DOBBS FERRY
A Tour of Children's Village
During the process of interviewing ?Dobbs Ferry police? and
village officials concerning recent criminal ?activity committed by
residents of Children's Village? in Dobbs Ferry, I was encouraged
repeatedly to go there and see what happens on their 180-acre campus for
myself.
Having grown up in Hunters Run, a residential development less than 100
yards from the now-closed entrance to CV off of Ogden Avenue, I was
somewhat ashamed never to have entered the campus. And yesterday, I was
most definitely surprised by what I encountered.
My tour was guided by Linda Stutz, vice president of institutional
advancement for Children's Village?. Even before we had a chance to
talk, I was greeted by Ruthie, a golden retriever service dog who—I
couldn't make this up—has been trained to turn on and off the light
switch in Stutz' office.
"She even brings the checks to the billing department down the hall
clutched in her teeth," Stutz said.
Enough about the dogs though—there will be more on Patch about them next
week—my goal was to learn about the kids.
According to Stutz, there are about 200 kids—aged 6 to 18—in their
residential treatment program at any given time. About half of those
youths have have come to Dobbs Ferry from the foster care system in the
greater New York area. Some were removed from foster families for
displaying behavioral problems and others were referred to the program
after comitting petty crimes.
"CV is a last chance for these youths," Stutz said. "Most stay one year,
but some stay much longer."
A small percentage of the boys in the residential treatment
program—about 12 residents—were placed there for severe mental health
issues.
Besides the residential treatment program—which accounts for the
majority of campus residents—there is a non-secure detention center for
youths who have been picked-up for committing petty crimes and are
undergoing evaluations before they face adjudication in family court.
"The community was up in arms when this program was implemented a few
years ago," Stutz said. "But I can say definitively that none of the
recent problems in the community were caused by youths in this program."
Finally, there is a small group of residents—both boys and girls—who
were referred to Children's Village as illegal immigrants discovered in
the country without guardians. They stay in Dobbs Ferry while their
immigration statuses are resolved and social workers try to contact
relatives either in this country or abroad.
"Some kids were picked up near the Mexican border, others at JFK
Airport," Stutz said. "We've had kids as young as 6 years old here for
that reason, but most are teenagers who came to get jobs and send money
to their families in their home countries."
Most don't speak English.
Outside of the Dobbs Ferry campus, Children's Village coordinates a
street outreach program that goes into urban centers in Westchester
offering medical help and emotional support.
"Most people call it the condom truck," Stutz said, laughing, "because
they deliver a lot of condoms. But the urban outreach program also
conducts HIV testing and refers youths who are in trouble to a secure
shelter in Valhalla."
As a social service agency, Children's Village has many more programs,
all of which can be explored on their website.
Touring the campus, Stutz—not surprisingly—brought me to the "ecad" dog
training facility first, where we met Anthony and his charge Crisco
(Ruthie's puppy).
"I've been working with dogs for two years," said Anthony a 17-year-old
CV resident. "I love it, but my dream is to become a therapist."
Besides training service dogs—by far the most photogenic of jobs
residents can hold—teenagers are encouraged to work in such places as
the "Hawks Nest Cafe," serving snacks to friends, or the campus barber
shop, where they can become licensed barbers.
"It's less about teaching an actual trade here than it is instilling in
our residents a sense of work ethic and discipline," Stutz said. "Many
don't came from families in which their parents went to work every day,
so we need to teach that aspect of becoming citizens of the greater
community."
The last stop on my tour was the recreational facility, which features a
a weight room (packed at 4 p.m.), basketball courts and a full-size
swimming pool.
Unfortunately, due to the nasty weather, Stutz could not show me their
extensive web of walking trails, but offered this anecdote:
"Last year, my husband and I took a group of kids cross-country skiing
after one of the big snow storms," she recalled. "At the end of the day,
one of the participants came up to me and said, 'Ms. Stutz, this has
been the best day of my life?.' That's what we do all this for."
I'm sure Children's Village will continue to pop up in the police
blotter, and as a conscientious reporter, I'll continue to publish that
important information.
But stories of 15-year-olds finally learning to read or kids reunited
with their families won't ever make the blotter, and I consider such
triumphs equally newsworthy.
By Lizzie Hedrick
5 November 2010
http://rivertowns.patch.com/articles/beyond-the-blotter-a-tour-of-childrens-village
