Public Employee Press

Regina Butler: Touchstone for troubled families

At a time when their world is in flux, Regina Butler is the calm center for the parents and children in residence at the Jamaica Family Center in Queens. Ms. Butler views the center as an extension of her own family.

“I don’t have any kids of my own, but I raised my sisters and brothers,” Ms. Butler said. “I share some of my own family experiences. I try to hold the families together and it’s just so natural and easy to do because it’s from the heart.”

Regina Butler’s own shelter story began in 1988 while working as a Security Guard at the Lexington Avenue Women’s Shelter in Manhattan. After two years as an Institutional Aide at the Armory, she transferred to the Jamaica family shelter. “When I got the job at this shelter, my mother said, ‘That’s where God needed to put you.’ I feel it’s my calling,” she explained.

Being in the right place at the right time with the right skills is a hallmark of Regina Butler. She’s received many awards but especially prizes the certificate of appreciation she received in 1997 after saving the life of a baby named Angel. “I had just taken the day before off to get CPR training,” she said. “The baby was choking and had turned blue. They’d called 911, but I thought, ‘I have my certificate. I’ll take my chances.’ I just did it.”

Angel is one of thousands of children who have come under her loving care. The walls of the playroom and hallways are decorated with photographs. “I lose track — I see 200 of them at least once a year,” she said.

Watching her in action is a small — 5 feet 2 inches — demonstration of the huge difference one person can make in the lives of others. It’s as if an invisible string connects her to each inhabitant. During the daily cycle of activities, everyone has a chore. Everyone has a schedule. Everyone is charged with reaching out a hand to others.

“Each one teach one” is one of Ms. Butler’s core approaches to building connections and sharing responsibility for making the shelter hum with purpose. “The ones who’ve been here — they
recruit the new families into the programs,” she explained. It’s a paradox of her personality that, whether speaking to a 3-year-old or a 33-year-old, she’s always teaching but never sounds preachy.

Getting others to care is a Butler trademark. She has recruited high school and college students, churches, neighbors and nonprofits to participate in numerous programs at the shelter. She looks for every opportunity for the parents and children to connect to their world — from auditioning for “The Lion King” to library cards.

“I work with the parents. I send them out on projects. I do a lot of lobbying and networking. I introduce them to the neighborhood,” she explained.

Dynamo in action
Opening up doors and dreams is an everyday occurrence at the shelter. From enrolling young teenage mothers in GED programs to setting up basketball tournaments for young fathers, Regina Butler is the connective tissue that enables others to see their best selves.

“We don’t have perfect days here. Some days, I come in and I’m so exhausted, I have to get energy from them!” she said. “Once you get to know the parents, you learn so much from them. They really enjoy setting goals and reaching them,” she said.

Formerly a member of Local 1549, Ms. Butler was promoted in December 2004 and is now a member of Social Services Employees Union Local 371. She is unstinting with her praise for the work of others. “The staff here is outstanding,” she said. “They help a lot. We have a great social service staff here.

We all put our heads together. Our Community Assistants do a lot of work to keep these shelters running, from serving the food to making the families feel comfortable and making every day brighter. Small things mean a lot.”

There’s a tune that goes: “Someday, life will be fairer, need will be rarer, and greed will not pay.” Until that day, the residents at the Jamaica Family Shelter have Regina Butler, a little engine of can-do who spreads her own special brand of care over their lives every day.