1. family and parenting
2. children

200 Highland Drive Medina, Ohio 44256
Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 4
October—December 2013
www.MedinaCountyChildrensCenter.org
Healing Families, Changing Lives
Annual Campaign
Did you know that as many as 400,000 babies born in the U.S. this year will be sexually
abused before their 18th birthday? Imagine being one of those abused children and not
having a safe place to tell your story or receive the medical attention you need.
The Children’s Center helps children of all ages and their families recover from the devastation of child sexual abuse and neglect by providing forensically-sound interviews, medical
examinations, crisis intervention, follow up services and referrals for long-term counseling.
All of these services are provided to the child and the non-offending family members at no
cost because of the Center’s generous donors.
Please consider joining The Children’s Center of Medina County’s Protectors’
Circle. Your gift will directly impact local children and families who depend on
caring adults for help.
Last years donations allowed the Children’s Center to help 111 abused and/or neglected
children in Medina County to begin healing from abuse. Without your support, this would not
have been possible.
If you have any questions or would like to talk about other ways you can join us in protecting
our children, please feel free to contact Rhonda Wurgler, Executive Director, at
330-764-8891 ext.214 or at [email protected]
The children are our future — Together we can make a difference!
These friendly snowmen are
a great way to help lighten
the mood while keeping your
property protected.
Snowmen Driveway Markers
are still available to purchase
with all proceeds benefitting The Children’s
Center.
Please contact 330-764-8891 ext 214 with
inquires.
Thank You Community Members
We really want to thank the Medina County Community for all the support during 2013. Thanks to you, we
were able to help 1446 children.
We Fulfilled our mission of nurturing abused and neglected children in the following ways:
58 Children came to the Center to disclose that they were being abused. They were interviewed by a sensitive
trained professional in a non-threatening & child-friendly environment.
38 Foster Children came to the Center to visit with their parents
624 Children throughout Medina County received Christmas presents through our Adopt a Family program.
726 Children participated in activities through our Community Outreach events.
Job Opening
We are looking for a part time bookkeeper for the Children's Center. The paid position would be for 10 hours a
week. The person needs to have experience with Quickbooks and Microsoft Programming. Anyone interested
contact Rhonda Wurgler directly via email at [email protected]
Inside This Issue
Making a Difference
2
Gift Gard Giveaway
3
In the Community
3
2013 Corporate
Sponsors
4
Protector’s Circle
4
Adopt-a-Family
Sponsors/Volunteers
5
Contact Information
6
Our Mission is to nurture abused and neglected children through collaboration, advocacy, treatment, and prevention.
Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 4
October—December 2013
Page 2
Making a Difference
Adopt a Family ~ Through the generosity of various community sponsors,
The Children's Center has been able to provide children with much deserved
Christmas gifts. These are children who may have been abused, in foster
care, or from families that fell on hard times and needed assistance from Job
and Family Services (JSF.)
This year we provided 624 children (311 total Medina County families) with
Christmas gifts. Along with the 140 sponsors that donated money & gifts,
students from two local schools also participated in the Adopt a Family program and helped give these children a wonderful holiday.
The Center recently received a surprise from a local girl
wanting to help Foster Care children and make a difference. With her own money, she provided the Center with
boxes of crayons, pens, notebooks and two MP3 players.
Along with her donations, she included a heart felt letter
that we’d like to share with others.
Receiving this letter is proof that anyone can make a
difference.
Thank You Kyrsten!
The LINK Crew at Brunswick High School organized
a collection of food and clothing goods and also
went Shopping for the wish list items from the 24
families they “adopted” this year. A cheery atmosphere was created by the students and faculty
with sweet treats, holiday music and Santa Claus.
It’s an exciting event to witness with the generosity of our youth being part of the community and
giving back. The students, faculty and Brunswick
Hailey Terepka with Santa can be proud.
The Blue Devils weren’t the only students making a difference in Medina
County this holiday season. In order to purchase gifts for a family with four
children, Buckeye Junior High Student Council raised money in a very creative way. Several teachers volunteered to take a pie in the face as well as
have relay races with students. Students could purchase voting tickets
from November 18 -25 and raised almost $900 to shop with and give their
adopted family a Christmas that the children could remember.
The Children’s Center also partnered with the Lodi Family Center again this
year, allowing 29 families in southern Medina County to participate in the
Adopt a Family program without having to travel far in order to pick up their
gifts. Lodi Family Center hosted a festive holiday party for children and families, making the holidays enjoyable for many.
The women of the St Francis Bible Study group used
their creative touch to help turn the Center into a festive place for the holidays. Liberty Wright, Sue Chesney,
Rebecca Schmeller, Annie Brunkholtz, Lisa Boucher,
Summer Kish, Mickie Getz and Marian Fletcher, along
with her son Sam, visited the Center in December to
decorate the facility and set up a Candy Cane themed
Christmas tree . We truly appreciate these ladies and
welcome them any time.
Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 4
October—December 2013
Page 3
In The Community
Congratulations to Gift Card Giveaway Winners
The drawing for our 4th Annual Gift Card Giveaway (formally Grocery Giveaway) was
held on November 24th, 2013. Four lucky winners were picked for a chance at $2,500
worth of gift cards. 1st place winner, Todd Massaro received a $1,000.00 gift card, 2nd
place of $750.00 went to Donna Claus, 3rd place of $500.00 went to Dale Wurgler, and
4th place winner, Bonnie Babcock won $250.00.
Such a Small Package For So Much Work
We are hoping to become an Accredited Member with
National Children's Alliance in 2014. By being accredited, we are able to show on a national level how we
continue to use best practices to help children recover
from child sexual abuse.
Todd Massaro and Donna Claus graciously donated a portion of their winnings back to
The Children’s Center which will help us tremendously.
This event was successful thanks to this
year’s sponsor, Bill Doraty and also Buehler’s
for allowing us to sell tickets at their River
Styx location.
Board President Louise Brown pulling the
1st price winning ticket
October was an exciting month for us as we completed
and mailed our Application for Accreditation.
In The Spot Light
Congratulations to the winners and a BIG thank you to every one who bought raffle
tickets. You have made a huge difference in the lives of many.
A Celebration of Fine Crafts
Many started their holiday celebrations with Christmas in the Colonies’ 33rd annual
Christmas Around the World. The event was held during the last weekend in November
at the Medina County Fairgrounds in the Community Center. Along with over 70 other
exhibitors, The Children’s Center was on hand selling the adorable handmade snowmen
driveway markers. It was much more than a place to start your Christmas shopping.
There was entertainment, food, crafts, demonstrations, door prizes and of course Santa
Claus.
Giving Back
Through donations and grants, The Children’s Center of Medina County
has been able to continue helping children and their families heal from
the effects of child abuse. To show our appreciation to the Medina
County Women’s Endowment Fund for previously awarded grants to us,
we donated a silent auction item for heir annual Festival of Trees event.
The Christmas tree was decorated with a playful theme matching our
blue and green colors and included handmade prevention pinwheels.
The mission of the Medina County Women’s Endowment
Fund is to fund organizations and programs in Medina County that support
women and children, to serve as a catalyst for needed projects, and to assist
women in their growth as philanthropists.
Mary Jane Brewer, a local reporter with the Sun News
visited the Children’s Center in late November. Her
focus was writing about improving the lives of children
and helping them around the holidays. She wrote about
what the Center does and how the community can help
those in need. This prompted a reporter from
NewsNet5 in Cleveland to run a story as well.
Rhonda Wurgler, Executive Director and Louise Brown,
Board President, were interviewed, and spoke of the
impact the Center has on children . Rhonda stated that
she has a huge passion for these kids and enjoys taking
a hands on approach in helping children and their families recover.
Public awareness is an important part of continuing to
help children in Medina County. With these news stories, we were able to increase the number of children
we helped in our Adopt a Family program as well as
improve the future of The Children’s Center.
To view the articles, click on the icons below.
Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 4
October—December 2013
Page 4
2013 Corporate Sponsors, Thank You!
Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston, Ltd.
THERAPEUTIC ASSOCIATES OF MEDINA
www.therapyonliberty.com
315 West Liberty Ave.
Medina, OH 44256
Tunes for All Times
Ryan Stuff
D.J. / Master of Ceremonies
330-441-1657
[email protected]
YOU R C O NT I NU ED SU P P O RT T R U LY H EL P S C H IL D R E N I N NE ED
4th quarter 2013 Protector’s Circle members by level:
In Memory: Ann Keith, Tara & Bill Boettcher
Champions ($2000 and Greater):
Advocates ($1,000-$1,999): Slate Rock Safety, LLC, 620 Corporation, Therapeutic associates of Medina,
Employees of Gerspacher Realty, Richard & Lisa Thomas
Defenders ($500-$999): Westfield Insurance, RPM International Inc., Linda & Craig Riley, FOE #3505 Ladies Auxiliary, Bradley & Valerie Swartz, Erin
& Larry Mino, Jen & John Graham, Michael & Karen Carlson
Guardians ($250-$499): Warner Communications, Ltd., Medina Plant Sealy, Inc., United Church of Christ, Sarah Toops, Ann Gernert, Amy Flanagan,
William & Sherry Oehlenschlager, Bruce & Jackie Davey
Angels ($100-$249): Clagett Middle School Student Council, Rick & Becky Smith, Michael Kovack, Michael Goyette, Medina Family Chiropractic,
Heather & Scott Roberts, Cathy & Mason Posner, Hub & Mary Marg Marquis, Jerry & Trudy Rasmussen, James & Janeen Lapp, David & Karen Horton,
Terry & Marita Tulisiak, Kathy Mohr
Friends ($50-$99): RP Prp, LLC, Jennifer Webb, William & Amy Myers, David & Theresa Muchewicz, Roger & Linda Smalley, Will & Kathy Koran,
Carole Kowell, Ralph Berry, Claudia Horton
Other: Walmart, York United Methodist Church Kay Jewelers—Medina, Retired Garfield Elementary Staff, Sarah Jane Ingraham, Gerald Wodzisy,
Kyrsten Kee, John & Beth Lawton, Donna & David Irwin, Mary Jane McGinnis, Eileen Trabert, St. Francis Xavier School, William & Donna Claus,
PJs from Grandma, Medina County Women's Journal, Marilyn Macomber, Kathy Mowery, Marilyn Sigel, Paula Foutz, James & Karen Lary,
Nancy Markovich, Leah Comes, Russell & Angela Huston, Kaci Church, Debbie Cooper, Sheila Noel, Ed Shuttera
Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 4
October—December 2013
Page 5
Thank You 2013 Adopt-a-Family Sponsors and Volunteers
Volunteers: Trudy & Jerry Rasmussen, Debbie & Isabelle Cooper, Sheila Noel, Ed Shuttera, Linda Riley
Sponsors:
Academy of Young Minds
Adult Probation Dept.
Chris Boger and coworkers at Auto Nation
Book Club
Boy Scout Pack 3504
Brownie Troop 90465
Brunswick High School
Buckeye Jr. High
Bunco Group
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Church of Stony Hill
Cleveland Clinic Children's M40 Staff
Connection Church
Do It Best
Elves of Medina
Emmanuel United Church of Christ
Epsilon Sigma Alpha Delta Gamma
Fox Meadows Country Club
Ganley Auto Group
Girl Scout Troop 90465
Girl Scout Troop 90613
Girl Scout Troop 91151
Girls Scout Alumni - Silver Scouts
Girl Scout Troop, Leader Deb Spangler
Goddard School
Hinckley Outreach
Holy Trinity Church
Jacobson Mfg., LLC
Job & Family Services-Medina County
Junior Cosmetology Students at MCCC
Kay Jewelers, Brenda Scott
Kids Country
Learning Garden-Medina
Learning Garden-Seville
Litchfield United Church of Christ
Magnificuts Hair Salon
Margaret Bottome Circle of King's Daughters and Sons
Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities Bus Garage
Medina County Auditor
Medina County Auto Title
Medina County Board of Realtors
Medina County Child Support Enforcement Agency
Medina County Juvenile Probate Court – Judge Kevin Dunn
Medina County Schools
ESC & Transport
Medina County Women's Club
Medina Early Childhood PTA
Medina Health Information Management Department
MOMS Club of Medina East
MOMS Club of Medina West
Old Navy
Our Lady of Grace - Women of Hope
PNC's Akron Wealth Management Division
Pride One
Prudential Kovach Realtors Medina/Wadsworth
MEDINA COUNTY Recorder’s Office
Seville Methodist 2x2 group
Sharon Flying Horse and Pony Club
Sister Circle
Slate Rock Safety, LLC
St Ambrose Pack 3513
Warwick Communications
Westfield Insurance
Weymouth Country Club
Willowood Care Center
WWC
Sandy Baker
Bill Beatty
Chad & Kerry Birth
Michaela Boers
Rebecca Bratt
Kim Brightbill and family
Steve & Cathy Brown
Renee Brow
Lynn Canzone
Kelly Cash
Melissa Centineo
Cooper Family
Kali Cooper
Megan Cooper
Gina DeMarco
Caitlin Disbrow
Stephanie & Keith Feador
Mike Feigl
Lora Flama
Amy Flanagan
Dr. Fred Fri
Mark Gehri
Ann Gernert
Machelle Giordon
Tami Glover
Zach Graham
Maria Griffith
Jodi Gwirtz
Karen Hamilton
Tina Hayburn
Jen Hinman-Page
Amanda Hogue
Holly Holsinger
Nikki Hummer
Jodi Jones
Casey Jones
Lois Joseph
Kristen & Tim Kartisek
Jen & Rich Kirkpatrick
Hilary Kulesza
Tiffany Leckrone
Laura Lee
Shirley MacFarland
Jamey McClanahan
Heidi Merz
Kelly Myers
Emily Myers
Jean Nagy
Sally Neikirk
Lynn Newenhiser
Catherine Niedetzki
Sheila Noel & Mark Pylypiak
Debbie Oda
Allison Oswald
Colleen Paulson
Cathy Posner
Jack & Jane Powers
Julie Ramser
Emily Rapp Eddy
Trudy & Jerry Rasmussen
Jackie Reichenbach
Heather Roberts
Jane Rych
Savannah Schebek
Pam Smith
Karen Steiner
Debbie Stone
Traci Swantek
Brad Swartz
Sweeney Family
Sarah Toman
Anita Tracey
Kathy and Jim Tucciarone
Sarah Whitaker
Mike and Megan Wilbur
Wilson Family
Karolyn Zavenl
Quarterly Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 4
October—December 2013
Page 6
Our Mission is to nurture abused and neglected children through collaboration, advocacy, treatment, and prevention.
Our goals are: to provide consistent and compassionate care; to reduce the number of needed interviews; to ensure the childs
entire physical health with a timely medical evaluation; to promote healing; to increase the prosecution of those who sexually abuse
children; to provide a family friendly place; to increase public awareness; and to provide prevention strategies and programming to
prevent child abuse.
We are a 501 ( C ) (3 )Non-Profit Charitable Organization.
We are an Associate Level Member of the National Children’s Alliance.
We are a member of the Ohio Network of Child Advocacy Centers.
We are a member of Medina County Family First Council.
Board of Directors
Medina County
Family First Council
Louise Brown, President
Kathryn Warner, Vice President
Toula Barlow, Secretary
Mike Warner, Treasurer
Healing Families, Changing Lives
The Children’s Center of Medina County
200 Highland Drive
Medina, Ohio 44256
Phone: 330-764-8891 Fax: 330-764-8893
www.medinacountychildrenscenter.org
We are in NEED of support!
Currently we are looking for COMMITTEE MEMBERS for the following fundraisers:
Children’s Cup and Blue Jeans to Work.
MONETARY donations are needed to keep our doors open and to provide services.
A wish list is available at our website www.MedinaCountyChildrensCenter.org or for more
information please call 330-764-8891 ext. 214.
T H A N K Y OU M ED IN A C O U N T Y
Y O U R C O N TI NU ED S U P P O R T T R U L Y H E LP S C HI LD R E N IN N EED !
We have PayPal on our website to
make donating easy!
FA C E B O OK. C OM / TH E C HIL DR E N S C E N T ER O F M EDI N A C O U N T Y
Beth Beal
Jennifer Graham
Sarah Toops Robin Massaro
Kim Wilson
Sarah Toman
John Ross
Carol Clark
Brian Cullen Michael Kovack
Heather Roberts
Executive Director
Rhonda Wurgler, MPA
Case Manager
Kim Brightbill
Nurses
Karen Fitzgerald, MSN, BNP-BC
Robyn Silves, LPN
Mental Health
Barbara Michelson, Ph.D.
Volunteers
Debbie Cooper, Bookkeeper
Trudy Rasmussen, Adopt-a-Family
Linda Riley, Administrative
Sheila Noel, Communications
Jen Mussen, Beautification