For last 25 years, Hibiscus Children's Center helping abused, neglected kids

By Tyler Treadway

Sunday, October 10, 2010

LaVaughn Tilton knew she had an uphill battle on her hands when she started talking about the need for a safe place for abused, neglected and abandoned children 25 years ago.

“Most people didn’t want to hear about it,” Tilton recalled. “It was too unpleasant a subject.”

But Tilton was persistent, and got a group of 10 to 12 people together at a meeting in April 1985. The outcome was the creation of the Hibiscus Children’s Center, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and will name its Jensen Beach facility the “Tilton Family Children’s Shelter” in ceremonies Oct. 21 in honor of the founder.

When the shelter in Jensen Beach opened in 1989, Tilton said, “it was designed for 24 children, and we started with six girls and six boys. From the day we opened, it wasn’t enough room. Now, thanks to expansions, it holds up to 40 children in 12 bedrooms.”

Hibiscus officials calculate that since it’s opening, shelter has provided more than 148,000 nights of safety to thousands of children from the Treasure Coast seeking refuge from their own homes.

Tilton recalls the last 25 years as “hectic.”

Dan Braden, one of the center’s founders and still a board member, prefers to say organizers went through “a learning curve.”

Although the nonprofit Hibiscus Children’s Center has more than 200 employees, the organization is highly dependent on the approximately 600 volunteers who work in Martin, Indian River, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties.

“It used to be that we had to beg and plead for people to join our board (of directors),” Braden said, “but then it became ‘the’ board to be on.”

Volunteering at Hibiscus has become so popular, Tilton said, “it’s not unusual to see some rather well-heeled ladies working in our laundry.”

Tom Maher, Hibiscus CEO, said Tilton is a primary reason the shelter has become “the” place to volunteer.

“Mrs. Tilton’s impact has been so significant,” he said. “Her passion has been contagious. Everybody sees how much she cares, and it rubs off on them. You can’t help but be affected.”

Tilton countered: “I think it’s because we’ve all worked so hard to be successful.”

As Hibiscus has grown, Braden said, the state’s emphasis on children’s shelters “ebbs and flows,” with the current philosophy being that kids remain with their parents in most cases, making shelters a haven of last resort.

In response, Hibiscus has branched into services both for children and their parents beyond housing at shelters. The result is that while Hibiscus houses an average of about 20 kids at the Jensen Beach shelter and 40 at the Hibiscus Children’s Village in Vero Beach, the organization works with about 1,000 people a month.

“Now we offer more of a continuum of care,” Braden said.

But the Jensen Beach shelter remains Hibiscus’ keystone.

“I’ve always believed that this is the answer to the abuse that’s happening to children,” Tilton said. “I couldn’t possibly let it founder. That would be a tragedy. To shut these doors: I can’t imagine anything worse.”

Hibiscus flowers into range of services

Here’s a list of some of the programs and services offered by Hibiscus Children’s Center:

Hibiscus Children’s Shelter: A 24-hour emergency shelter in Jensen Beach for children ages birth to 12 and their siblings who have been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect.

Hibiscus Children’s Village: A facility with seven group homes in Vero Beach for children removed from their homes because of abuse and/or neglect that includes a preschool for ages birth to 5 years.

Hibiscus Community Health: Provides residential and outpatient mental health services for children up to 18 years old and their families.

Support for Families in Crisis: A prevention program that families seek voluntarily to reduce the impact of poverty, unemployment, domestic violence, behavior management and other stressful situations that can precipitate child abuse.

Hibiscus Foster Care: A program to recruit, train support and license foster parents.

Hibiscus Hope: A reunification program for families in which children have been removed because of allegations of abuse and neglect.

For information: Call (772) 334-9311, ext. 201 or visit hibiscuschildrenscenter.org.

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