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Complaint Review: Oklahoma DHS-CPS
- Oklahoma DHS-CPS
Lee Blvd.
Lawton, Oklahoma
- Phone: 580-250-3600
- Web:
- Category: Child Protective Services
Oklahoma DHS-CPS I want my kids back!! Child Protective Service Lawton Oklahoma
*Consumer Comment: DHS Vs. Familys
*Consumer Comment: correction to previous poster
*Consumer Suggestion: You should lose your children forever
*Consumer Comment: The Children are the REAL victims...
*Consumer Suggestion: you have got to be kidding
*Consumer Suggestion: Shes a victim of the system
*Author of original report: Response to Rhea
*Consumer Comment: They are right.
*Consumer Comment: Read the Adoptions and Safe Families Act of 1997
When he was 10 months old I was at work and my husband came running in my job appearing as if he had seen a ghost. He said something was wrong with our baby. I ran out to the car to see my son looking as if he was having a seizure and he was not responsive. Something in me told me that this was the beginning of a new hell. When we made it to the emergency room we were not allowed in the room with our son. He was flown out of town. The doctors there determined that it had to be shaking baby syndrome. My now ex husband was arrested. But because of how nave I was I just couldn't believe that he would have hurt our child. I just couldn't see the man that I went to high school with, the man who had never hit me could be able to hurt our child. The only way I was able to explain it was that the injury had to occur from him falling. Let me take a moment in the story to better explain what type of man my husband was. He was a master manipulator. NO One could imagine him doing anything to hurt his child. I have found out so many things since this case about him from people not even knowing he was married to not knowing he had kids to him being in debt with many people. It's like he had multiple personalities. I don't understand why it's so hard for DHS to not understand how I believed him because at one time they even believed him. Oklahoma DHS was very nasty through out the whole situation from beginning till now. Let me take another moment and explain some of the things they have done. In most states DHS will automatically place the child with family. In my case when my mother tried to get her grandson out of the system the director of DHS called her and told her they would never give her custody. She was told that her best bet would be to get a lawyer. Unfortunately my family cannot afford an attorney. At one of my jobs coincidently I ended up working with an ex case worker. When she got fired for embezzlement my boss explained to me how she had pulled up my case file and showed it to her. She had also told my boss that I allowed my husband to abuse my children and myself. Many of the workers and supervisors speak freely about my case with who ever(which is a breach of confidentiality). Because Lawton is so small much of it gets back to me. I also at one time was able to have a legal aid attorney because honestly we cannot afford a lawyer. Once I won my trial and my parental rights could not be terminated the judge said that I could not have a legal aid attorney based on my new husband's income. My current lawyer said that the judge knows I can't afford a lawyer and their hope is for me to come to court without a lawyer so they can do what they want to do. The foster parent in my case has been allowed to behave in a way that I didn't even know was legal. People that go to her church have come to me with the lies that she tells. Also many people involved with making decisions in my case are buddies with her so that also plays against me because she wants to adopt my children. I've been called everything but the child of God by case workers as well.
Our son was taken into custody again. My ex eventually made bond and I stayed with him because I believed him. Our lawyers and everyone around us told us we needed to stick together and get our son back. Nobody told me to leave him. So that's what I did I stuck by him. I eventually became pregnant again. Because I feared that my child would be taken away if I gave birth to him in Oklahoma I went to South Carolina where my mother is and had my second son. My husband stayed in Oklahoma. Unfortunately when my child was 4 months old I went to Oklahoma for a court date and brought him with me. DHS workers found out I was there with my child and they showed up at the apartment where I was staying. I lied and said he wasn't my baby and eventually they had to leave. I then took off with my baby and hid out for about 2 days before they found me. I spent the night in jail and my second child was taken into DHS custody for the fact that they already had my first child in custody. My friend's father was friends with the judge and was able to get me out. My only request was that my baby be placed in the same foster home as his brother so that they can know each other. We were allowed visitation with our second child but not our first child. During this time I still believed my ex husband.
The closer and closer it got to my ex husbands trial date the more he began to change. For the first time he was giving me a reason to question if he was capable of hurting our son. The verbal abuse towards me became outrageous. I also learned that he was subjected to a lot of abuse as a child. I even became bold enough to ask him if he hurt our child and he flipped out and told me I was just like everyone else. Then one day I said a prayer due to all my confusion and not knowing what to do. I asked the lord to please show me what happened to my first born. I explained in my prayer that I didn't know what else to do or where to turn. Two days later my ex husband and I had an argument he attacked me and kept me hostage in our apartment. He didn't let me leave for hours. The next day I called my mother and told her what happened. She told me I needed to leave. The next day when he was out with friends I gathered up my things and left. I never looked back. When I left him he would call threatening to kill me, to blow up my apartment and much more including trying to run a friend and myself off the road. Eventually he went to trial and was found guilty of child abuse. He was sentenced to 10 years. The foster parent wrote a letter to the judge requesting more. This is pretty odd to me now because now she's trying to convince people that I may have been the one to injure my child.
Even though he is in prison my fight for my kids has not ended. Because I believed him they are using it against me. They have even stooped as low as to say maybe I did it. Lawton, Oklahoma is a place where it is all about who you know. Oklahoma DHS took me to trial to have my parental rights terminated. During the trial everyone that took the stand lied, but I still prevailed and won. I won my case over a year ago and I still do not have my children. At every meeting that my lawyer and I have attended with DHS they spend that time degrading me and expressing how upset they are that the jury did not terminate my parental rights. One of the men at the meeting even said that he commends my lawyer for defending people like me. I remember him saying that like it was yesterday because it hurt my heart. This case has been going on for 5 years. I've done parenting and anger management classes for the second time. I've done two psychological evaluations. I've had every type of abuse training you can imagine as well as individual counseling. Every time I complete a treatment plan they create a new plan. I believe their goal is to hope I give up, but it will never happen. I'm going through all of these things for the fact that I believed my husband. The case has gotten so ridiculous that case workers are making false accusations. My case worker has lied about things as small as my phone calls. I now have to keep track of my phone records and write down what we talk about to cover my tracks. Since this I have remarried. We had a son in Oct. 2006. We live in Georgia. Oklahoma DHS has even tried to take this baby. WHY??? They ran checks to find out where I live because I refused to give them my real address because I knew they would try to take my baby. They even sent South Carolina officials to my mother's house looking for me. The case worker there had received the impression that I was a fugitive. After my mother explained to her what was going on she was in shock and disbelief at Oklahoma's actions. Georgia to closed the case and could not understand why my children have not been returned to me. I haven't been able to go to Oklahoma to have visitation with my son because my husbands is in the Army. He deploys back and forth. If I go to Oklahoma I need to take my baby with me. If I do that they will take him just like they did my second child. I have also had a lady which was appointed by the judge to kind of be a mediator in my case. The first time I spoke with her I felt that she would be a help. I though I finally had a direct voice to the judge so that he would know exactly what was going on. She called me again and I found out the hard way that she to is a snake and cannot be trusted. She called me today to tell me I should give up and give my children up for adoption. She said in such a calm and sweet voice that I had to sit and just really absorb what she had just said. She asked me why I would want to take them from a place where they are happy. I told her that I couldn't even believe she had the audacity to call me with some crap like that. I'm writing because this case has gotten out of hand. DHS in Oklahoma plays the role of God. The judge lets them do whatever they want. The sad thing is this is not an isolated incident. There are many cases where children are in the system that shouldn't be. Do I regret believing my ex husband?..EVERYDAY..Because of my ex husband my son will never be the same. I'm not even sure of the extent of his learning disabilities because they don't tell me. There are many things that I look back on that maybe could have been a sign. I have a 5 year old that I have not been allowed to see since he was 10 months and a 3 year old that doesn't know me. I'm their mother. I'm at a point to where I don't know what to do. I have a lawyer but it seems like it doesn't matter. I will never give up on my children. PLEASE HELP ME!! Because I didn't want to send a 10 page letter I shortened it. There are still so many parts for me to tell. Please contact me. I need help!!
Discouraged, Georgia
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This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/30/2007 12:40 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/oklahoma-dhs-cps/lawton-oklahoma-73505/oklahoma-dhs-cps-i-want-my-kids-back-child-protective-service-lawton-oklahoma-1031445. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content
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#1 Consumer Comment
DHS Vs. Familys
AUTHOR: Father Of 4 - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, October 24, 2008POSTED: Friday, October 24, 2008
At the age of 21 I had bought a house, very nice and very old. As my wife and I where moveing in we get a 'visitor'.
'Someone had reported to "DHS" that I was dealing drugs out of my house and both me and my wife were 'junkies'.
Ok no problem I don't even take over-the-counter meds as a part of my religious beliefs. So when asked to take a drug test I said "Sure, when and where?"
Without a doubt I passed. Also note the city police NEVER talked to me or my wife about this suspected drug trafficing.
DHS had seen a few things that concerned them about the welfare of our children. Namely the unpacked boxes and general disarray of the house. Remember we were moveing into the house, and had not spent 3 nights in the new home.
After 2 years the case was closed. How did we finally get the case closed? We filed for devorce a week before. As soon as the judge heard that we filed she closed the case, 30 seconds into the 'reveiw hearing'.
Now maybe this girl was to trusting of her husband, and if so I feel bad for her. But really if your married to someone you would not trust why the hell did you get married?
Oklahoma is ranked number 2 in the nation for having children in foster care.
Some people need to have thier children taken from them but not everyone.
And Jessica WAY out there in Hawaii Oklahoma has a Kin-ship placement act. So that kids will not loose contact with the family. THIS HAPPENS FIRST! Then foster care. The only reason the grandmother could not get the kids was because she lives out of state. A court apointed lawyer is only granted to VERY low incomes so if you work no lawyer. And remember they work for the state and get paid no matter what so it's best not to use them anyway.
And by the way.. As I'm typeing this I have just been informed of a 20 month old who, after being taken into DHS custody and placed into foster care, was mauled by a dog and has to have his top lip reattached to his face. He was in his 'new home' less then two hours.
So answer me this? Who is going to take this baby away from the state for "FAILURE TO PROTECT"
#2 Consumer Comment
correction to previous poster
AUTHOR: Dani - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, July 31, 2008POSTED: Thursday, July 31, 2008
WRONG!!! All abuse leaves scars. The question is whether those scars are visable and/or effective.
#3 Consumer Suggestion
You should lose your children forever
AUTHOR: Jessica - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, July 31, 2008POSTED: Thursday, July 31, 2008
First of all, after the doctor explained to you what happened to your son's arm, you didn't leave your husband. You made a choice right there to keep your son in a situation that could very well bring him harm. You should have lost all parental rights to him right there. He was six weeks old, you were responsible for absolutely everything that happened to him, and who he came in contact with. He can't walk, he can't crawl, he can't talk. You are his only protection and you threw him to the dogs for a MAN.
Second of all, despite how horrendous the first situation is, you allowed your son to be SHOOK almost to death, certainly to the point that he will never be able to have a "normal" life. Your husband may have committed the act, but you are just as guilty as if you had done it yourself. You left that poor child alone with him. You stayed with him. After that act, you should have not only lost custody of your child (so he could at least attempt to have a "normal" life) but all children you may have in the future..due to your pattern of ENDANGERING CHILDREN'S LIVES.
The classic part is, you weren't satisfied with this drama...you decided to get pregnant again, by the same MAN. Hello? I love the part where you blame getting back together with him on others, and its not your fault! Nope, not you...because you are a victim. The lawyer should have told you that getting back together with the man who abused your son wasn't a good idea! Do you realize how absolutely insane that sounds?
Of course they wouldn't give the children to your mother, or another relative. This level stupidity can't be contained in just one generation of the family tree.
You mention as well that you moved from Oklahoma to South Carolina to escape the police (classic). Of course, the fact being that you just left Shaken Baby #1 that you profess to love and want to regain custody of back in OK, abandoned for Baby #2.
I love the part where now you blame your legal difficulties on the fact that the state won't pay for your lawyer because your NEW husband makes too much money. Yes, thats how it works. The fact that you are married AGAIN, already is probably not going to work in your favor with the courts either.
I don't think the fact that you are "Black and Puerto Rico" is playing into how this case evolved, although you certainly aren't doing alot to combat the negative stereo-types. I think that because you are 22 years old, with two children you've lost custody of for abuse, and another child (whose safety we should all pray for) and married twice is what is making them shake their heads.
You notice the part of the story where despite all the beatings, pain and abuse her child endured, she never believed her husband could have done it, never left him, until she herself suffered the abuse. You know, even if I believed her story. If someone had threatened to take away one of my children because of a man even if I was convinced he was innocent I would leave him. Because my children are the most important thing in my life. Its sad these children had to be born to a mother without the same priorities.
The part in your story where you claim people felt sorry for you and wanted to help until they read your file? Wrap your mind around that.
The saddest part of the story is where you state you haven't even gone to visit these children. The children you state you want back. You say yourself that you don't know them, but instead of trying to correct that, you make up excuses. You say you can't go visit them because of your NEW BABY. Mmmhmm, I see. You have a third child, and that is the reason you can't even visit the two other children that were victimized in your care.
I hope those children are with a good family now, and get all the love and hugs they can stand. But if they aren't, if they are in danger..or just happy, they only have one person to blame.
#4 Consumer Comment
The Children are the REAL victims...
AUTHOR: Joe - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, July 30, 2008POSTED: Wednesday, July 30, 2008
For many reasons, one of the most important reasons being that if the breadwinner is put in jail, there would be a significant LOSS of income for the non-arrested partner which means they would have to go out and get a job or another job if their main one was just part-time!
That seems to be the main reason that they don't report the no-good bum that abused the kids. The second is sex and what good is that when you have to be worried about what the dude is going to do to your children next --and maybe to YOU!
I think the husband in this case also abused his wife psychologically. NOT ALL ABUSE LEAVES SCARS! I am wondering if he threatened to kill her family and hunt her down and harm her and the children if she ever left him. That might be the only reason I would stay with a scum like him if I was in this situation and it would be only until I could hide out in a shelter or something.
The children SHOULD have been removed from this mess because the main responsibility of a mother is to TAKE CARE OF HER CHILDREN THE BEST WAY SHE CAN and STAYING WITH AN ABUSIVE BULLY WHO HURTS KIDS IS NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILDREN!
Home boy must have been one hot lover or one scary, intimidating dude!
When you have children, your days of cute young THANG are OVER! You have to think of the safety and welfare of your children.
I wonder if the children were sexually abused as well.
How does a father just let his son lay in a crib with a broken arm and DOES NOTHING! That is not a father --that is a sperm donor!
If I were the lady in this scenario, I would have a tubal ligation so that way I could have NO MORE CHILDREN!
I am very glad that none of you people saw the dead bodies of beautiful little children who had been tortured, shaken, raped and mutilated by sadistic boyfriends and husbands of hootchie mommas who were completely unfit to care for their kids because they cared more about a steady paycheck and a hot piece of *** than they did their children.I remember the beautiful little boy lying dead in a quiet room off the ICU Unit in a Texas town after a horrendous sexual abuse because his mother wanted to turn tricks and offer her son in exchange for dope. I have never wept or prayed like that again and I hope I never have to. He was just a little boy.
I saw the same child abuse stuff start to happen in my family but Texas Child Protective Services stepped in and saved the five children from an unfit mother and a sociopathic father.
Every time I read a story like this, I think about the bloated young lady who had six kids, starting when she was 14 and she looked like a barrel with legs. She was trying to smoke her crack rock and was waiting outside a cheap nightclub frequented by undocumented immigrant workers. She was 21 and almost wearing a tank top and I have no idea where she got the repulsive Daisy Duke hot pants in size HUGE that showcased her cellulite, flab and other disgusting stuff that should have remained covered up. She couldn't understand why her kids couldn't open the cat food she left for them and she was going to get her boyfriend and father of three of her kids to have his gangsta friends kill whoever it was who got her kids taken away ---as soon as he gets out of the maximum security state prison.
Man, I don't care what these people do to themselves, by themselves, JUST DON'T DRAG THE KIDS ALONG! In fact, if you are not mature enough to put your kids first and raise them so they can SUCCEED in this society and sacrifice a few things to help them get ahead, then YOU ARE NOT READY TO BE A PARENT!
If you would not have kids, CPS would not take them!
If you don't love your own children enough to protect them and care for them and put their interests BEFORE YOUR OWN, DON'T HAVE THE KIDS!
You only get five years of welfare anyway and then they CUT YOU OFF and if you had them for child support money, you don't always get it!
This lady had better GROW UP FAST and LEARN TO PUT THE CHILDREN FIRST!
That means settle down, learn a job skill or do whatever you have to do to provide a secure, loving, abuse-free home for YOUR CHILDREN!
It's called GROWING UP AND BEING A RESPONSIBLE PARENT.
#5 Consumer Suggestion
you have got to be kidding
AUTHOR: Jimnok - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, July 30, 2008POSTED: Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Maybe more of you should remember Kelsey Smith-Briggs. She wasn't as lucky as these children!!!
#6 Consumer Suggestion
Shes a victim of the system
AUTHOR: Patrick - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, January 11, 2008POSTED: Friday, January 11, 2008
#7 Author of original report
Response to Rhea
AUTHOR: me - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Friday, January 11, 2008POSTED: Friday, January 11, 2008
When a wife goes to work and leaves her husband with his son/daughter your not trained to think "oh what if he abuses him". Who suspects a person who has never demonstrated any ounce of violence would be capable of child abuse. And with the arm fracture that you said I lost you at. First they said it was an arm fracture, then they said he had a bone disease and the last doctor said there never was a fracture. What is your reasoning for that Rhea??? Who's opinion would you have taken??
It's not my fault that I married a monster. And it's not my fault the DHS system in Oklahoma needs to be renovated and observed and quite a few people need to be fired. So do you think it's okay for case workers to be pathelogical liars??? Do you think it's okay for mom's to go years with out seeing their children?? Get a Life. You probably have no heart or common sense of everyday living. People who think one minded like you are the reason this world is so jacked up and lost.
#8 Consumer Comment
They are right.
AUTHOR: Rhea - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Thursday, January 10, 2008POSTED: Thursday, January 10, 2008
#9 Consumer Comment
Read the Adoptions and Safe Families Act of 1997
SUBMITTED: Monday, June 11, 2007POSTED: Monday, June 11, 2007
The problem is that when they meet their 'mean' adoption quota each year, they get Bonus Money. Oklahoma is one of 31 states that has received Bonus Money EVERY YEAR since 1997. In October 2005, DHS agencies were given more than $17 trillion dollars in Bonus Money for adoptions finalized in 2004. If a child is 'normal' they get $4,000. If the child is handicapped or a 'needs' child, they get $6,000. If the child is twelve or older, they get an additional $10,000.
You should search for the case where DHS adopted ELEVEN children to one home. A neighbor found them living in cages while the adoptive parents were on an enjoyable, extended vacation. The neighbor reported her finding. The children were taken BACK into custody so they can be adopted AGAIN for another batch of Bonus Money. Figure it up. Eleven children X $4,000 = $44,000 the DHS agency got IF they were normal children. However, these children were 'needs' children, so they were given $66,000 of Bonus Money just for those ELEVEN children. When they're adopted the next time, some or all of them will be twelve or older so they'll get $16,000 for each of them. That's $176,000 just for those ELEVEN children. DHS adopted over 50,000 children last year. If you read the Adoptions and Safe Families Act of 1997, you'll see where the Bonus Money comes, UNLIMITED, from our Social Security Fund (OUR FICA Taxes). It's fraud, waste and abuse of federal funds. The Bush Administration extended the ASFA from 2002 through 2008. Then, he announced that our Social Security Fund would be BROKE by 2008. The ASFA also states that the courts get Bonus Money for SPEEDING ADOPTIONS.
Lena, I'm so sorry to hear of your plight just to visit your children. Their worker will insist that the children remain in foster care and later, after your parenting rights have been taken away, they'll tell the judge that the kids are doing wonderful in the foster home and THEY will tell the judge to adopt them to the foster parents. It's so wrong to break a family apart but as long as DHS gets Bonus Money for destroying families, there will be no end.
DHS agencies have interstate agreements between states but the agreements are NOT used. I believe that the reason they do NOT want you to visit your children is because if the children show affection to you, they'll have to give them EXTENDED Grief Therapy or drugs to alter their minds. They're probably alredy on psychiatric drugs. This foster parenting stuff if very abusive for children.
Cases such as yours are going on all across the country. The Tulsa World and Oklahoman are both publishing reports about OKDHS abuse and neglect. It seems DHS agencies LOVE to place children with gay couples. You may want to send your story to Randy Ellis at the Oklahoman Newspaper (firstname.lastname@example.com). He's collecting stories.
I saw a poster recently that showed an awful looking forest of tree stumps. Its caption was "DHS is building a Forest of Family Tree Stumps."
A RALLY is scheduled in August 2007. It will be in Washington D.C. One lady is constructing quilt blocks showing the names of children who have been abused and/or neglected by DHS. They'll be displaying the quilts with children's names on it during the march. If you want to know more about the Rally, join CPS Reform Group at Yahoo.
I don't have much of a suggestion that will help you. I just KNOW there are thousands of other parents fighting to get their children returned OR at least get visits. It's NOT happening. The day a child is taken into custody, the worker begins trying to find an adoptive home for the child. Children are being tortured by DHS and their contracting foster parents.
If the trial court didn't take your parenting rights away, WHY don't they return your children? Ask the judge why your children haven't been returned to you. One thing I'd suggest is that you write to the state legislators at Lawton and ask that they rescind the Adoptions and Safe Families Act of 1997 to SAVE families AND safe children from ABUSE/NEGLECT by the Department of Human Services. DHS Workers are trained to lie and fabricate tales!
It's totally unbelievable that the worker WANTS you to relinquish parenting rights to your children after the jurors wanted them returned to you. What's the point in having a trial if they're not going to use the juror's decision? Why don't they provide REUNIFICATION CLASSES for you since you won your case? BECAUSE, the worker says, they're doing wonderful in the foster/adoptive home. Sure! They give the foster/adoptive home from $750-$2,500 EACH MONTH for EACH child they're keeping for DHS. If they adopt the child, the adoptive home gets Adoption Assistance for each child until they're eighteen or twenty-two years old if they're still in school.
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Explore how social innovation and entrepreneurship emerge, develop and evolve drawing on the disciplines of anthropology, management, development, economics, and design.
Learn about innovative strategies addressing critical issues in education, agriculture, environment, health, and social and financial inclusion to further positive social change.
Investigate case studies and meet with social innovators, activists, and local individuals seeking systemic change.
Examine how digital tools, indigenous technologies, and frugal innovation can be used to disrupt patterns of poverty.
Discover the cultural, political, and socioeconomic elements that create the most fertile conditions for innovation and social transformation.
Critical Global Issue of Study
Development | Economy | Inequality
None, but previous college-level coursework and/or other preparation in development studies, economics, sociology, anthropology, business or other related fields is recommended.
Key Topics of Study
Key Topics of Study
- What social innovation is and why it is needed
- Best practices and criticisms relating to social innovation and entrepreneurship
- How and why innovation emerges in different contexts and what issues are being addressed
- Innovative tools, strategies, and models that claim to address issues relating to education, agriculture, environment, health, and social and financial inclusion
- How technology and design can further and hinder social transformation
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The following syllabi are representative of this program. Because courses develop and change over time to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, actual course content will vary from term to term. The syllabi can be useful for students, faculty, and study abroad offices in assessing credit transfer. Read more about credit transfer.
- Anthropology and Social Change – syllabus
- (ANTH3500 / 4 credits / 60 hours)
- This course introduces students to applied, cultural, and design anthropology through an in-depth and experience-based exploration of social change and social entrepreneurship across four countries. Students will learn and draw from an interdisciplinary array of qualitative fieldwork and/or primary research methods including participatory involvement, observation, photography, mapping exercises, depth interviews, and note taking. The theory engaged with within this course will be applied to the social, personal, and cultural dimensions of homestays; the academic and practical experiences with social businesses; the complexities of cross-cultural communication; and transit and travel experiences. The course will also explore, among other questions: How and why do social innovation and social enterprises actually emerge, develop, and evolve over time? What cultural conditions enable their development? How can anthropology help us understand the practice of design and social entrepreneurship as social phenomena? What kinds of assumptions about human needs, practices, and processes inform social entrepreneurs/enterprises? How can anthropology help us learn about design, empathy and aspirations for the future from the diverse communities we spend time in?
- Design Thinking and Development – syllabus
- (DVST3500 / 4 credits / 60 hours)
- This course provides a practical, experience-based overview and introduction to design thinking and human centered design and how they may be applied to social innovation and entrepreneurship. Both human centered design and design thinking strategies are engaged with from a practical as well as a critical and historical perspective. Students will develop skills as ethnographers, visual thinkers, strategists, and storytellers through a hybrid of seminar discussions, site visits, and collaborative projects. Readings, case studies, lectures, and writing exercises will further students' thinking about local design-thinking experiences and site visits. Students will also have the opportunity to meet individuals and visit organizations doing very inspiring work in social innovation and design in different countries. Questions that will be explored include: How can design thinking be helpful in developing a strategy for social enterprises? Is there space in design thinking for the environment and for non-humans? What does design thinking mean in diverse cultural contexts and what cultural influences has 'design thinking' absorbed?
- Technology, Change, and Innovation – syllabus
- (IDST3005 / 4 credits / 60 hours)
- In this course, students will learn about technology and how digital and non-digital technological tools are being used in furthering social innovation and entrepreneurship in four different countries. The course will introduce students to some of the sources of such innovative and extreme design, the context they arise in, and the social entrepreneurs and enterprises successfully using and disseminating these new products and the possibilities they present. Some of the questions that will be explored include: How does technology play a role in furthering social change and innovation? Who is creating the gadgets and the new technologies to change their worlds? How are these new products and solutions being developed? How might technology improve upon the existing business models of the social enterprises we are visiting and studying?
- Social Entrepreneurship – syllabus
- (MGMT3000 / 4 credits / 60 hours)
- This course highlights a number of innovative approaches and strategies that have evolved to address and advance global social and economic development in four different countries. The course introduces students to the concept of social entrepreneurship and how it is expanding globally across sectors and organizations and encourages them to critically analyze it. Students will examine ever-changing demands and contexts in a globalizing world and learn to identify and evaluate the elements required to build and operate effective social enterprises in different countries. Students will learn how organizations and social entrepreneurs may create new and innovative sustainable business models that provide social value and also generate financial returns to both build and serve new markets at the bottom of the pyramid. This is not a course on how to become a social entrepreneur or how to build a social enterprise, although some students may be so inspired as a result. The theory, promise, and practice of this emerging and dynamic discipline, as well as its criticisms, will be closely examined while exploring questions such as: What is the potential of social entrepreneurship as a catalyst for social change? What are the barriers and constraints to measuring and achieving their social impact?
Please note that in order to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, program excursions may occasionally vary.
United States: San Francisco, Bay Area, California
(2 weeks)
The Bay Area is home to scenic beauty, cultural attractions, diverse communities, legendary cuisine, and game-changing entrepreneurship. Here, you'll receive orientation to the program and conduct on-site study of a variety of social entrepreneurship and design models that vary by semester but could include the Delancey Street Foundation, Precitas Eyes, Impact Hub, Tech Shop, Google, IDEO, Old Skool Café. You'll also meet with one of the founders of Thumbtack, Inc., who is also an IHP alum.
Starting with this hotbed of social innovation in the US will give you a solid introduction to the many challenges and facets of social entrepreneurship and will lay the foundation for comparative study in Uganda, India, and Brazil.
Uganda: Kampala
(4 weeks)
Social entrepreneurship and innovation have been emerging in numerous ways in Uganda, a country historically served by the international aid community and private charities, as it has become recognized that individuals with knowledge of local problems and challenges are key to effective and sustainable development. Uganda has been ranked as one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world and Ugandans are increasingly founding social ventures.
Your time in Uganda will give you the opportunity to see firsthand the kinds of challenges faced by social entrepreneurs in developing countries with a history of unrest and how social innovation can bring positive and transformational societal change.
Learn about challenges and successes with leaders at organizations such as Yunus Social Business and explore topics related to solar energy, microfinance, and mobile money. You will also have an opportunity to participate in an excursion to Mbarara in Western Uganda and visit social venture projects such as BRAC and the Millennium Village in Ruhiira.
India: Delhi
(5 weeks)
Delhi is a sprawling metropolis home to 18 million of the 1.2 billion people that inhabit India, where almost 40 percent of the population lives on less than $1.25 per day. Reports show that between four and eight million inhabitants of Delhi live in slums and lack adequate access to education, health, financial, and social services. Such conditions have led to the emergence of numerous social enterprises, developing an ecosystem that is supporting social entrepreneurs with incubators, mentoring, and financing. India has been called a laboratory for testing new ideas for social change at the bottom of the pyramid and is home to more than 350 Ashoka Fellows, who are coming up with unique models to tackle pressing problems.
In India, you will visit initiatives and meet with social entrepreneurs developing mobile apps for health, transforming waste into products, creating employment opportunities, and providing microfinance services for agriculture and food initiatives, among other things.
Brazil: São Paulo
(5 weeks)
São Paulo is an ethnically and culturally diverse cosmopolitan city of 11 million people. The city has a vibrant cultural life and outstanding music, art, architecture, and food. Here, you will find many examples of established and emerging entrepreneurship. Brazil's unique blend of abundant natural resources, creativity, cultural openness, flexibility, and collective action contribute to the success of its social entrepreneurs. Not surprisingly, Brazil has one of the largest Ashoka programs with 200 active fellows.
The impact-investing sector in Brazil has shown significant market growth over the past ten years. Leading Brazilian-based organizations including Artemisia Social Business, the Avina Foundation, Potencia Ventures, and Vox Capital have been cultivating social or inclusive business models and the Brazilian social enterprise ecosystem also includes foundations, universities, accelerators, incubators, investment funds, researchers, government agencies, environmentalists, and corporations supporting small and growing enterprises.
In Brazil, you'll learn how social innovation and entrepreneurship have been widely embraced and integrated in the country and have created many new models by and for people across socioeconomic backgrounds, sectors, and industries.
Faculty and Staff
Faculty and Staff
The faculty/staff team shown on this page is a sample of the individuals who may lead your specific program. Faculty and coordinators are subject to change to accommodate each program's unique schedule and locations.
Katy de la Garza, EdD, Program Director
Katy holds a doctorate in education from Teachers College, Columbia University; a master's in international development management from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs; and a bachelor of science from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Her intellectual interests focus on social entrepreneurship, rural education, microfinance, bilingual and intercultural education, indigenous peoples and development, teacher education, technology and innovation, social movements, and migration. Katy has worked with international development, social justice, and education quality issues in Latin America for more than 15 years. Previously, she was the strategy and innovation officer for Televisa Foundation, country director for The Nature Conservancy Costa Rica, the program manager for the US Peace Corps Rural and Community Development Program in Costa Rica, and the client services manager for the international microcredit organization Pro Mujer, providing programs for women in Mexico.
Anna Gail Caunca, MA, Program Manager
Anna Gail holds a BS in psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MA in intercultural service, leadership, and management from SIT Graduate Institute. She also received her licensure in secondary education (social studies), incorporating social justice in the classroom. Anna Gail's work experience has focused on youth and young adult leadership development, community building, residential life and student welfare, international education, and human rights education. Building on her graduate studies in social justice and international education, Anna Gail worked with World Learning's Youth Leadership and Peacebuilding Programs, facilitating workshops on current issues and youth activism with the Governor's Institutes of Vermont and traveling with and supporting students through the LondonX and Iraqi Youth Leadership Program for two years. In 2013, she was the Trustees' Fellow for the inaugural year of the IHP: Human Rights program. After four adventurous years living in Wellington, New Zealand, she became the IHP program manager in 2015.
Ansley Rubinstein, MA, Launch Coordinator
Striving to always challenge her and others' perspectives through travel, Ansley has spent the last seven years working with students both at home and abroad. She has led cultural exploration, community service, and language programs in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Costa Rica, India, Uganda, Brazil, Thailand, and the UK. While in the US, she regularly tutors students one on one. When a student herself, Ansley participated in IHP Cities of the 21st Century and studied abroad in Cairo, Egypt. Ansley also spent three years writing for the internationally published travel guide Let's Go, traveling to Australia, Greece, Austria, and Germany to explore both cosmopolitan cities and remote islands. Most recently, Ansley has helped launch the New York Times Student Journeys, educational summer programs in which New York Times experts and high school students explore a world issue or focused topic in a specific area of the world. Ansley holds a BA in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University, with an emphasis on Arabic language and literature.
Gabriel Lima, Country Coordinator, Brazil
Gabriel holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Schumacher College, UK. He is a Reos Partners associate, a member of the Art of Hosting global community, a Slow Food Brazil activist, and an Outward Bound Brazil wilderness instructor. He was guest faculty for Fundação Getúlio Vargas, a worldwide initiative that encourages business schools to integrate corporate social responsibility and sustainability into their curricula and institutional strategies, where he applied UN principles for responsible management education. Gabriel works with a variety of national and international clients, including social business, corporate, civil society and government organizations, to create learning spaces for collective awareness. He has lived and worked in South Africa, the United States, the Netherlands, and Brazil.
Abid Siraj, MA, Country Coordinator, India
Abid holds a master's degree in social work, with a specialization in reproductive and child health. He has more than 12 years of experience in public health in India. Previously, he worked for a USAID-funded project on the role of local self-government in the promotion of reproductive and child health. He also served as project coordinator of the USAID-funded Community-Based Distribution Project of Family Planning Methods. He was part of a pioneering team that implemented a flagship public health program for the government of India's National Rural Health Mission in Rajasthan. Abid was also involved with one of UNICEF's largest communication and social mobilization initiatives, the intensive immunization of pulse polio in Uttar Pradesh. He was a visiting faculty for SIT before joining SIT full-time in India in 2011.
Martha Nalubega Wandera, MA, Country Coordinator, Uganda
Martha holds an MA in peace and conflict studies and a BA in social sciences from Makerere University; a diploma in business education from Kyambogo University; and a postgraduate certificate in entrepreneurship, innovation, and social change at the UPEACE Center for Executive Education in Costa Rica. She has designed curricula, facilitated cross-cultural learning, and conducted program review and evaluation. As a Ugandan, Martha has a personal understanding of the country's society, politics, and economy and has developed professional relationships with university professors, nongovernmental organizations, homestay families, and service providers. As a member of the Uganda Women's Entrepreneurship Association Limited, she has strong connections with Uganda's business sector. She has worked for SIT since 2002, serving as academic director of three programs in Uganda.
Ella Scheepers, MA, Traveling Faculty
Ella holds a master's in business administration from the University of Cape Town, a master's in human rights law and democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria, and a bachelor's from the university formerly known as Rhodes. Her academic interests focus on social innovation, social justice, human rights, social movements, feminist organizing, institutional development, and decolonizing education. Ella has worked with human rights, innovation, and social justice issues in southern Africa for more than 10 years. Previously, she was a lecturer at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business; mentor consultant for the Sex Worker Education and Advocacy Taskforce; strategist partner for the Muizenberg Partnership, a community-based organization in Cape Town; and program officer at Open Society Foundation for South Africa. She also worked for various South African social justice organizations including SECTION27, the Treatment Action Campaign, and Corruption Watch.
Kasey Armstrong, MA, Trustees' Fellow
Kasey is dedicated to living and learning in community. She holds a BS in environmental science from Suffolk University and an MA in environment and community from Antioch University Seattle's Graduate Programs in Leadership and Change. Woven throughout her academic ventures are experiences traveling and working on small-scale organic farms throughout the US. She is passionate about using food, community, relationship, and connection to work toward ecological and human healing and systemic social change.
The homestay is an integral part of the SIT experience. During your homestay, you'll become a member of a local family, sharing meals with them, joining them for special occasions, talking with them in their language, and experiencing the host country through their eyes. Homestay placements are arranged by a local coordinator who carefully screens and approves each family. Students frequently cite the homestay as the highlight of their program. Read more about SIT homestays.
You will live with a host family for between two and four weeks at each program site except the US. Homestays are the primary form of accommodation on the program; other accommodations can include guest houses, hostels, dormitories, and/or small hotels.
Homestay families provide you with the opportunity to live as an integrated member of the host communities. In sharing daily life, conversations, family stories, celebrations, and community events, you will not only learn a tremendous amount, but also develop lasting friendships.
Family structures vary in every place. For example, the host family may include a single mother of two small children or a large extended family with many people coming and going all the time. Please bear in mind that the idea of what constitutes a "home" (i.e., the physical nature of the house) may be different from what you expect. You will need to be prepared to adapt to a new life with a new diet, a new schedule, new people, and possibly new priorities and expectations.
Country coordinators in each location arrange homestay placements. In most cases, students will be placed in homestays in pairs, with placements made to best accommodate health concerns, including allergies or dietary needs. You will not receive information about homestay families until you arrive in each country.
Cost and Scholarships
Cost and Scholarships
SIT Study Abroad is committed to making international education accessible to all students. Scholarship awards generally range from $500 to $5,000 for semester programs and $500 to $3,000 for summer programs. This year, SIT will award more than $1.5 million in scholarships and grants to SIT Study Abroad students.
SIT Pell Grant Match Award. SIT Study Abroad provides matching grants to students receiving Federal Pell Grant funding for the term during which they are studying with SIT. This award can be applied to any SIT program. Qualified students must complete the scholarship portion of their application. View all SIT Study Abroad scholarships.
Tuition: Not yet available.
The tuition fee covers the following program components:
- Content and logistics for field programs in San Francisco, Brazil, India, and Uganda
- Cost of all lecturers who provide instruction to students in the following courses:
- Anthropology and Social Change
- Design Thinking and Human Centered Design
- Social Entrepreneurship
- Technology, Change, and Innovation
- Guest lectures and panel discussions
- Site visit hosts and facilitators
- Transportation to classroom spaces and daily program activities
- All educational excursions to locations, including all related travel costs
- Traveler's health insurance throughout the entire program period
- Instructional materials
- Other direct program costs
Note: Break costs are not covered by program fees; students are responsible for this.
Travel: $4,000
- Group travel during the program
- This travel includes all flights and a flight back to a city in the US at the conclusion of the program, arranged by our travel agent.
Room & Board: Not yet available.
The room and board fee covers the following program components:
- All accommodations during the entire program period. This includes during orientation, time in all four countries, urban and rural stays, all excursions, and the final retreat. Accommodation is covered either by SIT Study Abroad directly, through a stipend provided to each student, or through the homestay.
- All homestays in Brazil, India, and Uganda
- All meals for the entire program period. Meals are covered either by SIT Study Abroad directly, through a stipend, or through the homestay.
Estimated Additional Costs:
Domestic Airfare to Program Launch Site
Domestic airline pricing can vary greatly due to the volatility of airline industry pricing, flight availability, and specific flexibility/restrictions on the type of ticket purchased. Students may choose to take advantage of frequent flyer or other airline awards available to them, which could significantly lower their travel costs.
Visa Expenses: $300
Immunizations: Varies
Books & Supplies: $150
International Phone: Each student must bring a phone with them to their program.
Break: $400 - $800
Please note: This is an estimated range based on student surveys from past semesters. Students' individual needs for their breaks will vary. For the entirety of the break period, students will be responsible for all of their expenses, including travel and room and board.
Discretionary Expenses
Personal expenses during the program vary based on individual spending habits and budgets. While all meals and accommodations are covered in the room and board fee, incidentals and personal transportation costs differ depending on the non-program-related interests and pursuits of each student. To learn more about personal budgeting, we recommend speaking with alumni who participated in a program in your region. See a full list of our alumni contacts. Please note that free time to pursue non-program-related activities is limited.
Please Note: Fees and additional expenses are based on all known circumstances at the time of calculation. Due to the unique nature of our programs and the economics of host countries, SIT reserves the right to change its fees or additional expenses without notice.
Career Paths
Career Paths
Relevant career paths:
- Nonprofit management
- Social enterprise
- Venture philanthropy
- Government
- International development


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quote:Originally posted by santacruzOn the East Coast there is a little deli in Albany N.Y. it is called Andy's importing. Oh man it is like walking into Italiano Incense heaven. The cheeses, meats hanging on ropes the old fashioned way, tubs of fantastic olives, and then the sandwhiches. Oh fresh baked Italian bread sandwhich rolls every kind of cold cut or Italian cheese you could every want.Also they are made with fresh tomatoes and Good olive oil. They do not skimp, but also it is not a big oiley mess. These are IMHO the best. Out here on the west coast we have a place almost as good it is Molinari Deli in the North Beach section of S.F. these sandwiches come pretty close but not all the way there.http://www.molinarideli.com/home.htmAndy & Sons Importing Co (518) 463-2754 256 Delaware Ave Albany, NY Andy's doesn't have a website.
quote:Originally posted by imsofullI just returned from a business trip to Waltham Mass and there is a Italian deli there called Domenic's. They make fantastic sandwiches on their own home made bread. Compared to California where I live, they were very reasonable. Chicken Parm was $5.95 and Parma with roasted peppers and goat cheese was $7.25 They also make their own cannolis.If I lived in Waltham I would eat there at least 3 times a week!


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In an unusually candid admission, Rick Santorum said Saturday that the improving economy could conceivably hurt the Republican Party's odds of victory in the 2012 elections.
Here's what Santorum said last night — full quote via Memphis Newspaper, and part of it corroborated by ABC News.
"You hear now the media starting to say, oh well, looks like the economy is getting better," Santorum told supporters Saturday night in Springfield, Mo., shortly after the Associated Press declared him the winner of the Kansas caucuses. "You know, the economy may be getting better and Republicans may lose their edge on that issue. Well, if that was the only issue in this race, that may or may not be the case, we don't know."
He added that "the point is that's the point — we don't know what the big issue of the day is going to be when it comes to national security. It may be the dominant issue, national security with Iran on the precipice of getting a nuclear weapon, Israel feeling increasingly isolated by this administration."
The GOP has walked a fine line as the jobs picture has gradually improved in recent weeks and months, eager not to be seen as rooting for economic failure but equally desperate not to give President Obama any credit.
Notably, Santorum openly mulled the possibility Saturday that other issues could play a greater role come November.


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A PAIR of badgers was saved from the floods by the people at Secret World Wildlife Rescue.
The two badgers, dubbed Storm and Noah after their ordeal, were trapped on a small slip of land surrounded by floodwater on the Somerset Levels.
Operations manager Simon Kidner and volunteer Steve Perks from Secret World got went out on a boat to rescue the stranded animals.
Pauline Kidner, founder of Secret World, said: "They have been without food for so long and were sodden and cold. Thankfully Simon and Steve were prepared to attempt a rescue despite the conditions. " Storm and Noah were returned to the Secret World shelter in Highbridge where they are resting under a heat lamp with plenty of food available for them.
Ms Kidner said: "We also don't know what effects there will be with such a large area flooded where small mammals and hibernating insects will have drowned.
"With little foraging available to so many species, there will be huge reductions of wildlife surviving into the rest of the year. At least Storm and Noah are warm, safe and dry."


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Residents in Bedford are being asked to curtail unnecessary water usage beginning Tuesday through Wednesday at 10 p.m.
The restriction is so that repairs can be made to a large water main in the area of Cummings Drive and Murphy Drive.
It will be necessary to build the levels in the elevated storage tanks on Tuesday prior to the start of these repairs. The repairs will be made starting Wednesday morning once the water towers are filled to full capacity.
This voluntary restriction request that residents postpone the use of dishwashers, washing machines, and hand watering lawns until 8 p.m. Wednesday. Without the public's cooperation, water pressure will be extremely low in the northeast part of the city and could disrupt water service entirely, plus compromise emergency services.
Please remember that the curfew is still in effect against watering lawns between the hours of 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
For questions or concerns please contact the Public Works Department at 817-952-2200.


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Travelling Teabox on the way! - Round 1
Aaaaand we're off! Yay!
Hmm, is that Adagio's White Cucumber I spy? Hopefully It won't come back to you with ten tins of the stuff! XD
Hahaha, White Cucumber is making it back to the States? After all that traveling? I think it wanted to stay in Denmark a little longer ;)
The White Cucumber has been deported due to being vile. :)
I'm sorry you wasted all those stamps.
No worries about that. I'm sorry for sending you such a disgusting tin of tea =(
I promise I'll send better stuff your way in the future =)
We're off!
As far as weight goes, if the box is too heavy when it gets to someone, they'll just have to help out by taking more than they put in….a hardship, I know, but it's one for the team… ;)
This made me giggle…lol…
OOO im REALLY excited :D
Let us know when you get it Kitch3ntools, I'll be even more excited when it gets to the US!:)
i will :D EEE im going to be camping my mail box once i get the "its comin to me" email :D
ill def post when it comes in :D
how do u decide where it gets sent? I hope to get it at some point!
oh ok no i gave her my address i think…i remember that thread
You should have received an email stating who you are to send the package to / who is sending you it.
Danielle, I'm sorry but I can't see that I've received a sign up from you. Hopefully there should be other rounds in the future, though. Feel free to sign up then.
Just in case everyone hasn't heard, I've created a Flickr group where people can upload pics of their endeavors with the Traveling Tea Box. Check it out here (http://www.flickr.com/groups/travelingteabox ). It's public so feel free to upload your own and comment on others. We'd love to see people with the box so we can do a follow up post about our amazing community members once the box has made its rounds.
yea just noticed that i wrote that i was interested….must have not been online when sign up happend. that bites. oh well. have fun with it!
Darn, I signed up for Steepster just a couple days too late! I really want to get in on this next time, though. Sounds like an awesome idea.
:D mee too!!!!!!! SQUEEE
Has it hit the states yet? I should be here soon!


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My Nonprofit Reviews
Review for Interfaith Ministries of Wichita Falls Inc, Wichita Falls, TX, USA
I have been a volunteer receptionist at IMI for over 20 years. This organization is a unique faith based organization that is supported by many churches in the area. It is unique in that it is able to help in so many ways, with financial needs, food, helpful listening ear, etc. IMI has clients from all age groups, all ethnicities and is welcoming to all. Staff and volunteers work well together and seek to help the client in whatever way is possible.
More Feedback
I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I've seen clients come in crying and at wits ends not knowing what to do or who to turn to and then see them leave releaved of some of their anxieties and having more focus as to how to approach their problems.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
extend service hours.
Would you volunteer for this group again?
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Did your volunteer experience have an effect on you? (teaching you a new skill, or introducing new friends, etc.)
Better perspective of how others cope with problems.
How did this volunteer experience make you feel?
I usually feel good at the end of my afternoon volunteer activity knowing that someone has been helped.
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?


text: What I love about the 8V S3 are the 2 sets of exhausts - I think it balances the rear off likely. Purely for aesthetically purposes. Was wondering if anyone has had this custom made on their car? Is it doable or are there things in the way on that side of the car? Guessing some of the lower bumper would have to be cut. Thanks


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Getting Married at Trinity
Congratulations on your decision to be married!
Historic Trinity United Methodist Church, a perfect wedding site, was built in 1888 in what is now the heart of downtown Denver. The impressive Gothic exterior has an entryway with three arches and wrought iron gates. The glorious Sanctuary, with the impressive Roosevelt pipe organ, is filled with the rich, warm colors of carved wood and stained glass windows. The church provides numerous backdrops for wedding pictures. Because it was built in the Victorian era, there are a number of intimate nooks and crannies to use as settings for additional bridal photographs. The church is large, but with special lighting, works well for almost any size wedding. A smaller, modern chapel that seats up to 70 people is also available for services.
We do not just rent out the Sanctuary and chapel as a space for a wedding; we provide everything necessary for a formal, traditional wedding including:
- the wedding site for three hours on the day of the wedding and an hour the night before the wedding for the rehearsal
- large dressing rooms for the bridal party and the groom and groomsmen
- minister
- organist
- wedding coordinator
- light and soundboard technician
- security
- cleaning services
- free parking in the lot next to the church, which holds approximately 140 cars
The ministers use the traditional wedding ceremony, but the bride and groom are encouraged to add readings, unity symbols, music and other items to the service to make it their own beautiful, formal, traditional service.
A wedding ceremony at Trinity United Methodist Church is a ritual that has come through the long history of the Christian church, and we approach it with deep respect. As you make your decision about where to be married, we trust that you will acknowledge Trinity as a House of Worship, which includes this Christian ritual for making your wedding vows.
Looking for a Rehearsal Dinner or Reception Site?
View the Church Calendar for date availability


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Bruce Willis Predicted 'The Blair Witch Project' Five Years Before It Was Released
Watch this crazy video from the set of 'Pulp Fiction,' where Bruce Willis correctly guesses that in five years a video movie will completely change Hollywood.
Watch this crazy video from the set of 'Pulp Fiction,' where Bruce Willis correctly guesses that in five years a video movie will completely change Hollywood.
BreakTime Breakdown takes a look at whats going on around Hollywood and the world.
Here are today's.
I stand before you, humbled, and tasked with explaining, in comprehensible terms, just what the heck 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' is all about. Attaining comprehensibility, however, is a chore the filmmakers didn't wrestle with, doubling-down on pure adrenaline and big movie star charisma. It's a risky move and sometimes it works. Sadly, this is not one of those cases.
While there are chuckles to be had (I mean, that Cobra Commander helmet is just too incredible to dismiss) there isn't enough whiz-bang in this film to fully deflect the utter lack of a story or absence of intriguing characters. It is, surprisingly, the lesser of the two 'G.I. Joe' films, with Stephen Sommers' 2009 'The Rise of Cobra' featuring much more team spirit, pep and fun.
With the new year right around the corner, it's time to get excited about the films of 2013, and though the February release date suggests lowering expectations, we're at least interested in seeing 'A Good Day to Die Hard,' perhaps because there's no way it will be as generic as the last one. Now there's a TV spot and it looks like the movie could be fun.
This Valentines Day plan a romantic evening full of gun shots, terrorists and explosions with the return of John McClane in 'Die Hard 5' which hits theatres on the most romantic day of the year. Get your first look at the new explosive sequel after the jump.


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Maurizio Zamparini has asked Beppe Iachini to turn around Palermo's attitude in time for the start of the Serie A season.
The Rosanero warmed up for their return to the top flight next Sunday at home to Sampdoria with a surprise 3-0 home elimination to Modena in the third round of the Coppa Italia.
"Just as the Coach did, I apologise to the fans," Zamparini has reflected through the pages of Tuttosport today.
"The truth is that that team should not have gone out on to the field against Modena. Palermo had to go through, we did not need to try experiments. We needed in the field the team that would give us the greatest guarantees.
"You can concede three goals to Juventus, also to Atalanta, but not to Modena who last season were 25 points behind us."
Even so, the famously impatient club President Zamparini isn't yielding the axe on his Coach just yet.
"There is unconditional confidence in our Coach. At this time we are embarrassed, just as in the past it happened in the UEFA Cup.
"We have paid also for a physical condition that is still pretty rough, we are probably feeling the workloads still. They ran over us.
"That said, I say to Iachini that from here to next Sunday I want to see a different attitude and a different team - against Sampdoria we cannot repeat this game.
"The fans may be in the throes of depression, but I tell them to stay calm, the true Palermo is something else."


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This editorial appeared in Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers on Monday:
Florida taxpayers pay good money for state lawmakers such as Brad Drake and Ritch Workman to do the business of the state and to move it forward into a better future.
Recently legislation they have proposed, however, makes one wonder in what direction they actually want the state to go. And how our money for their salaries is being spent.
Drake, a Republican from Eucheeanna — that's in Walton County in the Panhandle — has introduced House Bill 325 to do away with executions by lethal injection and replace them with firing squads or electrocution.
In a news release announcing his legislation, Drake said, "Over the past few weeks there has been much discussion and debate regarding the effectiveness of certain medicines used as a preferred method for execution. So, I say let's end debate. We still have Old Sparky. And if that doesn't suit the criminal, then we will provide them a .45-caliber lead cocktail instead."
That's right. Let's not coddle the convicted by lethal injection. Let's blast them away or fry them the good old-fashioned way.
As troubling as the lawmaker's proposal may be to some, it's more troubling that there are probably plenty of people who agree with him and believe the use of a firing squad to end prisoners' lives is a step in the right direction.
There is another alternative that Drake might want to consider. Why not just throw the condemned individual off the top of a tall building?
Does Drake have no clue about the expensive litigation and claims of cruel and unusual punishment that led to Florida and many other states doing away with the electric chair and moving toward lethal injection?
That's where state Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, comes in. He has filed legislation — House Bill 4063— to repeal a state law enacted in 1989 that banned bars from holding "dwarf tossing" events in their establishments. The activity is just what it sounds like. Bar patrons throw dwarfs around for entertainment.
Workman has offered his bill to reduce government regulations and to help create jobs for little people. Or so he has said.
The lawmaker told the Palm Beach Post, "I'm on a quest to seek and destroy unnecessary burdens on the freedom and liberties of people. This is an example of Big Brother government. All that it does is prevent some dwarfs from getting jobs they would be happy to get. In this economy, or any economy, why would we want to prevent people from getting gainful employment."
Workman's bill caught the attention of Stephen Colbert who noted it on his Comedy Central TV show, "The Colbert Report," referring to it as a "simple way to get Americans back to work: Look out for the little guy."
Colbert, of course, wasn't being serious. Unfortunately, Workman apparently is.
Florida has a history of bizarre activity and legislative proposals that too often make the state a laughingstock among other states. But, these latest proposals are almost more pitiful than laughable. And, the fact that these lawmakers and some of their colleagues with their own unique proposals are also voting on bills dealing with the economy, with education, with social programs and with the environment more than a little disconcerting.
Yes, let's bring back firing squads and dwarf tossing.
That should put us on the road toward real progress, right?
It's embarrassing.


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Standard Route
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The standard route from Cordova Pass to the summit of West Spanish Peak is pretty much a straight shot. 3.5 miles one way, of which the first 1.5 miles is flat. Overall elevation gain is only 2300'.
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West Peak Trail (std) (Route)
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Sexy Selfie of the Day: Rihanna Gets Down With a Snake
Wed, 30 Oct 2013 11:57:39
Rihanna Photos
Rihanna Videos
Rihanna covers the 25th anniversary edition of British GQ and she did so with snakes.
She slithers with serpents! She posted, "I love playing with dominant animals! These 2 were double the trouble, but they're superstars!!! #snakez #GQ #RiRi #88babies #25thanniversary."
Source: http://instagram.com/p/f5zVVehM2o
That's dangerous and hot!
What do you think of Rihanna and her snakes?
—Maggie Pannacione


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Enumeration of Spores
There are various ways to count the number of spores in a sample; we use two methods, depending on whether spore density is high or low.
Ocular field (high density)
- Using a fine ruler, determine the diameter of the ocular field of your stereomicroscope
at a magnification where spores can be easily distinguished from mineral particles
and organic debris (some of which can be easily mistaken for spores by the inexperienced
person). Then calculate the area of the spherical field (circle) at that magnification.
In our Nikon stereomicroscope, we choose a magnification of 4x for a comfortable field of view (diameter of 5mm). The area of the field is 19.6 mm2 (radius = 2.5 mm).
- We always use plastic petri dishes to count spores because the base of the plate
is flat. Because the dish also is hydrophobic, enough water must be added to
have complete coverage of the base. Dishes vary in diameter; we use those which
are 85 mm across.
The area of the base is calculated to be 5672 mm2. From this datum, and the area of the ocular field, total number of fields in the dish is: 5672/19.6 = 289.
- Extract spores and use sieves to separate out as much root and organic detritus as possible, add the spore suspension to a petri dish and then randomly rotate the dish to spread out spores as evenly as possible. Note: This method will not work for extracted spores that have been stored more than 24 hr because aggregates invariable will form.
If there are less than 30-40 spores per field, count them in 40 fields randomly chosen
over the area of the dish. Calculate average number of spores per field and multiply
this number by 289 (# fields/dish).
D. heterogama extract (left), Gi. rosea extract (right)
If there are more than 30-40 spores per field, then place spore extract in a test tube, dilute 1:1 with water. While vortexing, remove a specific volume (10 ml works well), transfer to petri dish, and recount. Make sure to keep track of each dilution to calculate spores in total sample.
Spores are extracted from a 50 cm3 soil sample and suspended in 15 mL water.
In petri dish, too many spores are observed in each field to be counted. This volume then is diluted 1:1 to 30 mL. Spores are counted from a 10 ml aliquot of this dilution.
An average of 28 spores were found in 40 fields of view.
28×289 = 8092 spores in the 10 mL sample.
8092×3 = 24,276 spores in the total sample (30 mL and by extension, the original 50 cm3 soil from which spores were extracted).
24276/50 = 486 spores/cm3
Direct counts (low density)
When there are less than 3-4 spores some fields of view and no spores in others (25-50%
of fields examined), then the method above cannot be used because it will overestimate
total number of spores in the sample. In this case, spores often are few enough
to be counted directly.
- Transfer spore suspension to a test tube, vortex, and transfer 1 ml to a watch glass. Perform this step three more times to count spores in four replicates.
- Swirl water in watchglass (clockwise or counterclockwise) to concentrate spores in the center. Expand field of view to see all spores and make a direct count. Average the counts from four watchglasses and multiply result by dilution factor (1/x total mls in test tube).
- If number of spores in watchglass is too many to count comfortably, then increase the dilution and recount.
Rating of spore abundance
Within 30 days of harvest, a rating of sporulation abundance is assigned to each
active culture in the collection. We use this is relative measure as an indicator
of culture productivity (see notes section of the searcheable culture database)
and it has served us well for over a decade.
- A 50 cm3 sample is removed from a pot culture and spores extracted.
- The spore extract is transferred to a petri dish and the contents shaken/swirled to distribute spores as evenly as possible.
- A rating is assigned to each of five fields randomly selected across the dish. This rating varies with size of spores: (i) small (<120 µm), (ii) medium (>120 and <250 µm), and (iii) large (>250 µm).
small = >300 spores/mL
medium = >200 spores/mL
large = >100 spores/mL
small = 200-300 spores/mL
medium =100-200 spores/mL
large = 25-50 spores/mL
small = <100 spores/mL
medium = <80 spores/mL
large = <20 spores/mL
|Photos of fields exemplifying ratings of small-spored Acaulospora morrowiae
|Photos of fields exemplifying ratings of medium-spored Archaeospora leptoticha.
|Photos of fields exemplifying ratings of large-spored Gigaspora gigantea


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900 Hillsborough St., Raleigh
Summer@Saint Mary's gives participants the opportunity to explore new interests, build fundamental skills, pursue artistic dreams and expand academic horizons. Whether creating a charcoal drawing, learning to be a leader, strengthening their writing skills or participating in healthy competition on the playing field, participants will master new skills, grow in confidence and enjoy new friends and experiences.
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10% discounted early bird pricing with 2nd registration before Feb. 28; price ranges from $165/session to $325/session


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Review and change the name ratings you've made throughout the site
Create a private list of your favorite names or share it with the Nameberry community to flex your naming muscles
Manage all the name subscription emails you've set up
Change your email address and your password
I love this name - Olympia - and so does my husband. This is our first, due January 10, 2014.
What do you think of this name? In the US, it is very uncommon but not weird.
What middle names do you like with Olympia?
Forum Rules


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Following the New York Giants' release of Brandon Jacobs, speculation began as to which free agent or draftable RBs the team would acquire to take his place. One of them was Mike Tolbert, who last played for the San Diego Chargers. During an appearance on Sirius NFL Radio on Monday, Tolbert seemed interested in joining Eli Manning's team.
While we wait to see just how much interest the Giants actually have
in the RB, ESPN NFC East blogger Dan Graziano assesses the fit for
Tolbert within the Giants' current backfield mix:
- Tim Kavanagh
Dan Graziano
Seems logical to me
"I say it's a great fit. Tolbert is a different kind of back than Ahmad Bradshaw
is. He's used to being in a committee situation and apparently wouldn't
mind being in one again. He's good enough to be an every-down guy if
and when Bradshaw has to miss a game. Tolbert and Michael Bush,
two starter-quality free agents who have been operating in running back
committees, make the most sense as Jacobs replacements if the Giants
can afford them. The question now for Tolbert is how much he expects to
make. They're right up against the salary cap, which is why Jacobs is
gone in the first place."


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Slimming With The Stars - Step Up / Step Up The Dance Out
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He's a defiant rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore's tracks. She's a priviliged dancer from an elite performing arts school... Tyler Gage (CHANNING TATUM) is on the road to nowhere until he meets Nora Clarke (JENNA DEWAN) during community service at Maryland School of Arts. Nora is the school dance prodigy and when her future hangs in the balance, she takes a chance on Tyler, a gifted yet troubled street dancer. Their worlds couldn't be more different but when they dance, the sparks between them fly. When Tyler's past lures him back to the street, both their futures are in jeopardy. Tyler must choose between Nora and a new future or loyalty to his friends... will Tyler step up to the challenge? Step Up is an exhilarating hip-hop-fuelled fairy tale about making your one shot at an improbable dream come true...
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Taiwan, China to Hold Free-Trade Talks
Next week, Taiwanese and Chinese leaders will convene to discuss the possibility of a future free-trade agreement between the two regions. From Reuters:
Negotiator P.K. Chiang of export-reliant Taiwan and Chen Yunlin of economic powerhouse China will meet in central Taiwan's Taichung on Tuesday for a fourth round of talks on the proposed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), since ties began warming last year.
The pact aimed at slashing import tariffs while allowing more market access in the banking sector, should be signed early next year, Taiwan's top China policymaker Lai Shin-yuan told Reuters in a recent interview.
"It's important how we frame (the deal) in the initial phase," said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taipei. "This will be the first framework agreement between China and Taiwan."
Tuesday's talks will also build trust that could lead eventually to dialogue on sensitive political issues, set aside for now as China and Taiwan focus on more practical matters.


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Who cares about organizing statistics and why should you organize your life?
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