In case you don’t know me, prior to my work at the Rocket-Courier, I was a classroom teacher for 32 years. I loved my job, despite its many challenges.

Many times, when meeting with parents, I would comment “Wouldn’t it be great if children came with an owner’s manual?” In truth, many problems children encounter are related to family issues.

Recently, I had the opportunity to explore a hidden gem in the world of families and children— S.A.F.E., which stands for “Supporting Area Families Everyday.”

It began in 2017 under the name S.A.F.E. Transitions. As more programs were added, the name changed to S.A.F.E. in 2019.

This agency is centered in Wysox, and offers services one day a week in New Milford in Susquehanna County.

This is an agency that provides many services to families, said Heather McNett, director of S.A.F.E.

S.A.F.E. is a family support that offers supervised parenting time, safe (no contact) custody exchanges and parenting education.

While this agency does work with court referrals, they also offer these services to families without a court recommendation. Best of all, these services are offered free-of-charge to families.

Supervised parenting time is offered in the facility. Parents can visit with their children in dedicated rooms, filled with engaging toys and activities.

The facility in Wysox is open seven days a week, to accommodate busy schedules.

Currently, the Susquehanna County center is open Saturdays only, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

The center also offers a place to make no-contact custody exchanges.

This facility offers separate entrances for each parent. This minimizes parental contact and often makes custody exchanges much less stressful on parents, but, more importantly on the children. Separate rooms are also available for each parent.

Lastly, the center offers parenting education programs. These classes can be taken online or in person.

Again, this service is free-of-charge. This parenting class is based on common-sense methods for offering choices to children and understanding the intent of another person.

These classes are administered under the direction of Heather McNett with the help of veteran retired teacher Bill Lutz.

McNett is also proud of the sensory room the facility is developing. The room is designed for children who have special needs.

Guthrie Clinic has already donated $3,000 to fund a portion of the projected $16,000 cost of the project.

S.A.F.E. is a facility that offers many family supports. McNett commented that her main goal is to break the cycle of violence in families and provide a safe place for children.

The staff at this facility take extensive classes to stay current with trends and best practices. Rewards for this dedicated work are rare, but McNett details one in a picture. A child made her a picture that says “Safe Here.”

Unfortunately, money is always a factor. Currently, the organization writes many grants to pay for the services they provide.

As more people understand the valuable services they provide, perhaps more funding could be made available through private donations and government resources.

Keeping our children safe should be a priority for everyone, and the S.A.F.E. organization certainly gives families the opportunity.

For more information on S.A.F.E. or to donate, interested individuals can call 570-265-7401 or email McNett at safe@safenepa.org.

 WYSOX — A Bradford County organization has received a grant that will further help families be in safe hands.

A state grant of more than $125,000 has been awarded to Supporting Area Families Everyday (S.A.F.E.), a non-profit that focuses on reducing domestic violence by providing safe environments for families during custody exchanges and teaching parents emotional self-regulation skills to prevent conflict.

The organization has locations in Wysox and New Milford and provides safety for families with a history of domestic violence or drug abuse history.

On Jan. 17, State Representatives Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Wyoming) and Clint Owlett (R-Tioga/Bradford) announced that the grant would be awarded to the non-profit to expand its supervised visitation and parent education program in Bradford and surrounding counties.

“This funding will help to ensure parents have the support they need to foster healthy relationships with their children,” said Pickett. “By investing in these vital services, we are not only improving outcomes for families today but also building a safer, more stable future for our local communities.”

“Families are the cornerstone of our Commonwealth and society as a whole,” Owlett said. “There’s no greater investment we can make than in programs like this that support families, help parents work through challenging times and protect our children.”

The Reps. noted that the grant will support the salary and benefits of the specialist responsible for the implementation of the program.

S.A.F.E. expects to increase its service capacity by 25 percent over the next three years with the help of the funding.

The grant was awarded by the Pennsylvania Commissioner on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee through the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) program. Applicants were eligible to receive up to $950,000 in funding to support programs to address community violence, the Reps. stated.

Heather McNett, Founder and Executive Director of Supporting Area Families Everyday (S.A.F.E.) shared that the non-profit applied for the grant several months ago in hopes of utilizing the funds to continue to grow and provide services.

“We have a program specialist and her role is incredibly important and oversees our parenting classes as well as our supervised visitation and custody changes,” she said. “We cover two counties, Susquehanna and Bradford County. We’re not heavily funded, so we’re grant funded and donation-based. So, when we get grants like this, it just changes everything for us.”

“It was just really exciting to be able to be selected for this grant,” McNett continued. “So, this will cover her salary for three years.”

McNett added that S.A.F.E. has come a long way since its creation.

“Since the day we started, which was in the basement of a church, we’ve just tried to do the next right thing,” she said. “We went from a couple days of a week in the basement to two separate offices and helping hundreds of people every year. It’s just great.”

McNett shared that she has received feedback from families after their time at S.A.F.E., including the children.

After being given a note from one of the kids over the weekend, McNett said that she became emotional while reading it.

“She explained that the relationship with her parent would not be where it was today if it wasn’t for S.A.F.E. and all of the wonderful things we’ve done and that her life has been blessed and touched,” McNett said. “She also said that maybe someday she’ll come work for us so she can help people.”

“Sometimes you get so caught up in fixing the problems that when you have those moments where somebody comes up to you and they’re like, ‘hey, wait a minute, you fixed this for me and I overcame this because S.A.F.E. helped me,’ it reminds us of why we do what we do because it’s a neutral setting with not only safety, but the children and what they need,” McNett added.

The Founder noted that the children in S.A.F.E. are taken “very seriously” at the organization.

“From the colors that we pick to the furniture that we get, we are always considering our kiddos here,” McNett said. “And with being able to put such a priority on what they need, parents are able to kind of work through what they need to work through here. We always say that everybody makes mistakes, but every day you wake up is a new day that you get to work on those things.”

McNett added that S.A.F.E. focuses on offering activities that cater to each child individually, with staff members learning new things to make them feel comfortable.

“One of our kiddos is in cheerleading and she’s learning these heel kicks,” McNett said. “We have a staff member doing six-foot tall kicks in the hallway. So, it’s a very good environment.”

In addition to prioritizing the children’s’ needs, through a donation by Guthrie, the non-profit were able to purchase sensory items for the kids, with a new room to boot.

“We’re really excited about that,” McNett said. “We’ve been wanting this for a long time.”

At the Wysox location, three visitation rooms are available for children to enjoy. Each room is coordinated with the ages of the children in the organization including a “big kid room” with various games and electronics.

McNett shared that in the rooms, specifically the big kid room, almost all of the furniture and items have been either created, thrifted, or donated. This includes a wall of art created by the children, with one saying “safe here.”

Connect with Nicole: (570) 888-9643 ext. 231; nlamberti@morning-times.com

  The Canton Independent-Sentinel 

by Rachel Heitzenrater

rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com

TOWANDA — What started out as a simple resource for child custody exchanges turned into something much more that local parents can utilize.

Supporting Area Families Every Day, or S.A.F.E., is a non-profit that is dedicated to strengthening families and building a healthier community for Bradford County and the surrounding area.

Founder and Executive Director Heather McNett of Canton saw a growing need for a safe place for parents to exchange children and a safe place for parents to visit their children in a supervised setting.

“Initially we started out as Safe Transitions in 2017,” said McNett. “So we started out in Canton offering custody exchanges. We were getting feedback from the community, such as needing supervised visitations.” McNett was at the time working with Finding New Hope and Theresa Allen, until she realized this organization was becoming bigger than she had originally planned.

Because of the non-profit expanding, McNett moved her office to Towanda to be able to better serve the entire county, and surrounding counties as well.

“We needed to be more centrally located, and in a bigger space,” said McNett, who noted they have clients from all over, some as far as New Jersey or Westfield in Tioga County. “Canton and Troy have always been very supportive of us and we have always been thankful for those communities.”

The focus of the program is safety and providing safety measures for children of families who have history of domestic violence or drug abuse history, for example.

“Sometimes it’s couch surfing or homelessness,” said McNett, “If they don’t fit under Children and Youth Services, they may be referred to us.”

After her own personal experiences, McNett was determined to not only provide a safe haven for children, but to help parents with useful resources along the way.

Along with the visitation services, S.A.F.E. offers resources with local connections on job postings, housing, parenting tips and more.

McNett’s worry was hearing about custody exchanges and children subjected to arguing and fighting, which turned sometimes violent and deadly.

“As we continue to do the research, we knew we needed to do something for our families so that kids can go from one parent to another and in an environment that is safe and happy, just to support them,” said McNett. Thus, the idea of no-contact custody exchanges became a reality and a staple of what S.A.F.E. stands for - peaceful transitions.

“A lot of our parents who do custody exchanges, they don’t have a lot of communication at all,” said Jessica Parks, S.A.F.E.’s supervisor. “Even when they can communicate, they still come to us because they don’t have to be face-to-face. You don’t have to worry about anyone calling anyone names.”

“Our environment that we created is kid-friendly. When there’s a need for food, we are able to provide that to the families in the short term and direct them to resources in the community for a more permanent solution,” said McNett.

The non-profit also celebrates holidays and plans activities for the children and parents to do together.

S.A.F.E. has two more members, Mercedes Meuse and Lois Shaffer who assist Parks and McNett with services.

The S.A.F.E. staff members are very passionate about serving the unheard voices in the community - the children.

Currently, the S.A.F.E. schedule is 2-7 p.m. on Sundays, 3-8 p.m. on Tuesdays, 3-8 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.

“Looking forward, we would like to be able to make more connections with the community,” said McNett. They would like to expand their services to better help families and provide more resources to them.

​

For more information on S.A.F.E., go to safebradco.com, call 570-250-7401, email safebradco@gmail.com, or make an appointment stop at their location at 908 S. Main Street in Towanda.

We have love here," said Heather McNett.

 BY: BY C. R. WAGNER FEBRUARY 18, 2021

It’s not easy being a single parent. It’s even more difficult for the children involved in situations with split parents. And if there are custody issues, it can be difficult for parents to meet in a friendly, caring way to share their time with their children.

Supporting Area Families Everyday (SAFE) is an organization that provides a positive environment for children to visit with their parent in a setting that is both supervised and family friendly.

“SAFE provides a safe dignified approach to custody exchanges,” said Heather McNett, SAFE executive director. “With our no contact custody exchange program, your child will transition from one parent to the other in a child friendly environment designed just for them.”

McNett explained that the mission statement of SAFE is to strengthen families and build a healthier community. They offer supervised visitations and custody exchanges for families in Bradford County and surrounding areas.

SAFE is located in Towanda at the Trinity Lutheran Church at 908 South Main St. The organization was started in October 2017 and was renamed by John Shaffer from Canton in October 2020. A 501c3 non-profit organization, they are funded by individuals, fundraising, grants, and the United Way. They have helped about 45 families since they opened, as they continue to provide a neutral child friendly safe environment.

“It provides a more dignified place for parents to bring their children for a custody exchange,” said McNett. 

“You don’t have all the stares of the public wondering what you’re doing,” said Jessica Parks, SAFE supervisor. 

“And you do have all additional measures of safety with a no contact exchange,” added McNett.

Typically, it’s mothers and fathers who participate in the child exchanges, but it has also includes grandparents and others. The age of the children range from newborns through teens.

The visiting parent is scheduled to arrive first. Once there, the drop off parent arrives about ten minutes later. Parents have no contact. Trained staff members facilitate the exchange.

In addition to McNett and Parks, Mercedes Muese and Lois Shaffer are monitors who help with the facilitation.

“We have a good relationship with our parents on both ends of the spectrum,” said McNett. “We work really hard to make this a neutral environment so they recognize it as such.”

There are many different reasons parents use the SAFE services including P.F.A., housing, treatment programs and recent release. And according to McNett, “We don’t judge.”

They work with parents to give them the best time with their children. They tell parents, “You’re in the meantime space.”

“This is a neutral space to maintain a relationship with your child while working through whatever it is that brought you here,” said McNett.

“We’ve had a number of families ‘graduate’ when they no longer need our services,” said Parks.

Parks remembers watching a bond develop between a father and his daughter. She was an infant and it was the father’s first meeting with her.

“It was really great seeing him come in not knowing anything about babies and then leaving well equipped to handle the situation,” said Parks. “It was funny when I supervised him changing a diaper for the first time. It was a pretty messy one!”

McNett and Parks work very well together, and are constantly bouncing ideas back and forth to create the best environment for the children and their parents.

There are provided activities for children to do with their parent, both inside and outside. These include games, movies, crafts, books, a swing set, and corn hole toss. Families even decorated their own Christmas trees together.

“We try to keep the family traditions alive for them,” said McNett. 

“We can see that they have made good memories here,” added Parks.

In some situations where parents can’t make a visitation in person due to illness or bad weather, they utilize Zoom video chat. They received a grant from the David and Carol Keeffe Fund, which allowed them to use the virtual option when needed.

SAFE is always looking for volunteers and they welcome any donations.

“Our children bond with our volunteers and they love our retired community,” said McNett.

For more information call (570) 250-7401 or email safebradco@gmail.com.

“We have such a happy environment here,” said Parks. “Even though this is a very serious undertaking.”

McNett remembers one child who said, “I like visiting here because they make my Daddy be nice.”

Heather McNett and Jessica Parks are very dedicated to helping ensure parents have a peaceful way of staying connected with their children. When that happens, they say, “We have love here.”