To provide a welcoming and safe space for children to have supervised visitation with non-custodial parents at no cost to the parents or children and without judgement regarding the circumstances that precipitated the family’s separation. Starting Over is a healing reconciliation ministry of St. Julian’s Episcopal Church.
Starting Over Mission Statement
About Starting Over
Starting Over is a non-profit organization serving the Douglas County Community by providing volunteers who serve as supervisors during parent-child meetings. Due to a variety of circumstances, a judge has reviewed the home situation of the children and ordered that they be placed in foster care. These parents are allowed to visit their children only with an impartial supervisor present. Before the Starting Over program, parent-child meetings took place in small, state facilities. In contrast, the campus of St. Julian’s provides a warm, hospitable environment with caring supervisors. Despite the often tragic circumstances these children face, one constant remains: the children still love their parents. Starting Over gives these parents just what its name implies – a chance to start over. Starting Over meets on Saturday morning for 2 sessions (9:00-10:30 and 10:30-12:00) and on Thursdays evenings (5:30-7:00).
Volunteer Information
Volunteer supervisors are briefed on the simple rules for visits and sign up for the times they can serve. All that is required from volunteer supervisors is their time, and the desire to help bring families back together. The expected time commitment for volunteers is 3 hours on at least one Saturday per month. Because Starting Over is a mission of Saint Julian’s Episcopal Church, certain “Safeguard” trainings for adults ministering to and with children is required. For more information contact Sooz Sleight (470.819.1057) or email the program (admin@startingoverfamilies.org).
Odds and Ends
- To learn more about this important ministry, go to the StartingOverFamilies.org.
- Thanks to generous donations from the Episcopal Community Foundation, Greystone Power, Locum Tenens, and SJEC parishioners, Starting Over was able to move into a dedicated space in the Parish Hall basement in 2021.
- Starting Over is a 501(c)(3) organization. Canon Rick Callaway is the Board of Directors President. Canon Rick is a former priest-in-charge at St. Julian’s.