Rich Hill
Directed by Andrew Droz Palermo and Tracy Droz Tragos
2014, 91 minutes, Documentary, USA, Sundance
2014 Sundance Film Festival, Winner: Grand Jury Prize
“We’re not trash, we’re good people,” insists 14-year-old Andrew in “Rich Hill,” an open-hearted portrait of impoverished American life named after the tiny Missouri town where directors Tracy Droz Tragos and Andrew Droz Palermo went searching for teens who were both wholly individual and universally representative of the challenges kids face in such communities. The co-helmers settled on three subjects, embracing young Andrew’s words as a sort of mantra, determined to penetrate the stereotype and reveal the lively personalities struggling beneath.
After the film, there will be a post-screening discussion featuring Paul Dragon, Chief Administrator for the State Office of Economic Opportunity; Dana Lawrence, MSW Policy and Practice Specialist for DCF Family Services; and Jane Helmstetter, Field Director for the Agency of Human Services.
More about our guest speakers:
Paul Dragon is the Chief Administrator for the State Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO). Prior to this, Paul was the Director of Vermont’s Reach Up or Welfare to Work program where he focused on an integrated teaming approach to help families move off of Reach Up and out of poverty. He worked with the Department of Mental Health and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program as the Integrated Services Chief in an effort to develop co-occurring mental health and substance abuse policy and practice throughout Vermont. Paul was the Director of Vermont’s Health Care for the Homeless Program and is a former Peace Corps volunteer having served in Mali, West Africa.
Dana H. Lawrence, MSW Policy and Practice Specialist for DCF Family Services directs the department’s community based services for adolescents. Dana began his career doing tutoring and outreach with delinquent street youth. He has worked for DCF Family Services for the last 40 years in many capacities. For the last twenty he has worked on program development contract and grant oversight with an emphasis on adolescent community based services.
Jane Helmstetter has been the Field Director for the Agency of Human Services in the Burlington District for 10 years. She holds an MS in Human Development and Family studies, a BA in Sociology and has worked in this field for more than 35 years. Her work passion includes developing community partnerships, with a focus on prevention, peer support and client centered services. She is the mother of four amazing daughters and six incredible grandchildren.