The Children’s Place Spring Newsletter 2014 www.alaskachildrensplace.com NEWS FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNER SEAN PARNELL Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month Effective Date: Friday, February 14th, 2014 WHEREAS, every child is entitled to love, care, security, and protection from abuse, exploitation, and neglect. As Alaskans, we will protect our children’s inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and WHEREAS, child abuse is one of our society’s most serious public health problems, affecting millions of children nationwide and thousands here at home. Sadly, over 90 percent of child abuse is perpetrated by people that the children know, love, and trust; and WHEREAS, the devastating impacts of emotional, physical, sexual, and verbal child abuse go beyond the immediate trauma, often lasting well into adulthood. Studies have shown that victims of childhood abuse are at high-risk for chronic mental and physical health issues such as depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, obesity, heart disease, and more. They are also more likely to act violently in dating relationships and to develop poor emotion-coping mechanisms; and WHEREAS, the trauma of living in a violent home can be just as harmful to a child as being physically or sexually abused. For example, research suggests that continually experiencing feelings of fear and insecurity will alter the normal development of a child’s brain, leading to anxiety, difficulties in focusing, and aggressive behaviors; and WHEREAS, social acceptance of myths about family violence and child abuse silences victims and encourages public denial about the true nature of this tragic epidemic. Raising awareness about the enormity of the issue is the first step in changing these harmful social norms; and WHEREAS, further steps to reduce child abuse and neglect may include providing nurturing, safe, and supportive environments; aiding and supporting victims and at-risk families; and holding offenders fully accountable for their actions; and WHEREAS, by working together, we can stem the tide of abuse in our great state, strengthen our families and communities, and ensure that Alaska’s children enjoy brighter futures and grow to their full potential as healthy, productive citizens. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sean Parnell, Governor of the State of Alaska, do hereby proclaim April 2014 as: Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month in Alaska, and call upon all Alaskans to dedicate their energies to preventing child abuse and to support efforts to ensure the safety of every child. Please report any instances of known or suspected child abuse and neglect by immediately calling 911 or your local police department, along with the Office of Children’s Services at 1-800-478-4444. Together, we will continue our efforts to provide safe homes and strong families throughout Alaska. Did You Know? You can help The Children's Place earn donations, just by using your Fred Meyer rewards card. Fred Meyer is donating $2.5 million per year to non-profits, based on where their customers tell them to give. Here’s how the program works: • Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to The Children’s Place at www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. • You can search for us by our name or by our non-profit number (84670). • Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping The Children’s Place earn a donation! • You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today. It's that easy...please share “Snow Ball Cotillion” Local Youth Helping Our Community and Donating to The Children’s Place. Colony High School’s student government organized an all-school Cotillion Dance for juniors and seniors as a fundraiser to benefit a local nonprofit. The Children’s Place was selected as this year’s beneficiary. The theme for the Cotillion Dance was “Snow Ball”. The dance was held from 8 to 11 p.m., Jan. 31 at the Palmer Train Depot. Admission ticket price was $20.00, which included free fresh baked cookies, cupcakes and brownies. Look for updates in our next news letters on the success of their fundraising efforts. Sparkling Moments January:  Contract with CoDi (Co-Occurring Disorder Institute) was signed. CoDi will now be a referral option for TCP clients who are interested in counseling/therapy.  Erin Rocky and Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson attended the SanDiego Child Maltreatment Conference. February:  Two TCP staff members attended the “267 Informed Trauma Child Welfare Training” in Anchorage. March:  Jalean Mallett has joined The Children’s Place staff, as our part time family advocate. Jalean has 18 years experience in the social work field, including working with OCS and the Attorney General’s Office.  A TCP staff member attended the 30th Annual CAC Symposium in Alabama.  Two TCP Staff attended NCAtrak training in Anchorage. What is NCAtrak? NCAtrak is a computerized, web-based case tracking system developed to help Children’s Advocacy Centers track case specific information in a user-friendly, reliable manner. A Special Thanks to volunteers Mackenzie Seims and Shyanne Massie for folding and stamping our last newsletter. Their help allowed us get the newsletter in the mail in a timely manner and saved The Children's Place time and money! For more information about The Children’s Place, please visit our website at: http://www.alaskachildrensplace.com THE CHILDREN’S PLACE 15TH ANNUAL FUNDRAISER GALA IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. Saturday, April 26, 2014 Evangelo’s Restaurant in Wasilla Our gala includes dinner, entertainment, a fabulous silent auction, and a small live auction (new this year). If you are interested in joining us, Limited Single Seating is still available on a first come first serve basis for a suggested minimum donation of $75 per person. Please contact The Children’s Place directly at 357-5157 If you are unable to attend the Gala, but would like to make a donation, please contact The Children’s Place directly. Thank you for your support! Alaska Moves - Change lives with every workout! Friends and staff members of The Children’s Place participated in the launch of Alaska Moves, a four week fitness challenge which turned active living choices into donations for five statewide charities. ****The results are IN**** Out of the five participating charities, The Children’s Place logged the most activity hours. Based on the activity hours logged, a donation in the amount of $3,160.00 was awarded to The Children’s Place. We would like to thank EveryMove for powering the website along with Premera Blue Cross and their affiliates for sponsoring this event. In addition, we send our special thanks to our friends and staff who participated in this campaign. *************************************************************** MUD FACTOR Seriously Fun, 5K Obstacle Run! The Children’s Place has created a team for Mud Factor Seriously Fun, 5K Obstacle Run. Our team will be gathering sponsors so we can use this event as a fundraiser for TCP. If you would like to be a sponsor for The Children’s Place team please contact us at 357-5157 to make your pledge. If you would like to join our team, see the web link below for registration. Our team’s name is When Pigs Fly- Heroes for Kids, and our password is Children (these are details you will need when you go to the website to register). We are entered in the 11:30 wave and limited spaces are still available (http://www.mudfactor.com/event-alaska-2014). Or you can just come and “root” for our team and watch the fun on the 8th of June at Kincaid Park, 9401 Raspberry Rd in Anchorage. Events start at 10:00 A.M. , with waves of teams running every 30 minutes. It will be a snortin’ good time for all! The Children’s Place Board of Directors Roger Beck, DDS —Chair Michelle Steward—Vice Chair Paul Dombroski—Treasurer Anna Clark—Secretary Kibe Lucas– Director Dallas Massie—Director Paula Jones— Executive Director *non voting member Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, MD—Medical Director *non voting member Our Board has vacancies! If you have ever considered serving on the Board of Directors for The Children’s Place, now is the time! Please contact us at 357-5157. The Children’s Place P.O. Box 871788 Wasilla, AK 99687 www.alaskachildrensplace.com 907-357-5157 Postage Stamp «First Name» «Last Name» «Address» «City», «ST1» «Zip» Upcoming Event The Alaska Children’s Alliance Presents TRANSCENDING ADVERSITY: 2014 ALASKA CHILD MALTREATMENT CONFERENCE Conference Dates November 17-19, 2014 Post Conference Dates November 20-21, 2014 Anchorage Hilton Hotel The Children’s Place is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your tax-deductible donations are accepted and greatly appreciated all year. Donations are accepted in the form of cash, checks, money orders, cashier’s checks, Visa and Master Card. We are funded by: State of Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Alaska Children’s Alliance Mat-Su Borough Human Services Community Matching Grant United Way of Mat-Su Alaska Children’s Alliance and contributions from many corporate and individual donors. Join us on Facebook “The Children’s Place Alaska” www.facebook.com/AKCAC If you would like to receive the newsletter via e-mail or would like to be removed from our mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected] or call us at 357-5157.