Posts by Laura Gamble

For the past 48 weeks, Aaron has been a client in the Batterer’s Intervention Program at Family Builders. He will complete the program in January 2019 after being charged with domestic violence with minor children present in September 2017.

We’re thrilled to announce that Santa Claus came early for Family Builders this year! The little elves over at T&S Online Marketing have been hard at work creating a fantastic new website we can be proud of, and we think you’re going to love it, too! With our new website, we hope to more easily…

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Christmas? For me, it’s quality family time. Traditionally, the trimming (or decorating) of the Christmas tree is a family event with every family member involved in the decoration. Some families hold parties with friends, and others make it family-only time. Regardless of…

October brings all of our favorite things about fall, from the delicious smells and flavors of the season to more quality time with our families in the crisp air. But October also brings something more-it’s a month to stand up and take action in solidarity against domestic violence. In October 1981, the first “Day of…

Every year in Oklahoma, many families are torn apart by abuse and violence, and many children suffer the consequences. We sometimes talk to people who don’t understand why we do what we do to reunite families. In their minds, children who have lived in abusive homes would be better off in a completely different home…

We have an incredible team of people working at Family Builders, and I want to start introducing them to you. First up: Katrina Zmaila, one of our group facilitators. Describe the work you do at Family Builders. I’m a group facilitator for two of our programs, the Batterers Intervention Program and the Compassion Workshop classes.…

One in four children will be abused before their 18th birthday. One in four. If you look around your child’s classroom or your church or the neighborhood park, it’s likely that one (or more) of those kids have suffered abuse or will suffer abuse. Most of us don’t want to admit that such a thing…

During the month of June, many families across Oklahoma will celebrate Father’s Day. But some families won’t because the father isn’t present, either by choice or by order of the state. Many fathers in our programs look forward to the day that they can once again celebrate Father’s Day, birthdays, and other special occasions with…

The arrival of summer can mean a change in routines and exposure to new people, whether at a summer camp, at a friend’s house, or with a new babysitter. These summer safety tips can help keep your child safe.   Ask about camp policies Summer camps provide a great opportunity for kids to learn and…

Stranger danger isn’t enough. In fact, a child is more likely to be in danger from a family friend or someone that you both know fairly well. Here are three rules for keeping your kids safe.   Rule #1: Adults and children do not keep secrets-none at all. Abuse thrives in secrecy by the very…