:15 pm

— “And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the Earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud ...” Genesis 9:13, KJV.
When clouds pass through a local child’s life, the “bow” they see is the Cherokee County Rainbow Room. The Room serves children who are removed from abusive or neglectful situations at home by the county’s Child Protective Services staff.
“When it becomes necessary for us to step in and remove these children from whatever situation they have at home, they come out with nothing a lot of the time,” Cherokee County Child Protective Services Superintendent Suzan Ellis said. “What the Rainbow Room does is provides some of the child’s basic necessities, like clothes, a toothbrush and that, plus some extras, like toys or blankets, to help make the transition less traumatic.
“The service the Rainbow provides is vital to what we do, especially since the state has no funds for this kind of thing.”
CPS reports the office helped 50 families last year.
“The number of cases is slowly increasing,” caseworker assistant Araceli Botello said. “We’ve probably worked over 50 cases already this year, and it’s not even over yet.”
CPS case workers have access to the Room 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“You never know when a child will need to be taken out of a bad situation,” Welfare Board President Shirley Reese said. “Sometimes they are taken out of a bad home with literally only the clothes on their backs.”
Organized by the Cherokee County Child and Family Welfare Board, the Room has been able to expand since the county’s CPS office recently moved into its own building on Loop 456 in Jacksonville.
The Rainbow Room was formerly housed in a 10-foot square closet at the Crisis Center of Anderson and Cherokee Counties.
“We used to call it the Raindrop Closet because it was such a small place,” Ellis said with a laugh. “But now it’s much bigger and can be so much more to the children we serve.”
Botello was given a certificate of appreciation from the Welfare Board members for her help in getting the Rainbow Room organized.
“She was instrumental in getting us stowed away and ready to go,” Reese said. “We couldn’t have done it without her.”
The items stocking the Rainbow Room are mostly donated by the citizens and businesses in the community, but help from the Texas Community Partners and even other, larger Rainbow Rooms sometimes is available as well.
“We couldn’t accept a lot of donations before, because we just didn’t have the space,” Reese said. “We’re very appreciative of the Crisis Center for letting us use what space they were able to provide, but now we’re able to do so much more because we have more space. We want to really try and get the community more involved.”
Items the Rainbow Room provides include diapers for babies of all ages; toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash and floss; hair brushes, combs and hair accessories for little girls; children’s soap, shampoo, lotion, baby powder and deodorant; underwear, pajamas, socks, clothing, shoes and outer wear for children ages infant to 17 years of age; toys; and blankets and other bed linens.
“We ask that people only donate new things for the Rainbow Room,” Reese said. “Since most of the children who will be getting things from the Room are coming from bad situations, we like to be able to give them brand new items for a brand new start.”
Supplies and necessities for the kids aren’t the only things the Room offers.
Cleaning supplies and other household items are available for foster parents who might be finding themselves parenting for the first time and clients who need just a little help with things at home.
“It really helps,” Botello said. “And not just for the kids; we’re trying to help the families get where they need to be by offering the cleaning supplies.”
That’s exactly why CPS specialist Patricia Shaw keeps coming back to the office every day.
“It’s our success stories that really help me cope with this kind of work,” Shaw said. “One couple we’ve helped recently is really showing progress. They’ve gotten off the drugs and found jobs. They’re happier, so their kids are happier.
“That’s the kind of change that keeps you going, and the Rainbow Room helps us provide tools and supplies to help teach our clients life skills so they can make those changes.”

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.