News : Lion\'s Club Speaker - Kids First Founder Jenny Schulz

Artwork by one of the children.

Everyone feels hurt.

Jenny Schulz - Director

Jenny Schulz, executive director and founder of Kids First Law Center in Cedar Rapids was the guest of Randy Stein and the program speaker at the April 22nd Vinton Lion’s Club meeting.

Jenny founded Kids First Law Center in 2005. The Center provides services to children of couples involved in highly contentious divorce proceedings. In addition to information about the Center’s services, Jenny also shared additional information about helping children work through feelings of grief.

Jenny said, “In approximately 30% of our cases, the children are never told directly by either parent about the divorce.” She shared that for those children the entire experience can be bewildering and has the potential to cause unnecessary problems for the child as they move through life.

But Jenny was quick to share that most kids can, and do get through divorce to do well in later life. “The two key elements are the time the child gets to spend with both parents, and the prevalence of violence or aggression between the parents.”

The Center provides free, educational workshops for children of divorcing parents and free workshops to help kids understand and cope with their parents’ separation and divorce.

Artwork completed by children the Center serves was a part of the program she shared with the 46 Lions members in attendance.

The Center annually serves 400 kids who are enrolled in free workshops and represents 150 children with services of their professional attorneys. The Kids First Law Center is funded by individual donations and grants, though Kids First attorneys are court-appointed.

An upcoming “Kids First for Happy Hour” will be held on Thursday, May 7, from 4:30 to 7 pm in Cedar Rapids. This is a silent & live auction benefiting the Kids First’s mission to give children a voice in divorce and custody conflicts.

To learn more about the Kids First Law Center, visit www.kidsfirstiowa.org.