East County Family Justice Center
First Visit.JPG
Our first visit to the ECFJC.
Sorting and shredding.jpg
September 20, 2008: The first order of business was to sort all the stuff in the garage, haul sensitive documents to be shredded, salvage what was usable and donate or throw out the rest.
Christinekitchen.jpg
President Christine cleans up the kitchen items that were in the garage.
DebbieKitchen.JPG
Debbie Weise organizes the kitchen cabinet - we certainly won't need any paper plates or plastic utensils for a while.
ECShelves.JPG
Elena Totten and President Christine assemble a set of shelves.
BudStud.JPG
Soroptimister Bud Hartwell lends a hand trying to find a stud.
Anneflowers.JPG
Anne DiNapoli demonstrates her talents as a master of fake plant and flower arranging.
Chosing pics.jpg
Past SILM member Nona Powers generously donated her time and treasure to re-frame many of the pictures people donated. Now the only problem is deciding which ones to put where.
linda painting.jpg
The tile hearth of the faux fireplace gets a touch-up from Linda Newell.
Lights1.JPG
With the help of Kathy's son Sean, Kate's daughter Meagan and Christine's granddaughter Sophia, holiday lights were strung to give the center a festive feel.
lights2.JPG
IMG_0113.JPG 2008-11-29
LRbefore.JPG
This is what the living room looked like the first time we visited.
LRafter001
And this is what it looks like now.IMG_0077.jpg 2008-12-21
LRafter002
And this is what it looks like now.IMG_0078.jpg 2008-12-21
LRnew1.JPG
The living room has been transformed to a welcoming and comfortable space for women and their children to relax between appointments.
LRcorner.JPG
Another part of the living room - before...
lrcornerafter.JPG
Transformed into a children's area with a television and rocking chair.
fireplacebefore.JPG
The faux fireplace in the living room provides an interesting element to the room.
fireplaceafter.JPG
And, with a little Soropti-magic is transformed into this homey scene.
greenbefore.JPG
The smaller interview room - nicknamed the green room - was a bit of a challenge because of its small size.
greenroomafter.JPG
A little creativity transformed this small space into a cozy and relaxing space where women can meet with advocates while still keeping an eye on their children playing in the spacious back yard.
blueroom.jpg
The larger interview room - the "blue room" - afforded enough space to create an area where children can be occupied while mom takes care of her business.
diningroom.jpg
A small dining room provides an area for staff and clients to have a bite and may also be used for small meetings.
Teddies.JPG
About 100 hand knit teddy bears await a new home. Each child who comes to the center will receive a "Teddy From the Heart."
Waiting.JPG
Everything is in place, as President Christine, Dolores Kelly and Maxine Levaren wait for the ceremony to begin.
bags.JPG
Many women flee their homes with few, if any, possessions. These bags, filled with toiletries, will give the women some of the basics, along with a bag to store her belongings.
katelaurie.JPG
The big day finally arrives and Soroptimists Kate Boyce and Laurie Stensland are on hand to make sure everything is ready.
kathychristine.JPG
Kathy and Christine set out some of the refreshments.
bigsign.JPG
Note to self, when asking Ruth to provide a sign - always specify the size!
DVvictim.JPG
Among the speakers is a young woman who escaped a domestic violence by visiting the San Diego Family Justice Center.
ribboncutting.JPG
And finally, the ribbon is cut.
ribboncutting.JPG
And finally, the ribbon is cut.