Perspectives

Using a fuzzy puppy or a favorite song as therapeutic tools may seem unconventional – or even downright strange – but solid research shows that these can be part of effective treatments for any number of conditions affecting young and old alike. Representing the Tallahassee Memorial Animal Therapy Program are: READ Coordinator Lauralee Mitchell; and Animal Therapy Coordinator Savannah LeFors; from the TMH Music Therapy Program, Director Brittany Rosado; and TMH Cancer Center Music Therapy

For generations, African-American families had lived in the area around Wakulla Springs, long before Ed Ball built the lodge and other resort amenities at which many of these families would find employment. Those connections continue to this day and on January 26, Wakulla Springs will celebrate that legacy with a day-long event. To talk about it are: Herb Donaldson with the area’s Palaver Tree Theatre; Wakulla Springs Park Manager Amy Conyers; Friends of Wakulla Springs President Barbara Wilson;

Conor McBride is serving 20 years at Wakulla Correctional Institution for killing his fiancée , Ann Grosmaire, when they were both 19. It could have been a life sentence, but her parents asked the state attorney for less time. Now, Kate and Andy Grosmaire are helping to drive the expansion of restorative justice practices in Leon County. As part of his agreement with the Grosmaires, whom he knew well after dating their daughter for three years, McBride cut this PSA for the Florida Restorative

The idea behind restorative justice is not just forgiving those who have wronged you and forging a positive relationship with them. More fundamentally, it’s a comprehensive approach to life and human interaction that produces more positive outcomes. To talk about the concept in all its ramifications are: Agnes Furey, author of “Wildflowers in the Medium”, with her story prominently featured in the documentary, “Another Justice;” Kate Grosmaire, who, with her husband, Andy, also is featured in

Florida remains with the third highest incidence of human trafficking in the country, and the number of cases keeps rising. Our panel talks about ways to detect human trafficking in everyday interactions and what various organizations are doing to fight this scourge. On the panel: Susan Turner, co-owner of Food Glorious Food, SURVIVE AND THRIVE ADVOCACY CENTER Board member; Vania Llovera, Assistant Director, FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, STAC Board member, Big Bend Coalition

Including people of different backgrounds, skill sets, attitudes and personalities in any organization is a critical factor in that organization’s ultimate success. That’s the premise of this discussion, which was also made available via Facebook Live and 4FSU, Comcast Channel 4. The guests for the discussion: John Thrasher, President of Florida State University; Renisha Gibbs, Florida State University’s Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President for Human Resources; Inam Sakinah,

Even though the Capital Region is technically at full employment, the jobs of tomorrow may be very different from what’s available today. To talk about the new collaborations among many agencies and organizations to prepare today’s workforce for what’s likely to come are: Kimberly Moore, vice president for Workforce Innovation at Tallahassee Community College; and Cristina Paredes, director of Leon County’s Office of Economic Vitality.

Hurricane Michael was just over one month ago. As much of the area struggles to recover, what has worked, what hasn’t worked so well and what might help future storm preparation and response efforts? We hear from: Deanna Frazier with FEMA’s Office of External Affairs; Kevin Peters, director of Leon County Emergency Management; Mathieu Cavell from Leon County Administration; Rob McGarrah, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility Manager; Michael Martin, 2-1-1 Northwest Florida Manager and also with

Florida’s Capital City has aspired to be the country’s most “Vet Friendly” community. Progress toward that goal forms a large part of the discussion featuring: Representative of the Tallahassee National Cemetery Clark Brookstone; Washington Sanchez, member of the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame, Purple Heart recipient and major contributor to the Tallahassee Veterans Legal Collaborative; and Jennifer LaVia from the Florida State University Law School Veterans’ Legal Clinic.

More than 400,000 American children are in foster care, and 25,000 of them are in Florida. Their average length of stay is 25.3 months, according to the Ackerman Institute for the Family – and they have rates of post-traumatic stress disorder similar to veterans of war. Shannon Carroll owns and operates Redemptive Love Farm in Tallahassee. She and her husband have adopted 7 children and fostered many more.