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Quote Of The Month
If you can't
fly, then run, if you can't run,
then walk, if you can't walk, then
crawl,
but whatever
you do, you have to keep moving
forward.
~Martin
Luther King, Jr.
Chief
Judge Robert J. Colombo, Jr.
&
Heather Dixon, Domestic Relations
Specialist Review
& Modification Department at
FOC
Ms.
Dixon has been with the Court for over a
year.
September's
Quote of the Month Winner.
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Director of Purchasing & Facilities
Management
As Chief Judge, I am
pleased to announce that effective August
1, 2016 Eric Weems will assume the position
of Director of Purchasing & Facilities
Management.
Eric brings a decade
of procurement and facilities work
experience in court settings. Eric
most recently served as the Procurement
Manager at 36th District Court.
Eric is a familiar face to many as he
previously was the Administrative Assistant
in the Facilities Department and also
worked as a Case Manager at the Third
Circuit Court.
Eric is
a graduate of Marygrove College with a
Major of Business Management and a Minor of
Political Science. He completed the
Professional Purchaser Certification
through the American Purchasing Society.
Please
join me in extending heartfelt
congratulations to Eric Weems on his
appointment.
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As Chief Judge, I
am pleased to announce that effective
August 29, 2016 Lyn Roberts assumed the
position of Chief Financial Officer for
the Third Circuit
Court.
Lyn
has been working in the accounting
profession and with municipalities for
more than 22 years. She began her
career in public accounting at KPMG LLP
where she obtained experience to obtain
her license as a certified public
accountant. She worked in the Wayne
County Employees' Retirement System for
more than nine years, and then accepted
the role of Director of Financial
Reporting with the Wayne County
Department of Management and
Budget. After serving as the Deputy
Chief Financial Officer for Wayne County,
she transitioned to the City of
Southfield as the Director of Fiscal
Services.
Lyn is
a graduate of Grand Valley State
University where she holds a bachelor's
degree in Accounting. She is also a
Certified Public Accountant in the State
of Michigan. She is a member of the
Michigan Government Finance Officers
Association and the Michigan Association
of Certified Public Accountants, and
periodically facilitates training
sessions.
Please
join me in extending heartfelt
congratulations to Lyn Roberts on her
appointment.
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Wayne County Circuit
Court would like to welcome our newest
Japanese Judge, Judge Toshihiko
Fujii. He is interested in the
criminal justice system (especially the
theory of sentencing, the evaluation of
evidence for use in court proceedings, and
the process of plea bargaining) and the
juvenile court
system
in the
United States and the State of
Michigan. Please join the
Court in welcoming Judge Fujii.
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On
Tuesday July 19, 2016, the Ann Arbor VA
Medical Center welcomed special guests from
Washtenaw and Wayne County Friend of the
Court. Leadership from FOC gave an
extremely informative presentation to a
"full-house" of AAVA staff. During
the visit, FOC staff met with AAVA
leadership and was presented the AAVA Coin
of Excellence and a letter of appreciation
from the Director's
office.
Pictured
above, front row from left are Barbara
Kelly, Deputy Washtenaw County Friend of
the Court; Erin Lincoln, Legal Director,
Assistant Friend of the Court, Wayne County
Friend of the Court; and Judah Garber,
Director Washtenaw County Friend of the
Court. FOC leadership staff is
pictured with some of many AAVA Social
Workers who attended the training.
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COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR
SUCCESS
On
Tuesday, July 19, 2016, 70 vendors
collaborated with the Third Circuit's
Mental Health Court and Detroit Central
City to provide, yet another,
informative, fun-filled event. This
year there were nearly 450 people from
our community in attendance. That's
something to be proud of.
This
year we saw an array of new vendors
bringing their services directly to you.
We had on-site dental services
where people could get actual cleanings
or make appointments to be seen later; we
had 22 people sign up to be organ donors
with Gift of Life-MOTTEP; we celebrated
several of our Mental Health Court
participants for completing either the
MSU nutrition program or the Greening of
Detroit Program; and we had live yoga
instructions going on. It was just
a great day to be out and a part of the
health fair and Eastern Market.
Thank
you to Presiding Judge Timothy M. Kenny,
Deborah Price-MHC Program Coordinator and
her team of Case Managers, Detroit
Central City, Eastern Market, and to all
of our other community partners and
vendors for making this event a huge
success, yet again.
See
you next year!
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Clinic
for Child Study 3-on-3 Basketball
Tournament
On August 26, 2016 the Clinic for Child Study held
its 16th annual 3-on-3 basketball
tournament. Seventy-five youth and families
attended. Four teams battled it out for the
1st, 2nd, and 3rd
place trophies. An MVP trophy was also given
to one well deserved youth. All youth
participating received a participation medal.
The event was an opportunity for Court involved
youth to participate in a positive event involving
teamwork and fun. Younger siblings and
parents participated in arts and crafts.
Attorney Andre Mays helped out and served as one of
the Referees for the games.
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The Wayne County Friend of the Court is pleased
to announce the launch of
PayNearMe - a new payment option
for parents to pay their child support with cash
at any 7-Eleven or Family Dollar store.
That's more than 17,000 trusted payment locations
nationwide!
To get started and learn more
about payments visit www.misdu.com.
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The Court's
Clothing Closet is housed at the Lincoln Hall of
Justice located at 1025 E. Forest Bldg. B, Room
118. Donations are accepted on Tuesdays -
Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Currently
donations for men's clothing, especially men's
shoes, and clothing for teenage girls are
needed. If you have any of these items,
please feel free to drop them off at the CASA
office during the above times or make special
arrangements with Roland Smith at (313)
833-3507.
All
donations to Friends of CASA are tax
deductible.
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Online
Jury Questionnaires
Are Available
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Like Us On Facebook
We are on Facebook and want to connect with people
in the county through social media. Our weekly and
monthly programs can now be viewed on our Facebook
Fan Page.
Search for -Third Judicial Circuit Court
or just click on the "Join Us On Facebook" button
above and like us. We
want to stay connected and current with the
communities and
citizens we represent.
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Join
Our E-mail List
Join our E-mail List and receive our monthly E-mail
newsletter from the Third Judicial Circuit Court
and stay informed.
Please send us your name and email address to:
3cce-news@3rdcc.org
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Greetings,
"Change. It has the power to
uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise,
open new doors, bring fresh experience,
and create excitement in life.
Certainly it is worth the risk."
~Leo Buscaglia
The end of the fiscal year is approaching
and that means two things:
celebrating our successes this year
and taking stock of what we can do in the
upcoming year to continue a path to
excellence. For fiscal year
2016-17, one of our initiatives is to
embark upon developing a strategic plan.
Strategic Planning is an
arduous process and requires a
significant time commitment, honest
reflection, and open-mindedness.
Our Strategic Plan will lay a
foundation, as well as identify areas of
change. In the Strategic Planning
process, we will reach out to court
users, employees, partners, and
stakeholders asking for input and
feedback. We hope you take the time
to share your opinions and
insights. Our Plan's success
depends on initiatives and goals that
reflect our collective knowledge and
wisdom and is of utmost value to our
court users, employees, partners, and
stakeholders.
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It is
graduation time in Specialty Court
Programs.
MENTAL
HEALTH COURT-Friday, September 23,
2016 at MSU--Detroit (3408 Woodward
Ave. Detroit, MI) at 1:00 p.m.; Speaker:
Tamela Aikens, Director of Adult Community
Corrections Wayne County Department of
Health, Veterans and Community
Wellness
**Note:
Each ceremony is by invitation
only out of respect for our
participant's privacy**
Thank
you all for your continued support of our
programs and our participants.
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The
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Michigan Office (ADC-Michigan) hosted its
14th Annual Judges' Night Reception and
"Guardians of Justice" Awards Ceremony on
September 8, 2016 in Dearborn, MI.
ADC-Michigan presented the "Guardian of
Justice" award to the Hon. Robert J.
Colombo, Jr., Chief Judge of Wayne County
Circuit Court. Judge Colombo was
honored for his distinguished public
service and commitment to civil
rights.
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Wayne
County Friend of the Court
Outreach Within
Reach
September
2016
Have
questions about the Friend of the
Court?
Need help
with your case?
Visit our
staff at any of the below venues this
month!
Thursday, September 22, 2016, 12:00 p.m. -
4:00 p.m.
Wayne
County Legal Resources Consortium
Penobscot
Building, Floor 13, 645 Griswold, Detroit MI
48226
Wednesday, September 28, 2016, 9:00 a.m.
to 3:00 p.m.
Focus:
HOPE, 1200 Oakman Boulevard, Detroit, MI
48238
Any updates
to the schedule or location of these events
will be posted at www.3rdcc.org
or parties
may contact the Friend of the Court Call
Center at (313) 224-5300.
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On
Thursday, August 4, Third Circuit Court
participated in the 7th
Annual Senior Citizens Informational
Summit sponsored by City of
Detroit Council President, Brenda Jones.
There were over 40 vendors present
providing seniors will all sorts of
information; from estate/will planning to
health care services.
The
Court was on hand to provide pertinent
information regarding jury scams, Friend of
the Court, and Specialty Court Programs
within the Criminal Division.
There
was live music, dancing....Yes! Seniors
were getting their "hustle on"....and
food. Despite the heat, and it was
HOT,
everyone had a great time. And everyone
wore a smile of appreciation.
Thank
you to Yvette Blackmon, Director of Jury
Services; Jillian Fitzgerald, Legal
Department Supervisor from FOC; and Yvonne
Barnett Greene, Manager of Specialty Court
Services-Criminal Division, for
volunteering your time and providing your
expertise.
And a
huge thank you to our Chief Judge, Robert
J. Colombo, Jr. and Executive Court
Administrator, Zenell Brown for donating
gift cards from the Court as giveaways for
the seniors.
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The
results are in and for the fifth year, Rachel
Robinson, FHA Product Manager and her team,
at Quicken Loans Product
Lab,
Capital Markets Group have again met the
challenge to get our CASA kids back to
school in style. Rachel
shares,
"There is
something to be said about doing something
really personal for a child, like providing
them with their backpack and school supplies,
for what can be an exciting and sometimes
scary time of year. A small gesture
from each of us makes such a huge difference
in knowing they are special and thought of
and that is what I think perpetuates the
success of the initiative."
The group
hosted a challenge called the CASA
backpack challenge. Three teams
were formed, who competed against each other
for the most creative and largest volume of
packs. Each team had about 15 people
and the winning team won a team lunch!
A total of 150 backpacks were donated
in all.
The
winning team was Agency/Creative
Katrina
B.,
Tiffany
B., Justin
H., James
R., Ashley
C., Julia
G., Kathleen
L., Molly M.,
Danielle
J., Cathy F., David B., Jessie S.,
Stephanie C., Sarah M., and Nick
S.
Judges
were Kelsey Williams and Chris Arsenault -
Quicken Capital Markets.
There are a lot of
folks that helped on this...here are the
names:
Eileen Tu,
Bobbi MacPherson, Katrina Beaubien, Shane
White, Jessica Saputo, Claire Kafoury, Alex
McGillis, Danielle Johnson, Cathy Ferro, Lynn
Marine, David Blythe, James Milne, Angela
Glefke, Tiffany Berry, Dave Alteleben, Geno
Yoscovitz, Nicole Marcero, Rachel Robinson,
Mike Hart, Moe Smidi, Dan Cannon, Brendan
Kelleher, Kyle Woodard, John Bennet,
Zee Derwish, Paul Hendrix, Emily
Brewer, Justin
Herring,
James Ruyle, Ashley Coop, Julia Gu, Kathleen
List, Molly Money, Stephanie Coral, Sarah
Moss, Nick Schulz, Quinn Norris, Julie
Pawelczyk, Amita Shah, Jessica Silcock, Ryan
Schroeder, Joe Elias, Amanda Johnes,
Brian Kimbrell, Alyssa Ruiz, Sarah
Zheng, Lynn
Marine
Friends of
Wayne County CASA and the entire CASA team at
the Third Circuit Court in Wayne County
remain in awe of the team's generosity and
thank them for their continued support of our
CASA children. They have made a
difference!
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Back 2 School Supply and
Bash
On
August 10, 2016 the Clinic for Child Study
held a Back 2 School Rally. Two
hundred youth and parents attended the
event and were treated to lunch, games,
arts and crafts, and a DJ. Parents
were able to receive a free massage while
their children participated in other
activities. Thirteen youth also saw
the Mobil Dentist set up in building
C. The dentist provided checkups,
x-rays, and cleanings. Through the
generous donations from the following
sponsors: National Association of Negro
Business and Professional Women, Child
Advocacy nonprofit, Michigan Children's Law
Center, Helping Hands of Wayne County
(Juvenile Law Group), and Friends of CASA,
311 backpacks full of school supplies, 75
hygiene kits, 150 gift cards, 10 survivor
kits, 10 facial/haircut vouchers were given
to those in attendance, as well as to those
youth and parents who could not
attend. Several parents expressed
their appreciation for the family time at
the event and the giveaways.
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As the
summer sun is cooling, the leaves will be
coming alive with colors. Fall brings
with it the transition from relaxed summer fun
to school, homework, sports, and much tighter
schedules. Tighter schedules for co-parents
sometimes result in challenges as parents try
to balance their work commitments with the
demands of school and extra-curricular
activities. A difficult task under one
roof, however when two homes are factored in,
the level of difficulty drastically
increases.
Wayne County Friend of the Court
(FOC) together with Michigan State University
Extension (MSUE) offers low cost
educational programs for parents to manage
those demands. Parents often feel
overwhelmed and stressed out. Kids First is a one-time
three hour parent education program where
parents learn the importance of and
strategies toward having a healthy working
relationship. Communication between
parents increases and the demands on their
children increase. Kids First can help
parents talk with each other productively and
reduce arguments. Good communication eases
the stress of a demanding day.
For parents
with more challenges, FOC and MSUE have
developed a more intense program called
Co-Parent Communication and Coaching (3C)
Program. 3C is a six-hour course designed
to empower parents with knowledge, skills, and
strategies for co-parenting between two homes.
The program is interactive and includes
discussion, activities, and lessons to promote
positive parenting skills, increase effective
communication, and reduce conflict.
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The Third
Judicial Circuit Court took a moment to
recognize the efforts and accomplishments of
the dedicated Child Support staff in the
Family Division, Friend of the Court.
The Mission of the Friend of the Court is to
ensure children receive emotional and
financial support, as these are critical
foundations for the children's physical,
mental, social, and economic well-being.
Here are a few noteworthy
highlights:
Paternity
Establishments helps ensures the legal rights
of parents and children. The Case
Establishment Department has established
paternity for 82.62% of the children born out
of wedlock in Wayne
County.
An
effective child support program requires
support is appropriately set, payments are
timely collected, and cases are appropriately
reviewed and modified. From
January
1st through July 31st,
2016, $137,106,722.00
in support has been
collected due to voluntary payment and staff
collection efforts.
From January
through September 2016,
$47,299,829.79 has
been discharged by the State for payers who
met criteria of State Arrearage Discharge
Program.
Data
Maintenance/Ombudsman Department prepared
1,664 cases to ensure timely closure and
accounting.
The Friend
of the Court has continued to ensure public
access to information:
548,000 people visit the FOC
website monthly. The Wayne County Call
Center has answered 90,883 calls as of August
2016. Internally, departments are leveraging
technology to ensure information is timely
recorded, processed, and imaged.
Moreover, Friend of the Court
staff has
volunteered their time to attend public
information events on evenings and weekends.
The FOC has served 1,521 individuals at
various locations and events throughout our
community to date.
Lastly,
The Family Assessment, Mediation, and
Evaluation (FAME) is piloting a project to
bring families together with professionals
who may help settle their parenting time,
custody and support issues early in the
process and to be accessible if future issues
arise so parents may be able to avoid
the need for formal contact with the
Court.
It has
been a busy year for the Friend of the
Court. The staff serves the Wayne
County community to ensure emotional and
financial support to the children.
From the Third Circuit on behalf of the
families and the Wayne County Community,
"Thank you Wayne County Friend of the
Court!"
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The Court will be conducting its annual
Trial Court Public Satisfaction Survey the
week of October 17th. The
schedule for each of the buildings will be
as follows:
Monday,
October 17th - Lincoln Hall of
Justice
Tuesday,
October 18th - Friend of the Court
& Coleman A. Young Municipal
Center
Wednesday,
October 19th - Frank Murphy Hall
of Justice
Thursday,
October 20th - Coleman A. Young
Municipal Center
Friday,
October 21st - Frank Murphy Hall
of Justice
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FREE HELP
PREPARING DOCUMENTS
FOR
A WAYNE
COUNTY
DEFAULT
JUDGMENT OF DIVORCE
Attorneys
from the Clinic help qualifying, low
income, self-represented parties prepare
all necessary court documents for Default
Judgment of Divorce
First
Thursday of Each Month
Doors
open at 10:00am. Must arrive by
11:30am.
No late arrivals.
Coleman A.
Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward
Ave.
Courtroom
1901
Detroit,
MI 48226
Parties
must bring valid photo Identification, all
documents related to the case; including the
Complaint for Divorce, Friend of the Court
Final Recommendation (DM only), and Fee
Waiver
(if
applicable)
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The Wayne
County Friend of the Court is located at
645 Griswold, Detroit, MI 48226.
Parents may sign up for MiCase to get
child support information online,
https://micase.state.mi.us/ssoapp/login.
If you need
further assistance, the Wayne County
Friend of the Court Call Center may be
reached at
(313) 224-5300.
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Visit
Our
Family
Division-Juvenile
Website
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24 Hour Support
Friend of the Court offers 24 hour access to
your account through MiCase.
Click the photo above to visit our website or
visit
www.MICASE.STATE.MI.US
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