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525 N. State Street � Suite 4 � Alma, MI 48801 � (989) 463-1422
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| August 2010 | Vol 1, Issue 1 |
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Child Advocacy
The Link for Family Resource and Referrals |
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| Greetings! | | Starting in August we will be sending out a monthly newsletter to keep you up-to-date on new resources as well as the upcoming events and classes we will be offering. We are excited to keep you informed of all our happenings including; parenting classes, upcoming events, child abuse and neglect prevention programs, trainings, fundraisers and more!! |
| About Us! |  Child Advocacy is a non-profit agency that began in 1976 after Gratiot County Citizens recognized a need for a community organization dedicated to working to support children and their families. Today Child Advocacy serves Gratiot, Isabella, and Clare Counties. Our Mission is to improve the welfare of children and their families through education and training of child care providers and to provide support and education for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Our Staff includes - Ronda Sorensen - Parent Educator Pam Mahin - Training Coordinator and Office Manager Audra Stahl - Executive Director Thanks to the United Way, Children's Trust Fund of Michigan, Strong Families Safe Children, Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition, Great Start and ECIC of Michigan, as well as private donations Child Advocacy is able to provide awareness and prevention services to our communities. |
| Make Your Baby the Happiest Baby on the Block - August 21, 2010 |
 Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block class, book and DVD have been featured on Dr. Phil and Good Morning America and have gained praise from many celebrity parents including Madonna, Michelle Pfeiffer and Pierce Brosnan as well as America's top parenting experts.
The class includes information on the missing 4th trimester, how to use the calming reflex, the 5 S's and the cuddle cure. The easy to follow techniques will help lengthen the sleep cycle and easily calm babies in order to help parents and childcare providers deal with the first few months of a child's life when caring for a colicky or very demanding infant.
Find out how to soothe your baby in minutes or less with our Happiest Baby class by calling our office at (989)463-1422 or replying to this email to sign up. The class cost is $20 and includes your choice of The Happiest Baby on the Block VHS or DVD and Soothing Sounds CD. Class cost may be waived if income eligible. The next class will be held Saturday, August 21st from 10:00am-12:00pm at the Wilcox Non-Profit Center in Alma.
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| We Moved! | |
We've moved into a new building! We're now located at the Wilcox Non-Profit Center which is also home to Red Cross, United Way, EightCap, Mid Michigan Literacy, Habitat for Humanity, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Gratiot County Collaborative. Feel free to come in and check out the new building or pick up some great brochures that cover a variety of helpful parenting tips as well as our upcoming classes and events. |
| Check out our Resource Library |
 Located in room 224 on the second floor of the Wilcox Non-Profit Center in Alma is our library and conference room which includes many helpful parenting books, manuals and videos. Resources include great tips on potty training, positive discipline, creativity, how to choose the right child care for your child, nutrition, safety, fathering, guidance through your child's teen years and more! |
Parent Power! Save the Date!
| | Free Program for all Parents in Gratiot County!!
 Do you want to learn how to be a Superhero for your children? Wendy Shepherd has been sharing insightful tips on how to realistically face life's daily challenges with parents for 20 years. This humorous and hands-on workshop will engage parents in recognizing and developing their advocacy skills to learn how to use their SuperParent powers to speak up for their children as well as learn how to deal with children's "I WANT!" demands, how to balance work and parenting, survival tips for single parents, the changing role as a middle school parent and more! Wendy's witty approach to parenting and upbeat style of presentation is something you won't want to miss, so come as you are and feel free to bring friends and family because every child needs a Superhero!
Join in on this exciting workshop at Alma Middle School on October 26, 2010 at 7:00 PM.
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| Our New Intern and Volunteer | Hi everyone, my name is Ashley and I'm the new advertising intern at Child Advocacy. I'm going to be a junior at Michigan State University in the fall but I'm originally from Ithaca. This is my first internship so I'm really excited to start using all of the information I've been learning in my classes to help get the word out about all of the great events and resources that Child Advocacy offers to the community!
My name is Melissa Armstrong, and I'm volunteering in the Child Advocacy office this summer. I grew up in Alma, and atteded Alma High School. Currently I am a senior at Calvin College, pursuing a double major in Psychology and English. I plan to pursue a degree in clinical Psychology after I graduate from Calvin. |
| Car Seat Safety |
 Did you know that at Child Advocacy we can install and provide a safety inspection for your child safety seat? Child Advocacy has a nationally certified safety seat technician available, call 989-463-1422 or 800-552-4489 to make an appointment. |
| Great Start to Quality Orientation Training | | DHS Relative Providers and Day Care Aides the deadline for completing the Great Start to Quality Orientation Training is fast approaching. Call Child Advocacy at 989-463-1422 or go to www.greatstartconnect.org to register today!
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Thank you for taking the time to read our August newsletter. We look forward to sharing with you each month. A special thank you to Ashley, our summer intern, for creating our new newsletter.
Please feel free to stop by and visit us at the Wilcox Non-Profit Center or visit us on the web at www.linkforfamilies.org.
Sincerely,
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Audra Stahl
Executive Director
Child Advocacy
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