Jefferson Award Winner - Lia Rowley

Foster care innovator earns Jefferson award
Shelah Moody, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, June 29, 2008

Lia Rowley of Sonoma County came up with an innovative concept for foster care: an idyllic community where children are raised by surrogate grandparents and groups of siblings are allowed to stay together instead of being placed in separate homes.

For her dedication to foster children, the founder of the Children's Village foster care center in Santa Rosa received the 2007 Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award - the National Jefferson Award for Public Service at a ceremony June 17 in Washington, D.C.

Seventy-five Jefferson Award winners from across the country were in the running; Rowley was one of five recipients.

"It was quite amazing, because I had no idea that I would be chosen," said Rowley, who received a gold medal at the gala. "It was an inspiration for me to hear the other (recipients and nominees) talk about what they've done."

Rowley, 69, received the Bay Area Jefferson Award for community service in 2007 for her work with the Children's Village . A native of Amsterdam, Rowley once ran her own practice as a consultant, teaching parents, teachers and other professionals how to manage behavior. She earned a teaching credential from UCLA in 1961.

Rowley started the Children's Village in memory of a child she knew, Georgia Moses, a 12-year-old foster child from Petaluma who was brutally slain in 1998. Georgia's body was discovered near a ramp under Highway 101, and her killer has not been found.

"The Children's Village is an organization that is very much created through volunteerism, and it is still functioning because of volunteerism and financial support," Rowley said. "I think this award really helps with that, because people are starting to hear about us more and more - they know we're a pretty good place."

The Children's Village, located at 1321 Kawana Terrace Road in Santa Rosa, is home to three "grandparents" who live and rent separate homes on the property. Between them, they care for 21 foster children. Last year, the nonprofit built a Community Village Center, where the administrative offices are, and a recreation center and meeting place for the children and staff. Through Habitat for Humanity (of Sonoma County), the Children's Village will be able to build more units, which will house three more "grandparents."

In 2006, Rowley was nominated by Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, for the National Angels in Adoption Award and traveled to Washington. Former 49er Joe Montana and his wife, Jennifer, have participated in fundraising events for the Children's Village.

"We are a unique, alternate model for kids in foster care," Rowley said. "We serve sibling groups, which is very unusual. We provide long-term care for children for as long as they need it. The most wonderful thing about our program, I think, are the grandparents and their commitment and love for the children. Our grandparents are volunteers who pay rent to live at (Children's Village). It's a total service thing for them."

The Jefferson Awards is a national organization founded in 1972 by Onassis, Sen. Robert Taft Jr. and presidential aide Sam Beard. Five regional winners are honored each spring with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Public Service Benefiting the Local Community.

Online Resources
For more information, go to www.thechildrensvillage.com .
E-mail Shelah Moody at smoody[at]sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle