School Survival Kit

• The penny is to remind you that you are valuable
• The star is to remind you to always try your best
• The eraser is to remind you that it's okay to make mistakes
• The life saver is to let you know that you can always talk to me
• The tissue is for drying your tears and those of others
• The band-aid is to let you know that together we can make things better
• The chocolate hug is to remind you that you are cared for
• The sticker is to remind you that we always stick together

Poem from (www.perpetualpreschool.com)

Helping a Child in Danger

Helping an Abused or Neglected Child
 What do you do if a child comes to you? It’s normal to feel a little overwhelmed and confused in this situation. Child abuse is a difficult subject that can be hard to accept and even harder to talk about. Here are some tips for talking to an abused child.

• Avoid denial and remain calm. A common reaction to news as unpleasant and shocking as child abuse is denial. However, if you display denial to a child, or show shock or disgust at what they are saying, the child may be afraid to continue and will shut down. As hard as it may be, remain as calm and reassuring as you can.

• Don’t interrogate. Let the child explain to you in his or her own words what happened, but don’t interrogate the child or ask leading questions. This may confuse and fluster the child and make it harder for them to continue their story.

• Reassure the child that they did nothing wrong. It takes a lot for a child to come forward about abuse. Reassure him or her that you take what is said seriously, and that it is not the child’s fault.

• Report the abuse by calling the National Child Help Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).


If you suspect a child is being abused, it’s critical to get them the help he or she needs.

An Awesome Volunteer!

Last week, Jeff Fantin received the SRP Presidents’ Volunteer Spirit Award. Employees of SRP build stronger communities though hands-on, personal efforts of giving and this award recognizes the wonderful investment of time and talent Jeff has given the Child Crisis Center over the past 10+ years. He is an incredible asset and has made a dramatic difference in how we do the background work to provide necessary services to our community. Jeff has slowly grown our network as our technology needs continue to grow with every new program and service we provide. He has unwavering dedication and is the consistent support that enables us to maintain quality care to our kids and families. Without Jeff, we could never have afforded to have the technology we use today. We can do so much more with less staff, allowing our dollars to be better used for programs.

Jeff has put in countless hours using his experience, expertise and free time to set up our smooth-running system - and all of it has been as a volunteer. He has brought in other volunteers from SRP to share their expertise and experience when needed.

Not only is Jeff dedicated to being our IT support, but he works as an advocate and fundraiser for us as well. Recently, he organized the first ever Gaming Day fundraiser benefiting the Child Crisis Center and it was a great success! He believes in our mission to help children and prevent child abuse. For that reason, he often works late at night doing the background things that no one sees but that keeps our network functioning so smoothly. We are very proud that he has been selected to receive this award because he is so deserving of recognition for his countless efforts.

Tiny Tots Storybook Makeover

One of our very talented volunteers, Taress Lazenby, gave our lil ones a little something extra to smile about recently.  Using the themes from many well known nursery rhymes or stories, she painted magical scenes around the Tiny Tots Units.  Everyone loved the new artwork! Click Here to see the makeover.

Taress, thank you so much for all of your effort and time spent brightening up the unit! Not only do we love it but the kids absolutely LOVE it!!

Dobson High School DECA Students

I wanted to share with you the story of some very dedicated High School Students.  The DECA students of Dobson High School are some of the most dedicated, responsible, and passionate high school students you will ever meet.  These future CEO’s, under the excellent leadership of Anita Cavender, know what it means to give back to their community.  They are dedicated to volunteer work and service and know the commitment it takes to make a difference.  I had the pleasure of attending their homecoming football game for a check presentation on the field.  The students were dead set on not letting me know how much money this group had made, and now I know why…it was $4,000! This very impressive group of students together, with the rest of the Dobson High School community, raised $4,000 for shelter and the little ones we serve.  I was in utter shock at the dedication of these students.  For homecoming, the students cut strips of paper and sold them for 10¢/strip.  The purchased strips were then linked together and decorated the football field the night of the game.  The chain linked fence is very symbolic of the effect we can have when we work together.  One link cannot reach very far but when we combine our efforts our impact is so much greater. Thank you so much Dobson High School DECA team and every high schooler that raised money for the Child Crisis Center, you have a lasting effect and have truly made a difference. 

-pictures to come!

Fall Break is Awesome!

It’s Fall break and CCC kids have enjoyed many off-site outings and fun new experiences...

• They went to the drive in Tuesday night and watched the movie in the CCC truck bed. "They had a great time."
• Skateland in Mesa offered us as many skate trips this week for our kids – we took them up on 2 days – all at no charge. They always think about us during school breaks and in the summer- "Skateland Rocks!! The kids and staff really enjoy these outings."
• Our volunteer Linda Peterson – Linda spoke to Milano’s music store – and they happened to know someone who was wanting to donate a piano to a worthy agency – and Linda, who has taught piano for many years – offered to give some of our kids on BK unit piano lessons- She comes several times a week and the kids really enjoy their time with her – even some of the toddlers. "Most important they are learning how to play – her love of music and enthusiasm is really rubbing off."
• Linda – brought her culinary skills to the children’s unit – and taught them how to make homemade bread from scratch - "The bread was very delicious!! Linda thanks for all you do for our kids!!"

Click here to see some pics of Fall Break at the CCC!

Say hello to Logan Rayment, who celebrated his first birthday recently and his parents asked that guests bring items to donate to the Child Crisis Center in lieu of gifts.  It was such a pleasure getting to meet Logan with his bright smiling face and it was easy to see how proud his parents were!  Our very good friend and Volunteer Specialists, Cathy Fujino, was among the guests attending Logan's party, and turns out to be Logan's cousin!  It is such a small world and you can't have too many friends in it!   Happy First Birthday Logan!

Sundt Construction's Dedication to Kids

Above are Jimmie Hulstrom and Cathie Gabriel from Sundt Construction along with Pam Godfrey from the Child Crisis Center.  These two lovely ladies and Glenn Bickley came by the shelter a little bit ago for a tour and to give us a check for $2,500! They have an employee nonprofit program to raise money for nonprofits like us.  Thank you so much, Sundt Construction, for your dedication and support!

Our Mahnah Club Supporters...

 

Another Mahnah year has come to an end and we cannot say thank you enough!

The Mahnah Club, our founding representatives, have been so generous to us throughout the years.  This year, they presented us with a check for $25,000 that they raised during their 2009-2010 calendar year.  They raised this through their Mustang Car Raffle and their annual Gala. We are so grateful for all of the hard work and dedication that these ladies do for us every year! Thank you!