Substance Abuse Council

Amt Given in 2007: $4,100

Funding purchased a brochure, “Children at Risk: Meth Labs in Our Communities,” specific to children affected by meth use. They made multiple copies of other awareness materials provided at workshops and trainings. They developed a magnet handout (instead of the proposed postcard) including a local contact number for ease of reporting suspicious or observed behavior. To increase the availability of information, packets will be composed and left with libraries, schools, medical/dental offices, and other relevant community outreach locations.  

In recruiting residents from locales targeted, we were able to honor their time (at least at the initial meeting) by purchasing a modest meal over which we set plans in motion. Simple refreshments will be provided at the remaining events. Workshop plans are in process for:                         

Homer  - March 11^th,  Marshall - April 24^th,  Tekonsha - date to be determined (in April).

The grant contributed toward employee compensation (travel, salary) to collaborate with systems and local communities.  

The awareness of methamphetamine issues and incidence was raised, as documented in evaluations completed and in increased alerts to area law enforcement. Resource materials were put in the hands of community residents and key leaders to continue awareness and local prevention planning and response. 

Community residents developed and implemented workshop plans and will remain key contacts for SAC in other follow up drug prevention outreach activity.  

There exists, not insurmountable but nevertheless, challenges in mobilizing communities around drug issues and in determining best times to host workshops. 

Thus far, they have impacted planners of the workshops, representative of the locales targeted (12).  Thirty participants were involved at the Athens workshop (Sept. 2007) and 40 professionals attended a Calhoun Intermediate School District training they coordinated (Feb. 2008). SAC  anticipates reaching the goal of 250 through the remaining 3 workshops and additional professional training (being organized with Dept. of Human Service employees). 

The Haven of Rest

Amount Given: $2,000

Of the $2000.00 awarded, $1,248.62 was spent to acquire materials for parenting classes. These materials included folders, books, instructional video tape set, DVD’s, paper and pencils. The additional $751.38 paid for a facilitator for 43 classes. 

Inasmuch House has seen a significant reduction in Child Protective Services cases. Parents are applying the information they have gained through parenting classes toward a nutritious diet, alternative methods in disciplining, setting structure in the family unit and as a result self-esteem is rising in children as well as parents. Additionally Inasmuch has seen a reduction in chronic cyclical homelessness as in 2006 63 individuals who stayed at Inasmuch were repeat visitors and in 2007 there were only 26 individuals who were repeat visitors.  

Inasmuch House is a 30 day temporary shelter for women, children and families. Last year alone Inasmuch served 756 individuals of whom 289 were parents and 332 were children. There is a continual need for materials and supplies and it extremely hard to keep up with the demand due to limited funding at Inasmuch House.  

Inasmuch House encounters a population of individuals who are homeless and face economical challenges which bring stress to the “every day” life and are unaware that parenting is one of those challenges. Inasmuch has been able to bring awareness to parents through materials that were purchased with the funding from the Calhoun Child Abuse/Neglect Prevention Council grant monies. These materials gave Inasmuch an innovative approach to educating the parents on nutrition, alternative methods in disciplining, setting structure in the family unit and have resulted in a noticeable rise in self-esteem.  

Through this project 332 children, 268 mothers and 21 fathers were served; totaling 621 individuals. 

Battle Creek Counseling Associates

Amount Given: $1,560 

This grant for $1,560 allowed us to cover the expense of having a place for the monthly support group meetings and to compensate the facilitators for the time spent at the meetings as well as the preparation involved for each session. There were also incidental costs such as producing multiple handouts for each session and having supplemental materials (such as poster board and easel) for use in presentations. 

The support group meets the second Monday of each month from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. at Battle Creek Counseling Associates at 211 Capital Avenue N.E., Battle Creek. During the year 2007 the total attendance for the meetings was 70, with 32 persons being served (one third of those attending more than one session). The attendance fluctuated from a few up to eleven persons at any meeting, partly due to weather.  

The foster and adoptive parents benefited by sharing their unique experiences as well as drawing support and advice from each other. In addition, each session included a training component in order to provide foster and adoptive families with the understanding and skills necessary to parent special needs children. The topics presented in 2007 included the impact of neglect and abuse on children’s behavior, parents’ expectations for these children, recommended parenting techniques and the challenge of healing traumatized children.  

The successes in such an endeavor are not easily measured; however there has been a good deal of favorable feedback to the local child placing agencies. Most attendees have been referred by Calhoun County Department of Human Services or City Linc Ministries. Many of them are newly licensed foster parents who are just beginning to receive children into their home. It has been extremely beneficial for them to gain a clearer understanding of how much trauma these children have experienced in so many different ways (not only due to neglect and abuse but also separation and loss). Their expectations can be unrealistic and place further strain on the transition of children into their homes. One of the major goals of the training is to forestall the use of inappropriate discipline and thus protect the emotional as well as physical welfare of children in care. It is also hoped that learning how to cope with these children’s behavior will prevent disrupted placements.

Certainly many of the foster and adoptive parents have gained much needed insight into the dynamics of child development and how it is affected by mistreatment. Even the more experienced parents have indicated that they are always learning something new from the sessions. There are also foster and adoptive parents who need to gain a better understanding of why children act the way they do and how best to approach them. Hopefully they can accomplish this by attending further support group meetings. 

Sexual Assault Services

Amount Given: $4,000 

In 2007, $4,000 was awarded to Sexual Assault Services of Calhoun County by the CAN Council for decorating and furnishing the child interview rooms at the new Battle Creek Child Advocacy Center.

On January 17, 2008, SAS held the community Open House to celebrate the opening of this wonderful new site. The $4,000 CAN Council grant was used to purchase the furnishings and decorative items for the two child interview rooms, the children’s area of the family waiting room, and the children’s Play Therapy Room. We were able to purchase the items needed to provide services and fully utilize our child-friendly spaces for abused children at the CAC. 

We report to you great success in being able to realize a long-held goal of opening a CAC site in Battle Creek to better serve client families and our community partners. Your generous grant, along with the generosity of Battle Creek Health System and many individuals and organizations who support SAS and the CAC, has made it possible for this tremendous goal to be reached. We do not have any setbacks to report for this grant. 

We expect that about 130 children and their family members will be served in 2008 at the new CAC in Battle Creek. Over time, this site will serve to begin the process of healing for many abused children, and assist with holding offenders of child abuse accountable. 

S.A.F.E. Place

Amt. given: $1,000 

S.A.F.E. Place offers a range of social intervention and advocacy services designed to help victims of domestic violence break the cycle of violence.  We stress early intervention, strengthening families, and providing a continuum of care through community resources and referrals. 

Last year S.A.F.E. Place served 229 children (141 received our residential services and 88 children participated in non-residential programs).  Forty nine percent of domestic violence victims who became homeless and needed residential services were children.  Children of domestic violence crime victims receive one-on-one therapy and participate in age-appropriate support groups.  Children also take part in structured play activities, fun field trips and special events, and educational activities.  Additionally, we provide parents with individual and group counseling sessions. 

Through the dollars awarded by the child abuse prevention council, S.A.F.E. Place was able to take children on field trips in the summer months on a weekly basis.  These field trips included Binder Park Zoo, movies, Peter Piper Pizza, Nottke’s Bowling, CIR for art projects, Kids N Stuff, Riverview Recreation, Leila Arboretum, Krystalfalls Golfland, and Full Blast.  The dollars awarded paid for entrance tickets, transportation and lunch.

A home in which physical, sexual or emotional abuse occurs is frightening, unhealthy, and can be devastating to a child.  Often times children in these homes cannot truly be children.  These children may try to protect their parents or younger siblings.  They may worry about being an additional problem or burden to their family and fear for their own safety and security.

Of children who witness their mothers being abused by their fathers:

• 40% suffer anxiety

• 48% suffer depression

• 53% act out with parents

• 60% act out with siblings

• 63% of young men ages 11 through 20 who are serving prison time for homicide, have killed their mother’s abuser. 

It is critical that children are able to be children and to understand that the abuse is not their fault.  It is a joy to see children smile and play, sometimes for the first time in years.  They know their mother is safe and they are able to play and enjoy themselves.

Foster Adoptive & Family Resource Center

Amt. Given: $2,000

Because of the mini-grant, Take-A-Break Child Care Center was able to provide the Department of Human Services, Children Services Staff, 100 vouchers that was good for up to four hours of free respite care per one child.  These vouchers were to enable Children Protective Services, Foster Care Specialists, Adoption and Licensing Specialists to provide these vouchers to their clientele who were experiencing difficulties and needed preventive or emergency child care for the child (ren) to prevent removal, neglect or abuse.  We provided vouchers for workers to sign and give to their clientele with a number on each voucher to avoid duplication.  A Memo was written on June 7, 2007 to DHS Staff and several staff meetings were attended to remind the workers of these vouchers. 

As of today’s date, only 10 vouchers of the 100 have been used by DHS customers or 40 hours of childcare out of 400 hours of childcare available under the grant.  The ten vouchers represent three families and four children as to date.  In talking with DHS personnel, they all feel this is a valuable resource but have been under-utilized by staff. Some were new workers who were not aware of the vouchers and some did not seem to know where the vouchers were located within DHS.  This has been clarified by an e-mail to all Children Services staff by the DHS Program Administrator in January, 2008.   Reminders continue to go to workers from DHS Administrators.  In January, our agency requested permission to utilize some of the respite hours as we frequently receive requests from the community who are not active with Children Services, DHS.  and we were granted approval as of February 12, 2008. With this approval, we will send our final report when the vouchers are all utilized. 

Starr Commonwealth

Amount Given $2,000

Constance Porter, LSW

Calhoun Intermediate School District

Amount Given: $200

Constance Porter
Regarding: Grant for Verona Elementary
Date: February 25, 2008

I worked with students at Verona Elementary school on “Anger Management” during their lunch hour. We are using Ron Potter-Effron’s books: Letting Go of Anger: The Ten Most Common Anger Styles and What to Do About Them and Angry All the Time. The children are learning to use the “I messages” and how to express in a positive way what we want instead of using their fist or unkind words. They have made stress balls and they use them when they become angry, frustrated or stressed. I also worked with the children on how to deal with bullies. They have learned eight (8) techniques that they could use if someone is bullying them. I further plan to work with them on using Conflict Resolution and building their Self-Esteem.
 

In addition I am also working with a third grade classroom and a fifth grade classroom at Post Elementary School on the same materials that I am working with the Verona Elementary children.
I am using the following videos:

· What to do about Anger
· Handling Your Anger
· It’s Not Fair

I also give the students treats after each classroom lesson or after each lesson during their lunch time.  I have purchased the Anger Bingo Game and the following Playwell’s send home game:

· Dr. Playwell‘s Think Positive Game
· Dr. Playwell’s Don’t Stress Game
· Dr. Playwell’s Best Behavior Game
 

Each of the Playwell’s games has a CD containing a miniature version of the game board and the cards. The therapist can print the game on the CD so that the students can play with the game in the classroom with another student and adult (s) and/or played at home with their parent(s).