Chapter Twenty-Six

Denise’s Pathetic Last Stand

    A funny thing happened the first day of August.

    A JAG officer in Cleveland was assigned to help Brian and Alysha with their adoption reimbursement for their children through the United States military. He may have been dimly aware of their situation with Building Blocks, but in order to get a few things moving on the reimbursement, he needed a piece of vital information from Building Blocks about their agency.

    To wit, a copy of their operating license from the ODJFS.  A copy of which Building Blocks used to attach on to their initial correspondence when a client signed on with them. Perhaps this practice was discontinued after our experience.

    The JAG officer in Cleveland, called Building Blocks local telephone number early that morning.  He was in for a shock.

    He told Alysha a very rude woman answered the phone.  He explained who he was and what he needed. And for whom.

    This rude woman identified herself as Denise Hubbard of BBAS.  I wonder if Wendy and Debbie were on vacation for Denise to be manning the telephone that morning (Debbie might not even have been working there anymore ... we noticed at some point after that during one of our infrequent tours of the BBAS web emporium that she was no longer listed as an employee). 

    However, the call could have been for another easy mark, so Denise was on the prowl for innocent clients to supply the funds for her improved lifestyle.

    After listening to what the man had to say and for whom the information was being requested, Denise became rude.  

    She used foul language (much like I once had ... huh Rick?).  She refused to give the JAG officer, an employee of the United States Armed Forces, the publicly available information that should have already been provided to the Towells.

    Denise should have checked herself.  What the JAG officer was requesting should not have been questioned, for it should have been hanging on her wall, within easy reach for a quick fax to his offices.

    Then again, we are talking about a defeated and enraged agency director ...  Denise L. Harding-Hubbard.

    The JAG officer was astounded.  He could not believe he had been sworn at and spoken to so rudely.  What was even worse — Denise had refused to give him such an important piece of documentation about her own adoption agency.

    After the telephone call, he contacted Alysha and told her what happened.  Without the agency’s license, he told her that their reimbursement case was not going to go through as fast as it should. Without it, he may not get to their case for many more months.

    Alysha was angry. Why had Denise acted like that? Was it so hard to have provided a simple, easy to get piece of paper from the agency itself? Where would she get that document from?

    That morning at 8:40 a.m., we received the following from Alysha with the title: Need Your Help Fast Please

    I have been trying to call you I think you are on line so I decided to try  this. The federal officer reveiewing our case for adoption reimbursement in  the military. He just tried to go to BBAS and get a copy of their license for our folder. He called us back and said they were the rudest, most unprofessional people he ever met. Although he also said this will stall our  case. My immediate question is do you have a  copy of BBAS's license I knew  if anyone did it would be you. He said if he could get it today that he won't  put us on the back burner. Let me know ASAP. Pretty please.

    Upon receiving this from Alysha, I called her. Alysha explained to me what had happened. Brian was understandably livid at that moment. He said to his wife, “What are we going to do?”

    Alysha was at a loss, and then Brian said, “Hey, what about that strange lady who keeps sending you those manila envelopes in the mail?  Do you think she would have the license?”

    Alysha laughed. “Elizabeth Case? You know, I betcha she would. If she doesn’t have it, it would surprise me.”

    I chuckled when Alysha related this exchange with Brian. But he was right.  “The strange lady” did indeed a copy of Building Block’s current license from the ODJFS, signed by the head of that organization, with Ohio’s state seal blazing behind it.

    We had a copy in the latest batch of information we had requested from the ODJFS on BBAS recertification by the state.  The Towells were in luck.

    Alysha gave me the JAG officer’s fax number in Cleveland, and within an hour we had sent him BBAS’s license.

    It’s sad Alysha had to contact us for BBAS own license. Isn’t it a state requirement for Denise to provide this documentation when directly asked for it?

    I told Alysha either she or the JAG officer should call Linda Saridakis and tell her about this.  I think Denise did violate an Ohio law or regulation and told Alysha so.

    And did call Linda Saridakis to complain. Alas, when she told Linda Saridakis of what had happened, Linda merely told her that there was nothing she could pin on Denise — again.  Denise had not violated any state laws.

    Denise L. Harding-Hubbard – still unable, unwilling and uncaring to do her job.

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