FRIEND to FRIEND

www.ourfriendsplace.org SPRING 2009

a publication of Our Friends Place

On the outside, I was your stereotypical 12-year old girl
playing beauty shop with friends. Actually, I was so good at it that moms would pay me to
do their kids’ hair. But, if you looked into my eyes, you could see the sadness that was my
childhood. My name is Jeannie and today I live at the Transitional Living Center (TLC),
so I can have my second chance.
My siblings and I became wards of the state when I was
only six. We were placed with our mom’s sister where I felt
like I was caged. Earning money by doing hair allowed me
to buy food for my younger brother and sister. But, there
Our Friends Place is were days when we were not allowed to eat, so I couldn’t
buy food. I had to steal food so that my younger siblings
dedicated to providing could eat. Sometimes I even stole so we could have clothes
a foundation for girls to wear and the kids at school would not make fun of us.

and young women to When I was a senior, I stole my aunt’s credit card to buy
a cell phone and call our mom we hadn’t seen for so
build from adversity by long. When my aunt found out, I was arrested. I knew
learning a self-reliant it was wrong and I am sorry, but it became a way of
survival for me.
approach to their own While in jail, I met a
development. lady who promised
Our Friends Place has
to help me when I given me a safe place
was released. She to live and for the first
lived in Dallas and time in a long time,
promised to help I feel like I’m at home.
me get into a hair

Our Friends Place

school. After spending 9 months in jail, I contacted her and she
sent me a bus ticket to Dallas. I started attending Healthy Hair Academy and thought I was on my way

2009 Gala to my second chance. However, I later found that there were illegal things happening in the house
where I lived.I left because I didn’t want to go back to jail.
“There has to be more to life than this,” I thought. I had placed myself in a situation that was

“COME FLY WITH US” unfamiliar, though, the familiar was no place for me to return. My heart grew hopeless to the fact
that I was in a city where I belonged to no one - until I heard of Our Friends Place.
Saturday May 16 A service called TRAC referred me to Our Friends Place where I met with Joyce, the site manager,
Brookhaven Country Club, Dallas, TX and Cyndy, the program director, for an evaluation of my needs. I knew in my heart God had
6pm Underwriters’ Party brought me to this place and there had to be a plan for me. I wanted to continue to break the cycle
7pm Gala that controlled my life.
Last June, I was accepted into the TLC. Our Friends Place has
given me a safe place to live and for the first time in a long time, I
Honorary Chair
Colleen Barrett
“There has to feel like I’m at home.

President Emeritus of be more to life Being here has allowed me the time and space to focus on the
more important things in my life. It has driven me and given me
Southwest Airlines than this” structure to maneuver through life. The life skills we are taught is
what counts the most. They bring about understanding as to why
responsibility, moral value and support are needed.
Since I have been here, my character has enhanced and I have been able to reach many of my goals.
I was always ambitious and had many goals I wanted to achieve. I dream that one day I will own my
Master of own beauty shop and become a Cosmetology instructor. Our Friends Place opens you up to resources
that will help you navigate now and in your future. I am above and beyond anything that I was before
Ceremonies
I came here.
Gloria Campos
News Anchor at There were times when my past has prevented me from getting and keeping a job so that I could meet
program expectations, but the staff has worked with me and helped me to keep the faith that the right
WFAA-TV
opportunity would come my way. They have helped me to see my faults and attitudes where I needed
to make adjustments. For their patience and this second chance, I am grateful.
I’ve finally been given a second chance and it was here at Our Friends Place.
Entertainment by Hunter Sullivan

Register today! Thank You!

www.OurFriendsPlace.org Jeannie R. Terrell

NEw e-UpdateS
Our FRIENDs’ Wish List
Target & Wal-Mart gift cards • Radio Alarm Clocks
“Friend to Friend”
Toiletries • Wash, Hand & Bath Towels (2 each)
can now be sent
Hairdryers, Flat Irons & Hairbrushes • Shower totes directly to your
Bathrobes & slippers • Twin-size sheets & blankets (solid colors) inbox.
Pillows • Laundry Baskets • Blank Journals & Stationery E-mail rebecca.rhule@ourfriendsplace.org
Event & Performance Tickets (10) or sign up at www.OurFriendsPlace.org
BECAUSE OF YOU... volunteer
Girls find safety & hope at Group Home
The reality for many youth is that they must assume the role of an adult well before they reach
adolescence. A childhood is something they will never know and “Shelby” is an example.
SPOTLIGHT
With an absent mother, Shelby was forced to raise her
six younger siblings. When the children were removed for With an absent mother,
neglect and placed into protective care, Shelby’s behavior
problems required a more restrictive and structured Shelby was forced to raise
environment. Over time, her behavior improved and Shelby her six younger siblings.
was ready to take the next step...to Our Friends Place.
With your support, Our Friends Place is helping Shelby heal. Upon arriving at the Therapeutic
Group Home, Shelby commented, “I can’t believe there aren’t any cameras.” You are
providing her a stable and safe home unlike any place she’s been before.
Shelby is now 15 and family reunification is a good possibility. Her mom has completed
programs through protective services and is looking for suitable housing. Shelby is participating
in individual and group therapy at Our Friends Place, and her mom is also attending family
therapy provided by Our Friends Place.
With your support of Our Friends Place, you are giving Shelby hope of reuniting with her
family and an alternative to improve her future.
Junior League of Dallas
On Saturday, December 6, 2008, the
Junior League of Dallas sponsored a
OUR FOUnder, our quarterback Holiday Shopping Spree for the girls
at the Therapeutic Group Home. Held
Susybelle Gosslee Recognized By Dallas Cowboys
on the top floor of the Doubletree
Susybelle Gosslee, Founder of Our Friends Place, was Hotel at Campbell Centre, the girls
one of two runners-up for the 2008 Dallas Cowboys had a fabulous day of shopping,
Community Quarterback Award. The Dallas Cowboys eating, and festivities. In addition to
and Gene and Jerry Jones Family Dallas Cowboys finding donors for invitations, venue,
Charities awarded Susybelle a trophy and made a and food, the JLD volunteers collected
$2,000 donation to Our Friends Place on her behalf. clothes, jewelry, shoes, and toiletries
The Dallas Cowboys Community Quarterback Award and organized the thousands of items.
is a volunteer recognition program designed to help The volunteers arrived early in the
identify local volunteers who demonstrate leadership, morning to set up shop and prepare
dedication and a commitment to bettering the Dallas- for the fun day. When the girls arrived,
Fort Worth community. they were given $500 in play money,
so they could “buy” the items with their
money. Using their math skills made
this a learning experience for the girls.
Seeing the OFP girls’ excitement was

CALENDAR of EVENTS
the highlight of the day - their faces lit
up at the mountains of clothing. One
of the girls twirled around the room in
a red dress she found for prom. And
the girls even used their money to buy
Our Friends Place Anniversary Party was held on December 1, 2008, at the home of Lynn presents for their family members and
Dowdle. Celebrating 21 years of helping girls & young women soar to success.
each other. This event was the perfect
Winnie and Davis Hamlin & Nancy and Barry Crossman way to start the holiday season! A
r
(center), with forme
Sue Hesseltine, OF
P Executive Director, special thank you to Christina Duron,
a, Betty & Ashley.
TLC reside nts Cla udi
Ingrid Glaser, and Jill Meninger for
making this day special.

THE BIG 5
Characteristics of Homeless Youth

1
Purple Cow Night! On September 13, The
Purple Cow Diner at Preston Royal Shopping Lack of Self-Sufficiency Skills.
Centre played host to many old and new
friends of Our Friends Place. The restaurant
helped raise community awareness and 2 Lack of Financial Resources.
donated 15% of
each “friend’s”
dinner to support
3 High risk for anxiety disorders,
depression, PTSD, physical
our girls & young and/or sexual abuse, and
women.
suicide.
Ron Price, Julie

4
Chance & Leigh
enjoy their sunda and Paul Richte
es & shakes. r
Chronic health conditions,
lack of insurance, and fear
or distrust of health care
providers and programs.

Kids and their parents from the Dallas International School

chow down to show their support for OFP.
5 Substance Abuse.
 WAYS to HELP
Community support enables Our Friends Place to help girls and young women break the generational cycle of abuse,
neglect, poverty and homelessness. The need is great and there are different opportunities available for everyone to help,
monetarily or in-kind. On behalf of the girls and young women we serve, thank you!
Honorariums & Memorials • Pledges & Recurring Gifts
Employee & Retiree Matching Gift Programs • Stocks & Bonds
Planned Giving
Bequests, IRA Charitable Rollover, Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts, Beneficiary Designation

Grocery Shopping
Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Program & Tom Thumb Rewards #2759

Online Services & Communities

Giveline.com • Goodsearch.com • SixDegrees.org • JustCauseIt.org • Twitter.com • Change.org

Volunteer
Many opportunities are available for you or a group to give of your time and talents.
Some have volunteered their time with training programs, such as basic finance. Others serve as mentors or tutors and
organize collection drives for paper goods, hygiene items, non-perishable foods, and birthday and holiday gifts.
Community projects have also included adopting a room to redecorate and refreshing the landscaping.

For more information on ways you can help, please contact Rebecca Rhule at 214.520.6268 or rebecca.rhule@ourfriendsplace.org.

Children of Dallas lose their greatest champion

In memory of Ruth Virginia Ferguson Drewery 1914-2009
Not a stranger to adversity, Ruth Virginia Ferguson Drewery’s spirit – Southern charm mixed with unwavering
determination – saw her through life’s challenges and inspired her life’s work.

She was orphaned at a young age and raised by various relatives on her mother’s side. After she graduated
from Amarillo High School as salutatorian, the Depression Era was in full swing. She worked for the dean of
the local city college to put herself and her sister through the University of Texas, and graduated Magna Cum
Laude in three years time. Widowed and alone at age 44 with five children between the ages of 2-18, Ruth
Virginia overcame adversity once again by getting involved in business to supply the means to support and
educate her children.

Never forgetting her past, Ruth Virginia found her calling advocating for children in need. She led the charge
for children’s welfare locally and all the way to the Texas Legislature. Her commitment to children continued
with SANCI, the Society for Abandoned and Neglected Children Incorporated, and elevated the services
available for our community’s children, including the girls & young women of Our Friends Place.

When Ruth Virginia passed away in early February, our children lost a friend they probably never knew. But, her friends are honoring her with a
living legacy to ensure compassion continues for those children in need.

The family of Ruth Virginia Drewery is deeply touched and humbled by the outpouring of support for Our Friends Place after
her death. Providing children who suffered abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment with a place to heal was very important to our
mother. We witnessed her work tirelessly and imaginatively to give abandoned and abused children a safe haven, emotional
and physical care, and hope for the future. Her inexhaustible energy on their behalf ranged from fundraising activities such as
designing and manufacturing table linens in Haiti for resale, organizing and spearheading benefits for several years highlighting
elegant tablescapes in the homes of renowned local hostesses, and working with Neiman Marcus to host a fashion show featuring
a rare appearance by Karl Lagerfeld, to direct personal interaction retrieving children from the Juvenile Detention Center and
taking them to the homes she had established for SANCI. She was determined to change the course of as many alone and
vulnerable children as possible. Her empathy and compassion for these children drove her to make a difference in their lives. We
are delighted to see her passion for assisting the young and helpless being honored and her work continued by Our Friends Place
through the support of dear friends and family.

Our Friends Place is honored to be a recipient of Ruth Virginia’s generosity and goodwill – then and now.
Memorials as of 3/13/2009

Frank M. Aldridge III
David and Virginia Appleby
Joyce Attebury
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Baldwin, Jr.
Mrs. James L. Baldwin
Bob and Anne Blakeney
Tom and Betsy Caldwell
Mr. and Mrs. C. Vance Campbell, Jr.
Bill and Rita Clements
Barbara Hunt Crow
Margaret Crow
Olivia Laney Edwards
Bess and Ted Enloe
Sally Estes
Arthur E. Hewett
Gretchen Henry
Mary and Chuck Kehoe
Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Kemp
Stan and Elizabeth Knight
Jeanie and Fred Koenig
David Laney
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Langford
Dr. and Mrs. Mark L. Lemmon
Beverly Smith Lide
Shirley Lowenthal
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Luce III
Mr. and Mrs. Randall Mann
Elvis and Joan Mason
Kathy and Walter Matthews
Dr. and Mrs. Kevin McBride
Mr. and Mrs. Michael McCulloch
Effie and Tom McCullough
Gretchen and Bob McKenzie
Mr. and Mrs. John McStay
Dian and Sparky Moore
Horace and Suzanne Nash
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Neuhoff
Northern Trust, N.A.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter O’Donnell, Jr.
Caren H. Prothro
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Rain, Jr.
Janet S. Rapp
Debra Ravel & Rick Adams
Neall and Pat Rose
Deedie and Rusty Rose
Frank and Mary Jane Ryburn
David K. Sands
Stephen and Marcy Sands
Sarah M. & Charles Seay
Charitable Trust
Shirley & William S. McIntyre
“I am passionate
Foundation
Nancy and Tom Shutt
about giving young
Elizabeth E. Simpson
Joan F. Smith
women the tools they
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Taylor, Jr.
The Dallas Foundation
need in order to overcome
The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Foundation obstacles, become self-
Mr. and Mrs. David O. Turner
Phillip and Nancy Umphres esteemed, and be all that
Marcia “Speyer” Varel
Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Virden they can be in life!”
Jane Wetzel
Buzz and Patty Willet
Carolyn Williams - Nina Atwood, Friend of Our Friends Place

A SPECIAL Thanks to Mike Weygandt and AllColor Graphics & Printing for underwriting the printing of Friend to Friend. www.AllColorPG.com
 If you prefer to receive this newsletter and updates via email or want to be removed from the mailing list, please email rebecca.rhule@ourfriendsplace.org
Our Friends Place is dedicated to providing a foundation for girls and young women to build from adversity by learning a self-reliant approach to their own development.

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

www.OurFriendsPlace.org
(p) 214.520.6268 (f) 214.526.6219

Dallas, Texas 75219-4046

2501 Oak Lawn Avenue, Suite 500

PERMIT NO. 3727

DALLAS, TX
PAID
US POSTAGE
NONPROFIT ORG

Our PROGRAMS
The Therapeutic Group Home provides

myth vs. fact

a safe home for at-risk girls, ages 10-17, along
with rehabilitation and age-appropriate skills
necessary to be productive adults. The girls
have histories of abuse, neglect, abandonment
Myth: Teaching children about and subsequent behavioral problems. Each
”stranger danger” keeps them girl’s stay is individually set according to her
from being abused. assessment, therapy and custom treatment
plan by degreed and professionally-
Fact: Most abuse happens by trained staff. Girls are encouraged to take
people known or close to the responsibility and learn adaptive coping,
victim. interaction and relationship skills that can
be applied to other aspects in their lives.

Myth: Poverty is
relatively permanent and The Transitional Living Center (TLC)
intergenerational. provides young women, ages 18-24, a
supervised apartment setting that reflects living Board of Directors
Fact: Much of poverty is independently. Many come from poverty,
transitory. A majority of poverty situations of abuse or are aging out of child Carol A. Thimot Tara Hittelman
spells are from two to four protective services. Because of unstable President Deborah Kirksmith
months, while only 2% are backgrounds and lack of family support, these Heather S. White Judy Pantello
chronically poor. *Oxford Journal young women have been denied access to the President-elect Patte Lee
of Legal Studies, September 2008 skills necessary for living independent, self-reliant Melinda Ashcraft Charles M. Martin
lives as adults. Education, career and financial Imd. Past President John H. Ofenloch, Jr.
planning, and preparation for independent adult Catherine Fox-Simpson Ron L. Price
living are the core objectives. Treasurer Debra Lee Richardson
Audra Evans Chavis Leigh Richter
Secretary Jeanie D. Smith
Bill Benton Mark R. Smith
Kathy L. Byrd Carol A. Thimot
James D. Calvert, Ph.D. Stephanie S. White
Tara Cash Jan Wilkes
Lynn Dowdle Bobbie Sue Williams
Cheryl Brown & Katherine Davis of the Belo Corporation for their “How To Pamela Fleming Paul Williams
Maintain A Job” training program for the young women at the TLC.
Susybelle Gosslee Debbie Woosley
Audra & Terrence Chavis who cooked dinner for the girls at the Group Home. Winnie Hamlin
Advisory Committee
Dallas BOMA for backpacks full of school supplies for the girls at the Group Home.
Ruth Allen, M.D. Patrick Manning
5th-8th Sunday School Class at St. Christopher’s Episcopal School Molly Bartholow Mart Nelson
for homemade cookies for the girls at the Group Home.
Vicki Bartholow Liz Oliphant
The Family of Jefflyn Williamson who donated a big screen TV and furniture Linda Barton David B. Olmsted
Robert S. Baurys II Nancy Penson
for the TLC.
Mary Frances Burleson Albert Richard, Jr.
Dallas Symphony Orhestra for tickets to their TI Classical Series. Barbara Cambridge, Ph.D. Neall Grinnan Rose
Peter R. Fenner Joan Stansbury
All our “angels” for birthday and holiday gifts. Laura W. Ginsberg The Rt. Rev. James M. Stanton
J. Michael Gosslee Diane Tasian
Sara Hallam Madeline Unterberg
Mitch Jericho Jackie Waldman
Quin, Kristin & Danielle enjoy a night out courtesy of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. At Christmas, Kendra received a new comforter set from one of the “angels” to Our Friends Place. Herman E. Lang, Jr.
Staff
Sue Thiers Hesseltine Brandi Mitchell, LPC-S
Executive Director Clinical Consultant
Rebecca A. Rhule Joyce Bruce-Starling
Development Director TLC Site Manager
Cynthia Cervantes Taisha Steward, Juliet Miller
Program Director & Evelyn Williams
Shondreka Amos Group Home Milieu
Case Manager Therapists