There’s no place like Hope

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August 7, 2014 - 12:00 AM

This is a story about Dorothy, who is not from Kansas, but made this state her home. This is not a fairy tale about witches and wizards, however; this is a story about looking at the effects of violence every day and choosing to see hope.
Dorothy Sparks first came to Hope Unlimited in 1997 as a volunteer. She came here from Bath County, Kentucky, where as a child her grandmother had a strong influence.
Her grandmother spoke passionately about politics and voting, Sparks said. She took young Dorothy to the voting booth as a child to teach her about civic duty, something she felt strongly about because her own mother was not allowed to vote.
Her grandmother also passed on her philosophy.
“You work hard and you give back,” Sparks said. “Everybody has something to give in their community, no matter what your talent might be.”
Perhaps this is what guided Sparks to becoming a paralegal. It was while working as a paralegal in Kentucky that she first became intimately acquainted with the effects of domestic violence. Many clients came in with bruises and seeking shelter. This was the first time Sparks had even heard of such a thing.
“I didn’t know there was such a thing as shelters,” she said. “This is a service that, if you don’t need it, you don’t know it’s here.”
The need for these services stuck with Sparks when she moved to Kansas, prompting her to volunteer at Hope Unlimited and, when the former director retired, to apply for the position. She’s been here ever since.
Although she’s in charge, Sparks is quick credit others for the hard work they put into the various services offered.
“It takes a team to do this, and every member has a function,” she said. “The staff are the people that I look up to.”
Hope Unlimited has four programs.
The emergency shelter provides a safe place for families, food, clothing, support groups and crisis counseling. Generally, there are at least two families in the shelter on any given day. Maximum capacity is 22 people, but it starts to get crowded at 15.
The outreach program continues to support families outside of the shelter, helping them with court assistance or advocacy and continued counseling and support groups to help them adjust.
The visitation center provides a safe place for children to meet with family members who require a third party to monitor them. It is also used to exchange children between parents who have joint custody.
The child advocacy center seeks to limit trauma for abused and neglected children by conducting interviews used by the justice system, coordinating advocacy services and providing better access to recovery resources.
There are almost no men working at Hope Unlimited; the programs are dominated by strong, hard-working women.
Donita Garner, child advocacy center coordinator, and Michelle Meiwes, visitation center coordinator, work closely with Sparks and have known each other for many years.
“We’ve been here for a long time together,” Garner said. “Dorothy and I came on board six months apart.”
Garner and Meiwes agreed teamwork was essential for Hope Unlimited to function, and the stress of helping people with such tragic stories can take its toll because it forces the listener to relive the trauma with the victim.
“We’ve all had to build each other up at one point or another,” Garner said.
Meiwes said the work kept them so busy, it was often difficult to find the time and energy to advocate for the organization and promote it to the public for support. They are shorthanded on volunteers and the core group is getting older.
“A lot of people think we’re a bigger organization than we are,” Meiwes said.
Funding remains an issue, particularly since the economy took a downturn more than five years ago. Regular donors have been forced to cut back or stop giving altogether. The state and federal grants they receive are not guaranteed, and are reimbursement grants, meaning they have to spend money first before the government will release more funds.
But in spite of the difficulties, Hope Unlimited continues to be a beacon, both for the people who need the services and for the people who work there.
“That’s why everyone is here, because they see a need for these services,” Sparks said.
And the things they do everyday affect people; not just the people they serve, but each other.
“She’s the reason I went back to college and got my degree,” Garner said of Sparks.

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