News from the Gateway Center Community Advisory Committee

June, 2003

  WHERE ARE THE LLAMAS?
As you have driven past Gateway Center during the past few months, you may have asked yourself, "Where did the llamas go?" Well, they all have new homes and are quite comfortable in their new surroundings. Llamas require a great deal more care than camels and over the past year the expense of their upkeep became more than the Center could continue to provide. This past December the decision was made to find them new homes in the surrounding area where they could be well cared for. Local sheep farmers adopted them, and they are helping protect their sheep from predatory animals. Thanks for asking!

  UPDATE
During the evening hours of May 19, two children left the Gateway Center together. One of them had learned earlier in the day that a family member had become ill. Longing to be with his family, he decided to try to get home by running away and persuaded his roommate to go with him. After leaving the Center, both realized they had made a bad decision and returned to the Center on their own. They were gone about one hour.

  WANT TO HELP?
The Gateway Center Community Advisory Committee is currently accepting nominations for new committee members. Are you community-minded? Do you care about kids? We are looking for new members who have objective opinions, who can work well in a group setting, and have an interest in the kids at the Gateway Center. If this appeals to you, or if you know someone in the local community who would be interested, please submit your name or nomination along with a phone number to any current Gateway Advisory Committee member whose names and phone numbers are listed to the left, or respond to our email address, gatewaycenter37777@yahoo.com. Nominations will be accepted until Tuesday, July 15, 2003.

  ASKING THE NEIGHBORS - Marie Nix
"Lady, I am so sorry," the big man confessed, looking down at me from the tall cab of his truck. "I drive through this intersection all the time but my mind was a million miles away." Speeding, he'd run a stop sign and almost run over me before I could ask him my question.
My name is Marie Nix. I am one of five members of the Community Advisory Committee for the Gateway Center in Blount County. The staff at Gateway treats teenagers who abuse drugs and alcohol. Last year, 121 teenagers got help at Gateway. Getting correct Gateway information out to the community is the reason for our committee's existence.
But at our monthly advisory committee meetings, I hear more about local reaction to Gateway Center "being amongst us" than discussion about the kids. Local people's reactions, good and bad, come up every month.
Trouble is, I never hear much of this "community buzz" personally. Recently I set out to change that.
I visited with neighbors, one in her over onehundredyear old `happy' living room. I talked to quiet fisherman at Poland Creek Campground. I asked family. I did phone interviews. I stopped traffic. Well, most of it, anyway. I stood at the corner of Old Lowes Ferry Road and Lowes Ferry Road, only 1.4 miles away from Gateway Center (at 3845 Holston College Road). I asked those drivers and all my other contacts one question: "Do you have an opinion about the (Werner) Gateway Center?"
And I got answers. Lots of answers. Here are those answers, all mixed up and in singleidea order:
1. It's nice that kids with these problems can be brought out into the country. But I think it would be good for them to have jobs. Like pulling weeds.
2. I have no idea what you're talking about.
3. My understanding was that from the very beginning, the Werner Center could never expand.
4. I want to know how much it costs to get the sheriff down there. We could use more patrolling.
5. I'm for the Gateway myself. They do not bother me. If I had a child I couldn't do anything with, having trouble, that's where I would want my child to be. I love everybody that works there.
6. We've never had any of them come here.
7. Those kids need to be somewhere.
8. I haven't even seen it. No ma'am, I haven't.
9. That's good they got one.
10. I have seen, on more than one occasion, from police reports in "The Daily Times," I've seen that at least three or four of those escaped.
11. I've never been opposed to it being there. It's my husband who's pathological about it.
12. I was born and raised down here. I worked a farm. We had it hard. But I never heard of it.
13. If there were a little more PR, some of these folks would come around.
14. No, ma'am.
15. Better keep your gun loaded.
16. I don't know if they could legally build a fence.
17. I read up on all this stuff. About them creating problems. Mostly in the newspaper. None of the articles I've read were favorable. But I've had no problems.
18. The complaints I hear are from the elderly who are afraid.
19. I would like to know when they are going to start building.
20. Yes, I think it is a pretty good place.
21. I really don't (have an opinion).
22. No, I really don't.
23. Don't know what it is or where it is.
24. I don't live here.
25. That area used to be farms.
26. I think it's wonderful that the Werners contributed the farm and funds. They were so generous.
27. I don't know.
28. I didn't even know it was there.
29. I just work down here so I don't know anything about it.
30. I live there right in front of it. It's a constant pain.
31. I thought it was a mental health place.

Well, there it is. Almost half the people I talked to didn't even know that Gateway existed. The Gateway Community Advisory Committee has its work cut out for it. To disseminate Gateway facts will be no small task.
But to a person, every single local I stopped to talk to was polite. Even the truck driver who almost ran over me turned around and came back. Although he didn't end up knowing one thing about Gateway, he was willing to turn that big old dump truck around and come back to apologize.
We've got a mighty nice community to work with.

  TALKING TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT TOBACCO
Despite the influences of peer pressure, music, and TV, parents can still be the greatest influence in their children's lives. You can do a lot to prevent your child from using tobacco products.

• Talk to your child early, beginning at age 5 or 6 and continue talking to them through their high school years. Many kids begin using tobacco by the age of 11, and can be addicted by the age of 14.
• Know who your children's friends are and if they use tobacco. Talk about ways to say no if they are offered use of tobacco products.
• Talk about the health risks of tobacco use. If friends and family died from tobacco-related illnesses, let your kids know.
• If you use tobacco, you can still help. The best way is to try to quit. In the meantime, don't use tobacco in your children's presence, and don't leave it in an area accessible to children.

  SPOTLIGHT ON VOLUNTEERS
We thought that it would be appropriate to feature a special volunteer in this issue of The Gatekeeper since April was National Volunteer Recognition Month. All program volunteers at the Gateway Center were invited to a special Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast on April 8, 2003 in recognition and appreciation of the service they have given to the children of Gateway and to other McNabb programs. A great time was had by all who attended.

Francis Perey, a Louisville resident for the past 25 years became a Gateway volunteer last November. He became interested in the Center last year after receiving information from neighbors about a possible expansion of Gateway. "A short time later, an open house was held and I attended," said Perey. After talking with the children and staff that day, he indicated he might be interested in helping, but was not sure what he had to offer.
Francis is a native of France who came to this country after immigrating to Canada as an 18 year-old. He has been married to his wonderful wife Claire for 40 years, and they have two adult children. He is a retired nuclear physicist, as is Claire. He was employed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where he worked for 30 years in fundamental nuclear research. He was originally hired to work on an aircraft nuclear propulsion project in 1960, and worked on other projects throughout his career. He has many interesting stories about his work at Oak Ridge, and a lot of history about the program he shares with the kids.
He is also an avid sailor. Francis has always loved the water, and for 12 years rowed across Lake Loudoun every day, picked up his car and drove the rest of the way to Oak Ridge. In 1990 he took an early retirement from the lab, and he and Claire set sail on a 10 year, 33,000 mile journey in their ocean-going sailboat that he built in their back yard! "First I built the house; when the house didn't sink I built the boat!" he explained. They cruised much of the world, with their travels taking them to exotic ports such as Istanbul, the Mediterranean, and a number of European and Middle Eastern countries.
Francis also loves computers and is quite knowledgeable regarding both hardware and software. After Francis met Gateway Educator Kathy Rankin, they agreed he should begin his volunteer experience by working in the classroom with the kids and assisting in getting some of their ailing computers working again.
Francis has been active with the kids since he began volunteering in November, and comes twice a week. He helps with tutoring in the classroom, has talked with the kids about his career and sailing experiences, and has totaled 120 hours of service so far.
"I do it for the kids," he said. "These are tough times." For someone who was unsure about what he had to offer, he has shared a great deal - and everyone at Gateway is very glad he has!

If you are interested in learning more about volunteer opportunities at the Gateway Center or with other Helen Ross McNabb Center programs, please call Vicki Catapano at 637-9711, ext. 3238.

As always, if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please feel free to contact any of us by phone, mail, or through the email address. We wish you and yours a very safe and happy Fourth of July!

Best regards,

Joe, Sandy, Marie, David & Gena