Advocates For Children

"An Evening at the Theatre" began around the corner from one -- at the Peabody Library, a block from Center Stage. Some 315 guests filled the black and white marble library -- enjoying good wine, hors d'oeuvres and conversation at the fund-raiser for Advocates for Children and Youth. Later, the group took a leisurely stroll to Center Stage for a production of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "The Piano Lesson." Among those gathered: Suzy Dunn, Ellen Webb and Debra S. Williams, event co-chairs; Alfred R. Berkeley, event corporate chair; Mayer Baker, Barbara E. Hart and Christine W. Hanley, event committee members; Mitchell Mirviss, ACY board president; Susan Leviton, Advocates for Children and Youth founder / honorary board chair; Carole Goldberg and Nicholas Richardson, ACY board members; Jann Jackson, ACY executive director; Michael Klein, Klein Supermarkets vice president; Daniel North, Euler-ACI vice president; Georgia Martin, Evan Enterprises president / owner; Jenna Bond-Louden, Wellesley College student; Jerry Martin, Martin Snyder & Bernstein partner; Peter Bain, Legg Mason executive vice president; Renee Ades, Adelberg Rudow Dorf & Hendler associate attorney; Charles Baum, United Holdings Co. financial officer; Terry Morganthaler, Chi Chi Bosworth and Betty Symington, community volunteers; Karen Henoch-Ryugo, the Learning Circus executive director; Catherine Searson, Baltimore Health Department nurse practitioner; Landa McLaurin, Western High School...

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has named an advocate for youth justice reform as the new director of Baltimore's crime policy office. Angela Johnese, an attorney who has served as juvenile justice policy director for Advocates for Children and Youth, will lead the Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice, coordinating criminal justice efforts across different agencies as well as administering state and federal grant money. In a statement, Rawlings-Blake said Johnese's "commitment to developing alternatives and solutions for young people will support our efforts to create long-term reductions in crime.

A column in yesterday's editions of The Sun contained incorrect information about movie and television projects involving Alan Sereboff. Mr. Sereboff is associate producer of the film "In the Living Years." The column also incorrectly listed Mario Van Peebles as the star of the film. Mr. Sereboff also has agreed to co-produce a public service announcement for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.The Sun regrets the errors.

Michael T. McCarthy Sr., a longtime Electrolux vacuum cleaner salesman who helped foster children find homes in his retirement, died on Jan. 23 of sudden cardiac arrest at the Baltimore-Washington Medical Center. The longtime Cockeysville resident was 69. Raised in Philadelphia, the sixth of seven siblings, Mr. McCarthy graduated from North Catholic High School there in 1961 and spent about nine years, starting in his late teens, as a brother with the Oblates of St. Francis DeSales in Wernersville, Pa. There, he was responsible for taking care of the grounds and working on the farm, according to his daughter, Jennifer Jones.

Would you put the least-experienced principals and lowest-paid teachers in Maryland's most troubled schools and expect the students there to succeed? Of course not. And yet, as Maryland State Board of Education President Dunbar Brooks recently pointed out, Maryland has many "high-cost" and "low-cost" schools that largely reflect the race and socioeconomics of the student population. In fact, these disparities have existed for a long time and remain severe, based on several studies completed by Advocates for Children and Youth.

In preparation for next year's legislative session, the Maryland Children's Action Network will hold its eighth annual MD CAN Children's Agenda Convention from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Road, Columbia. The meeting will include speakers, policy presentations, balloting for 2005 priorities and the presentation of a Champion for Children Award to Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch. MD CAN, a statewide network of more than 2,000 people and 300 organizations, is staffed by the nonprofit Advocates for Children and Youth Inc. Information: 410-547-9200; or www.acy.

Advocates for Children and Youth released a study Wednesday that says that more than 40 percent of children sent to group homes would be better served by Multisystemic Therapy, an intense, family-based intervention program. The percentage is twice as much as the state sends to such therapy. The sample for the study included 35 children between the ages of 11 and 17, advocates said. After a review of court records, pre-disposition investigation reports, placement and treatment histories and other documents within the juvenile court files, the study found that 15 of the children were eligible for the therapy, advocates said.

Huge red roses hung from crimson swagging over the Lyric Opera House lobby -- a visual confirmation of the warm, rosy mood of the party below. Some 230 friends and supporters had gathered for "A Farewell and Thank You -- Retirement Celebration for University of Baltimore President H. Mebane Turner." "They broke the mold after him," said guest Harry Bosk, Bosk Communications president, as he summed up the evening's emotional theme. "You know, Meb was known as the 'Mogul of Mount Royal,' " Bosk noted of Turner's 33 years as UB president, "because he believed one way to develop a presence in Baltimore was through bricks and mortar, as well as offering good education."

The well-being of children in Maryland has improved on many fronts, including reductions in teen pregnancies and arrest rates, but racial disparity still puts African-American children at increased risk, according to a report being released today by the Maryland Kids Count Partnership. "The gains for young people are very unevenly distributed," said Jann Jackson, executive director of Advocates for Children and Youth Inc. "We are still failing to narrow the racial gap." While the rate of violent deaths among African-American juveniles decreased between 1992 and 2002 by 10 percent, the rate of violent deaths among white youths decreased by 17 percent, according to the report.

Baltimore City schools' top official called the findings of a Maryland children's advocacy group "hard-headed, wrong-minded and absolutely inaccurate" after the group asserted that the school system has spent millions of dollars on misguided and unsuccessful education reforms this year."

Denise Courbron raised her children, and also adopted two infants from Latin America. Now, she'll be taking care of another child. Last week, in a ceremony in Westminster, Courbron and three other Carroll County residents were sworn in as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers. Court Hearing Master Kathryn Brewer-Pool gave the oath, and congratulated Courbron - as well as Westminster residents Tyler McAuliffe and Katie DuLaney and Joseph Meisner, of Sykesville - on joining the program that provides special services to foster children.

Editor: CASA of Harford County would like to extend a tremendous thank you to all of the individuals and companies that helped to make our second annual Bull and Oyster Roast on Feb 25, such a huge success. Thank you first to Sterling Caterers of Jarrettsville Gardens for providing such a wonderful location for our event. Thank you to all of our hardworking volunteers who worked tirelessly to make sure the event went off without a hitch. Most importantly, CASA of Harford County would like to thank the business community here in Harford County for their generosity in choosing to sponsor our event.

Dustin Bradsher attended seven different high schools, three in his senior year, while he was in foster care. From the time he was 5, he bounced from one Baltimore-area foster home to another, with no responsible, caring adult that he could turn to for guidance and support. "There were so many foster homes, but no one seemed to really watch over me," said Bradsher, now 25. Little changed until he was housed in a hospital for the mentally ill and Anne Feehley entered his life.

Advocates for Children and Youth released a study Wednesday that says that more than 40 percent of children sent to group homes would be better served by Multisystemic Therapy, an intense, family-based intervention program. The percentage is twice as much as the state sends to such therapy. The sample for the study included 35 children between the ages of 11 and 17, advocates said. After a review of court records, pre-disposition investigation reports, placement and treatment histories and other documents within the juvenile court files, the study found that 15 of the children were eligible for the therapy, advocates said.

Helping mothers helps bottom line Thanks to The Baltimore Sun for continuing to put a spotlight on Maryland's poor birth outcomes and on the need to intervene early to improve these outcomes, even before a woman becomes pregnant ("Help for young mothers," editorial, Dec. 22). The editorial mentions the recent expansion of health insurance to cover more parents. And it is very important to get as many of women enrolled in Medicaid as possible and then provide extra services to women at risk of difficult pregnancies.

Advocates for better foster care say they are worried that the state is not moving fast enough to find new foster families and move away from group homes, which critics say cost more and do not always meet neglected and abused children's needs. A status report released yesterday by Advocates for Children and Youth says that since June 2007, the state has gained 89 new families. The Department of Human Resources, which oversees foster care statewide, set a goal in November of signing up 1,000 new families by 2010.

Advocates for better foster care say they are worried that the state is not moving fast enough to find new foster families and move away from group homes, which critics say cost more and do not always meet neglected and abused children's needs. A status report released yesterday by Advocates for Children and Youth says that since June 2007, the state has gained 89 new families. The Department of Human Resources, which oversees foster care statewide, set a goal in November of signing up 1,000 new families by 2010.

One key ingredient of school reform is leadership, and that generally comes from principals. Last week, Advocates for Children and Youth, a Baltimore-based group, documented the correlation between inexperienced principals and poorly performing schools in Maryland, a correlation that is also tied to poverty. Since many of these inadequately led, low-performing schools are in Baltimore, it's good that city schools CEO Andres Alonso already has been touting the idea of giving principals more authority in running their schools.

Services help youths stay out of trouble As The Sun has reported, Farron Tates was returned repeatedly to the community after being held responsible for juvenile offenses, without effective support services being extended to him or to his troubled family ("A troubled life," March 13). He was then arrested for murder. This tragedy illustrates a pattern that Advocates for Children and Youth recently identified in a comprehensive review of children entering the juvenile justice system. Our study found that many youths are repeatedly arrested but provided little help until, after multiple arrests, they are placed in juvenile jails that turn many youths into career criminals.

Would you put the least-experienced principals and lowest-paid teachers in Maryland's most troubled schools and expect the students there to succeed? Of course not. And yet, as Maryland State Board of Education President Dunbar Brooks recently pointed out, Maryland has many "high-cost" and "low-cost" schools that largely reflect the race and socioeconomics of the student population. In fact, these disparities have existed for a long time and remain severe, based on several studies completed by Advocates for Children and Youth.