12th Annual Peacemaker Awards
Accepting Nominations through April 9, 2012
January 31, 2012 — It's that time of year again, when the Community Mediation Center is asking for the community to nominate someone in your life that helps bring peace to you. We have a long-standing history of sponsoring the Annual Peacemaker Event, since 2001. Because we deal with people in conflict everyday, it seems appropriate to us that others are also promoting peace and to acknowledge the peacemakers that are in all our lives on a daily basis. We urge you to consider those you would like to honor.
Who is a Peacemaker you might ask? It is someone who:
- listens thoughtfully,
- asks insightful questions,
- encourages clear and respectful communication,
- welcomes diverse viewpoints,
- helps people with a multitude of needs to work and live together,
- helps reconcile parties in conflict
If you know someone like that in your life, you should nominate them for this Award.
Anonymous Donor Gift at Christmas Time
December 30, 2011 — It's the kind of call that every Executive Director of a nonprofit hopes they will get. Someone calls and says they would like make a donation. Last Wednesday that happened at the Community Mediation Center. The director received a call from a potential donor. "Did you get my message? I'd like to make a donation." said the anonymous caller. Sadly, the ED hadn't listened to the messages yet even though it was 2:00 in the afternoon. It had been a pretty busy day and she had just returned from looking at some potential new office space that is desperately needed for mediation. How could she even think about new offices? She wasn't even sure how she was going to make the December payroll without cashing in a CD and taking a penalty on the little bit of interest the CD had managed to accumulate over the year. She just needed a $1000 to come in from the recently mailed End of Year Appeal though and she wouldn't lose the $39 interest!
“I've decided to make a $10,000 donation. Merry Christmas!”It was a great conversation. The lady on the other end of the phone asked a lot of questions and the director was able to share about how great the low-income family program is. Sadly it is the least funded program and so this donation, no matter the amount, would be very appreciated. At the end of the conversation, the caller said, "I've decided to make a $10,000 donation. Merry Christmas!" Wow — nothing could have prepared the director for that generous amount. It took a few moments to really sink in and even then the director decided that she better call Carol Townsend (Executive Dire cot or of United Way) and confirm the caller's story.
Carol just chuckled at the call. "She's as real as they come" she informed the director. Then Carol related her phone call from the donor. "I asked her what kind of nonprofit issue interested her, what population she wanted to impact, and then described to her 5 organizations that aligned with her interests. I asked her if she wanted to know at which of those 5 the $10,000 would make the most impact financially. She said yes. I described the Community Mediation Center and their low-income mediation program that helps parents keep their children’s interests first and foremost, when divorcing, with free assistance to create their parenting plans. The donor liked it."
Well the rest is history. What a wonderful story at this time of giving.
The donor has asked to remain anonymous.
Minor in Possession (MIP) Panel
Seeking Peace through Justice
December 24, 2011 — The Community Mediation Center’s Minor in Possession (MIP) Panel meets every other month on a Wednesday night in the Gallatin County Courthouse Community Room. The panel speaks to young people from MSU and the Bozeman community who have received a ticket for unlawfully possessing drugs or alcohol.
Four courageous citizens told recounted their emotional stories last Wednesday night in hopes of making a difference in the attendees’ lives and choices. There were tears, anxious moments, and expressions of anger and frustration. The panel members had in common the shared experiences of the tragic impact on their lives and others caused by the misuse of alcohol and drugs.
The four speakers, all from Gallatin County, had travelled diverse paths. There was a mother whose intelligent and gifted son is addicted to drugs and alcohol. In order to pay for treatment, she and her husband sold their home and lived in a fifth wheel for two years. Their son got his first MIP ticket seven years ago and their life has been a ‘nightmare’ ever since, filled with visits to jails interspersed with cautious hopes for improvement.
The Sheriff’s Department Chaplain banged his fist on the podium to demonstrate the "knock of death" he has made over 500 times, notifying parents and spouses about a loved one’s death – almost all young people with alcohol and drugs involved. The Chaplain described in details the screams, wails, and denials of mothers, girlfriends and children, and how their screams haunt him. He beseeched the 30 young attendees to make a choice for life.
Two other speakers told the attentive audience about the harm their poor choices caused family and friends and how the consequences of their behavior affect all of them years after their arrest. The crescendo of the evening came as the final speaker, in and anguished voice, told how he and his girlfriend had been drinking in the mountains about 10 years ago. They headed back to Bozeman late at night, and he accidently drove over an embankment, killing his girlfriend. So many people were devastated by his choice to drink and drive. He feels guilty and "not good enough" ever day. He spent 6 months in jail and is serving 19½ years in probation. By speaking, he sincerely hopes to “make a difference” and prevent other tragedies.
At this time of the year, many greeting cards express wishes for “Peace on Earth.” As Pope Paul VI said, “if you want peace, work for justice.” That is what each one of these speakers and the Community Mediation Center is doing. Both victims and offenders doing what they can to repair the harm done and improve the future for our community.
— Ann Schrader, President, Board of Directors Community Mediation Center
CMC Develops DUI Report for Gallatin County
December 20, 2011 — Community Mediation Center (CMC) received a $500 Community Education & Activity Support and Enforcement (CEASE) Award from the Gallatin County DUI Task Force to analyze and develop meaningful reports from a database of DUI statistical data compiled by the DUI Task Force. The CMC report was presented in November to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
Connie Campbell, Executive Director of CMC and head of the CJCC Benchmark committee holds the responsibility to reproduce data the David Bennett produced in 2003 with the intent to provide metrics to be able to measure change in care, treatment, and work with the jail, pre-trial services, and various law enforcement agencies around Gallatin County. The data was DUI data that is collected every April and May in the years 2003 through 2010 and intended to show the trends in arrests, convictions, and demographics for Gallatin County. Connie Campbell and Task Force Coordinator, Jenna Caplette, collaborated on this project, which data compiled and reported under this award was the first step in analyzing the data since the baseline data was collected in 2003. The results are available on the DUI Task Force website.
Parenting Plan Assistance Available
August 6, 2011 —Recently, the Family Justice Coordinating Council completed a two-year project to make a Guide for Parents Living Apart that is modified for Gallatin County.
New Tool for Family Mediation Forms
Due to budget and staffing cuts, the Self Help Clinic will be operating with reduced hours for a while. To provide useful tools for those wishing to be proactive and do as much of the Family Mediation and Parenting Plan work as possible, CMC has a self guided tool to help you select the specific forms and information you need for your situation. This new tool is available under Family Mediation Forms in the menu under "Programs . . . " as well as from the Family Mediation program page.
Please let us know what you think of these tools and if there might be other tools that we might be able to provide.
