CAC Kids

Fall 2010

In this Issue
Therapy Dogs Bring Comfort
Annual Blue Jean Ball
Heart of Christmas Show
Protecting Your Child's Online Reputation
Announcements
Thank You's
Yard Sale & Purse Sale
12 Alternatives to Lashing Out at Your Child
Who We Are & What We Do
Quick Links
 
 
Upcoming Events
Join Our Mailing List
RIPLEY
Ripley
Therapy Dogs Bring Comfort to Children and Families
by Beth Copeland, Contributing Editor  
 
Some volunteers at the Child Advocacy Center have four legs, soft fur, and wagging tails. 

Last month the CAC launched a new program using therapy dogs to meet and greet children and their families when they come to the CAC.  Being with a therapy dog can help calm a child and reduce the child's level of anxiety. 
"It's almost like having a security blanket, but it is a wonderful dog the child can pet," says Jan Rogers, Forensic Interviewer. "Even just looking at the dog helps with overall stress reduction. The heart rate and breathing slows down. You can see the child's neck and shoulder muscles relax." 

Being greeted by a therapy dog is not only beneficial for the child, but also helpful for the entire family. "Recently, we've had some parents who are distraught ... read the rest of the story

 

 
BJB Ad
Get your tickets today!

12 years, gaining popularity and capturing hearts all across the southeast!

The Heart of Christmas Show!

 

Saturday, November 27 at 7 p.m.

Sunday, November 28 at 3 p.m.

Join Voices of the Heart and a cast of 32 singers and dancers for this 12th Annual Benefit Show for children at the Crown Center Theater. Adults and Children seats are $12 in advance and $18 at the door.

 

PURCHASE YOUR ADVANCE TICKETS FROM THE CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER AND THE ENTIRE *$12 GOES TO THE CAC.

 

This is a unique way for you and your family to enjoy one of the premier holiday shows in the southeast and support programs that work to prevent child abuse at the same time.  What a great way to spend $12! You get to see a wonderful Christmas show and become part of the big picture that helps abused children in our County.

 

Call the Child Advocacy Center at (910) 486-9700 for more information or stop by our office at 336 Ray Avenue to purchase your tickets.  Only tickets sold by the Child Advocacy Center for these two shows will benefit the CAC. You can go to www.childadvocacycenter.com to order tickets online.

 

* tickets purchased by credit card - subject to $1 handling fee

Protecting Your Child's Online Reputation   Teen on computer

 

Sexting has been on the front pages of many media outlets this past year.  Sexting refers to "the use of a cell phone to send sexually suggestive texts or emails with nude or nearly nude photos."  Most adolescents do not understand the long-term consequences of taking, sending or forwarding a sexual picture of someone underage, even if it's of themselves.  Because of this, parents and guardians hold the responsibility for helping to prevent teens from posting something that may damage their future.  This is especially important since more and more employers, college admission officers, coaches and scouts are checking teens' social networking sites and googling names to judge morals, values and overall personalities and behaviors.  Even if their online reputation is not representative of their actual personality, if they post it online that is what people see and that is how they will judge them.  Not to mention it is against the law if you forward a sexual picture of someone underage, even if you did not take the picture.
 
Another area of concern is "sextortion" (online sexual extortion).  Teens who text nude cell phone photos of themselves or show off their bodies on the Internet are being contacted by pornographers who threaten to expose their behavior to friends and family unless they pose for more explicit porn.  Privacy is nonexistent on the Internet, and once you post something online it is almost impossible to take it back.  A nude photo sent to a boyfriend can easily be circulated through other cell phone contacts and end up on websites that post sexting photos.  Once posted there, it is available for anyone who wants to trace it back to the person who originally sent it, opening that person up to sexual extortion.
 
Consider the results of a survey done by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:  39% of all teens have engaged in sexting; 48% of teens say they have received such messages; 10 % have sent these messages to people they don't know; almost all teens surveyed think it's dangerous to sext, including those who engaged in it; half of teens think adults overreact about sexting.
 
As with any other issue in teen's lives, keeping the lines of communication open is the most important weapon in prevention.  Talk to them about not revealing personal information on social networking sites and using privacy settings to limit access to their profile and pictures.  Talk to them about cell phone dangers and explain that messages or pictures that are sent are not truly private.  Occasionally check messages and photos sent and received on your child's phone.  Contact your cell phone provider about blocks and monitors.  Be aware of the number of texts and photos your child sends each month, especially late at night.  Learn who they are spending time with on the phone and online.  Remind them to never take pictures of themselves that they wouldn't want everyone to see.  Remember that once you hit send you can't control where the image you sent may end up.
Announcements 
 
Combined Federal Campaign
The Child Advocacy Center will participate in the CFC again this year.  Our CFC number is 37137.  We are very grateful for your designations.
 
Speakers' Bureau

As you plan your new year of speakers for civic, faith and community organizations, don't forget the CAC has a group of volunteers who are eager to speak on the problem of child abuse and what individuals can do to prevent and stop it. Please call the center at 486-9700 to schedule.
 
Turn your Grocery Shopping into a Fundraiser for the CAC
Register your Food Lion MVP card to support the Child Advocacy Center and get a chance to win free groceries every time you shop!  Food Lion's new program, MVP Community Rewards, is a free, easy way for you to provide the CAC with much-needed donations. 
To learn more and sign up, visit www.foodlionmvprewards.com, click on "Shoppers Register Here," and enter your 12-digit MVP card number and Organization Code 252043.  All supporters must register, even if you have previously registered for other programs. 
 
Facebook page
 
Find us on Facebook
Check out the Child Advocacy Center on Facebook and register to be a fan.
Forward our page to your facebook friends.
 
CAC Wish list - Please help!
*Juice boxes
*Individually wrapped snack items for children
*Travel-size hygiene items
*Comfort items - new teddy bears, dolls, etc
*Children's books or magazines
Bottled water
Canned soft drinks
Powdered creamer and sugar
Coffee
Hot and cold drink cups
Paper plates
Tri-fold paper towels for dispenser or paper towel rolls
Gift cards to grocery store or office supply store
Copy paper 8 � X 11
Post-it notes
Air purifier
Stand fan
* Items especially needed for our children
Thank You!  
 
The Child Advocacy Center appreciates the hard work of our many volunteers that spend countless hours helping in various ways at the Center.  We would like to recognize Sammie Britt, John Edwards, Morgan Johnson, Kristie Kelley, Joyce Loughlin, Kimberly McAteer, Matina McNeil, Nickie Miller, Christine Scott, Eloise Starr, and Lisette Young for their help with various projects from putting together information packets for families to sorting purses for our fundraiser over the summer.  Special thanks to Scott and Beth Perry, owners of the Speak Easy for hosting our Multi-disciplinary Team Training and Appreciation Day.  Many thanks to all our volunteers for their outstanding effort and support!
 
The CAC is very grateful to our Corporate Benefactors who have agreed to be year-long sponsors for CAC events. 
 
 Champions for Children
 BJB committee
 

Stars

BB&T

CenturyLink

Short Stop

Systel Business Equipment

Timothy D. Edwards, Attorney-at-Law

           

A big "thank you" goes out to the following individuals for making wishes from our last Newsletter Wish List come true.

Margaret Alice Teele of Corporate Interiors & Sales, Inc.- Office chairs

Clementine McConnell - Electronic paper folder

Dental Health Associates - Children's items

Public Works Commission - Bottled water 

 
Thank you to the following churches and organizations for their financial support:
City of Fayetteville
County of Cumberland
Cumberland County Mental Health Grant
Governor's Crime Commission Grant
Parkers Grove United Methodist Church
Westminster Church
Women's Giving Circle Grant
Thank You!  
 
CAC Yard Sale - "One person's junk is another person's treasure".
 
Yard sale volunteers yardsale vols"A more noble desire" was the theme of a youth conference sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in July in Fayetteville.  Youth learned the joy of serving by getting out into the community and getting involved.  The CAC was a beneficiary of their service involvement on July 23-24.  Youth, ages 14 to18, and adults came to the CAC to organize and price yard sale items on Friday and then returned on Saturday to conduct a yard sale to benefit the programs of the CAC, despite the 100-degree weather.  In addition to the yard sale, another group of young adults made blankets for the children that come to the center.  Over $600 was raised from the yard sale and 50 blankets were donated to the center.
 
 
First Annual Purse Sale a tremendous success! Purses Happy Shoppers A huge thank you to the Fayetteville Observer Staff and particularly Sharon Moyer for their efforts in making the first annual Gently Loved Purse Sale an enormous success.  The Gently Loved Purse Sale was a joint fundraiser between the Child Advocacy Center and Newpaper in Education.  More than $6700 was raised at this event.  Thank you to the following businesses who provided drop-off locations for the more than 1000 purses that were donated for the sale:  Bank of America, Breezewood Family Healthcare, High Maintenance Boutique, So Chic Bebe, Short Stop Stores, and CenturyLink.  Thank you to Chick Fil-A Skibo Store and Sodexho who provided assistance with the sale as well. We are especially grateful to the Purse Committee chaired by Angela Neal and Wendy Vonnegut and to the many volunteers that sorted, priced and arranged the purses and who worked the purse sale the day of the event.  We were thrilled to have 7 students from the Terry Sanford Student Government Association volunteer the day of the sale and who found some great deals on purses as well!  Lastly we would like to thank those in our community who supported this event by donating purses and by purchasing purses; your support will help the Child Advocacy Center continue its mission of providing services to child victims of abuse.
 
And thank you to all our individual donors and supporters who help us provide the very best services to the children of our community.
Mother & SonTwelve Alternatives to Lashing Out at Your Child
 
The next time every day pressures build up to the point where you feel like lashing out - STOP! Try one of these simple alternatives. You'll feel better ... and so will your child. 
  • Take a deep breath ... and another. Then remember you are the adult.
  • Close your eyes and imagine you're hearing what your child is about to hear.
  • Press your lips together and count to 10 ... or better yet, to 20.
  • Put your child in a time-out chair. (Remember this rule: one time-out minute for each year of age.)
  • Put yourself in a time-out chair. Think about why you are angry: is it your child, or is your child simply a convenient target for your anger?
  • Phone a friend.
  • If someone can watch the children, go outside and take a walk.
  • Take a hot bath or splash cold water on your face.
  • Hug a pillow.
  • Turn on some music. Maybe even sing along.
  • Pick up a pencil and write down as many helpful words as you can think of. Save the list.
  • Call for preventive information: 1-800-CHILDREN.
Reprinted from Prevent Child Abuse America
 

What We Do

The primary mission of the Child Advocacy Center is to mobilize effective collaborative community responses to child abuse.  The CAC provides a safe and child-friendly place where 19 community agencies come together to interview, investigate and provide support for abused children.  During 2009, our center served 483 children and their families and, by our coordinating efforts, saved the community more than $600,000.

 

2010 Board of Directors and Staff

Board of Directors

Rosemary Zimmerman, Chairperson

The Honorable Elizabeth Keever, Vice Chairperson

Horace K. Thompson, Treasurer

Beth Hall, J.D., Secretary

Kenneth Barefoot

Neil Bergman

Linda Braswell

Ron Buryk

Marcus Cox

Marge Dederick

The Honorable Laura A. Devan

Kensley Edge

Tim Edwards, J.D.

Claire Hill, J.D.

Debbie Jenkins

Lucy Jones

Bradley J. Loase

Howard Loughlin, M.D.

Michael Nagowski

Angela Neal

Taylor Stephenson

Kevin Thompkins

Wendy Vonnegut, Esq.

Billy West, J.D.

Carolyn Zahran

 

Staff

Roberta Humphries, Executive Director

Jackie Davis, Case Data/Financial Manager

Megan Fitzgerald, Victim/Family Advocate

Faith Boehmer, Volunteer Coordinator

Jan Rogers, Forensic Interviewer

Kelly Blake, Program Assistant

 
Thank you to St. Patrick Catholic Church and the Bragg 'n Barn Thrift Shop for their financial assistance in the publication of our newsletter.