Agency Details:

Children's Rights Council of Northwest Ohio

Children’s Rights Council of Northwest Ohio, Inc. (CRCNO) is a chapter of the national Children’s Rights Council, which is based in the Washington D.C. area. CRCNO is an incorporated, 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We serve children and families in Lucas County and surrounding counties that may not be served by agencies in their area.

CRCNO advocates for children whose parents are divorced, separated, or were never married. The philosophy of CRCNO is that children have the right to an ongoing and consistent relationship with both parents, regardless of the status of the relationship between their parents.Children’s Rights Council of Northwest Ohio (CRCNO) provides staff, security, and a place for parents to transfer their children from one household to the other.

Description:
How does the Gift Exchange program work? CRCNO uses a “15-minute rule” for its Gift Exchange program. One parent brings the children to our facility. The children remain with staff for 15 minutes until the other parent arrives. Parents do not have contact with each other.

Who uses the Gift Exchange program?
Parents who are having difficulty with the transfer process will use our service instead of curbside pick-up, transferring in a public parking lot, or in a law enforcement parking lot. Families may be referred to CRCNO by the Domestic Relations (DR) or Juvenile Court Judges or Magistrates, the DR Court Counseling Department, a Juvenile Court CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), a Guardian Ad Litem, a mediator, or by private attorneys.

When is the Gift Exchange program utilized? CRCNO operates the Gift Exchange program on Friday and Sunday evenings from 4:45 to 8:15 p.m. for weekend transfers, Wednesday evenings from 4:45 to 8:15 p.m. for midweek same-day transfers, and on holidays listed on the Lucas County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court Local Parenting Time Schedules. Other days/times can sometimes be arranged through one of our alternate facilities.

Where are the Gift Exchange sites located? Various churches have generously donated space and/or volunteers for this program. Our main site is located in Hope United Methodist Church in Toledo, across from Westfield Shopping Town.

Why would a family use the Gift Exchange program? When a family is going through a difficult divorce, or the break-up of parent’s relationship, feelings of anger can be overwhelming. Children love both parents and are caught in the middle.

Courts often refer families when domestic violence has been reported. Sometimes one parent is discouraging parenting time by not allowing the children to go to the other parent’s home. Sometimes a parent is not showing up for scheduled parenting time. Use of the CRCNO Gift Exchange program eliminates the “he-said / she-said” involved. Non-compliance of Court Orders is documented as is habitual lateness or cancellations.

The Gift Exchange program takes children out of the middle. They do not have to witness arguments or physical incidents between their parents. Parents often learn to focus on their relationship with their children instead of their animosity toward each other.

Contact people:

Margaret Wuwert, Executive Director, (phone), (email) Gretchen Watson, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (419) 473-8984

Address:

4069 West Sylvania Avenue Toledo, OH 43623 (See a map)

Web Site: http://crcofnwohio.awardspace.com/

Last updated on July 8, 2009