CACTX - New director takes reins of children's group

ANGLETON - Lisa Jolly's goal as executive director of the Brazoria County Alliance for Children is to promote family healing while building strong community relationships.

And to eventually make her own position obsolete.

Based at the Children's Advocacy Center in Angleton, Jolly said she looks forward to working with law enforcement, Child Protective Services and community groups to ensure child and family safety.

"I'd like to maintain and improve the program and improve relationships with the organizations we collaborate with,” she said. "We need to work together creating awareness in the community. A lot of times, child abuse and neglect are taboo subjects, but unfortunately, it happens every day. If we can communicate the need for adults to be protectors of children and identify when neglect and abuse are occurring, we can start really preventing it.”

The advocacy center is operated by the Alliance for Children, which also oversees the Community Partners program. Community Partners provides items for foster children that their foster parents might not be able to afford.

The Child Advocacy Center works with local law enforcement officials conducting interviews and forensic investigations to help lessen a child's emotional trauma during the investigation of child abuse cases, according to information at the group's Web site, www.cac-bc.org.

Goals include reducing trauma to children when they're involved in the justice process, promotion of emotional health and healing, and keeping communities safe by holding offenders accountable for crimes against children.

The center conducts about 350 child interviews per year, said Shirley Walcik, an alliance board member. Other services include the Rainbow Room from which families in need can get emergency supplies for young children brought into foster care and "Christmas Partners” from which 700 foster children received Christmas gifts last year.

The alliance also sometimes provides graduation items for older children, Walcik said.

Staff members include Jolly, a forensic interviewer, a case manager, a therapist, a victim advocate and a financial administrator while the medical staff includes a medical director and physician, who are consultants, and a pediatric nurse practitioner, who works on-site.

The alliance is supported through donations, state and federal grants, fundraisers and corporate contributions. Its medical component receives about $75,000 from area governmental entities, with Brazoria County paying $34,000 and the rest coming from area cities.

Jolly is a welcome addition to the Brazoria County program, said Gwen Carter, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services, which works closely with the center. The advocacy center's main office is in Angleton with a satellite in Pearland.

"They do amazing work, and people in centers all over the state provide a valuable service,” Carter said. ‽It takes everybody. We're so appreciative of every organization that helps our kids and our families. It's such an important part of what we do.”

Jolly, who is hired by a board of directors, takes over from Bonnie Martin, who left the organization in November.

Jolly has both bachelor's and master's degrees in public administration from the University of Laverne in California, from where she graduated in 2000 and 2002. She worked her way to senior management of two United Way chapters in California. She worked five years for the University of Houston as a fundraising officer, including service with the College of Law and Bauer Business College there.

She's also worked in communications at California State University in San Bernadino. Jolly most recently served as executive vice president of Mental Health America of Greater Houston and has experience as a substitute teacher.

Since taking over in January, Jolly has built consensus and is a positive force, Walcik said.

"We have a united staff and a united board,” Walcik said. "She's willing to listen to everybody. We're all looking forward to working with her.”

Educating parents about preventing abuse and helping counsel people through the process once a problem occurs are both key to healing and prevention, Jolly said.

"I want them to know we understand their pain and we're going to help them through it,” Jolly said. "We're going to help their children through this and help them deal with whatever feelings they're experiencing. My goal is to make it so we don't need to exist. I'd like to work myself out of a job.”

John Lowman covers Brazoria County for The Facts. Contact him at 979-849-8581.