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Alma Police Dept.

525 E. Superior St.

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths from cancer for both men and women. Tobacco use causes 87 percent of all deaths from lung cancer. Mid-Michigan Cancer Center is offering smoking cessation education.

If you are interested in learning more about the Lung Clinic, a free telephone screening is available by calling
 989-463-9307
 (press 2).

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Greetings!  

Happy Summer!

This month we share with you the 5K Results, summary of our Protect Yourself Program, tips for reducing teen smoking, and for daycare providers, information on the STAR Rating system.

As we say good-bye to Lisa Cannon, we would like to welcome Virginia Luedtke, the GCSAC Prevention Coordinator, to the Child Advocacy staff.

Enjoy,

Child Advocacy Staff

Check out our website www.linkforfamilies.org.

Submitted By: Heather Gardner

CAC Coordinator

Have you ever wondered what normal sexual curiosity is in childhood? You are not alone.  Most parents have witnessed their child engaged in some sort of sexual play or exploration. Being caught off-guard by young children's self-exploration and curiosity about body parts and sexual issues is one of the uncomfortable realities of parenting, and can raise a host of troubling questions, such as, "is my child normal?" "Should I be worried?" "What should I say?"  Although talking with children about bodily changes and sexual matters may feel awkward, providing children with accurate, age-appropriate information is one of the most important things parents can do to make sure children grow up safe, healthy, and secure in their bodies.

If you encounter a situation the first step is to remain clam.  Staying calm will allow you to make clear decisions about what you say and/or do, rather than acting on strong emotions. To remain composed, try taking a long, deep breath, counting to ten, or even closing the door and stepping away for a minute before saying anything.  It is important to maintain a calm and even tone of voice and to ask open ended questions as much as possible, so the children can tell what they are doing in their own words, rather than just answering yes or no.

If you witness your child engaged in some sort of sexual play with other children it is important to take into account these factors; are all of the children involved about the same age, have they been playmates for some time, and do the children seem to be enjoying their game?  If the answer is yes to all of these questions, it is likely the children were just curious and playing around and that no one was upset about what happened.  If you encounter a situation where the children are a little embarrassed but otherwise not distressed, this can present an ideal opportunity for teaching the children about healthy boundaries and rules about sexual behavior. 

As always, if you are concerned that a child has been abused or neglected contact the Michigan Department of Human Services at 1-855-444-3911.

Article segments obtained from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network

 By Richelle Davis, Prevention Educator

With the end of the school year, comes the end of the Protect Yourself Program.  We had a wonderfully successful year, with the Protect Yourself Program being taught to 826 children in 2012-2013.  Each year the program has continued to grow and more and more children are being taught how to keep themselves safe in all kinds of dangerous situations.  I had the privilege of visiting classrooms throughout the county and empowering children on how to keep themselves safe with strangers, as well as how to protect their own bodies from physical and sexual abuse. 

This year the program was taught to 22 first grade classrooms and 20 third grade classrooms in Alma, Ashley, Breckenridge, Ithaca, and St. Louis.  Our goal is to continue to grow the program next year and to one day be teaching the program to all of the schools in Gratiot County.

We also had the opportunity to participate in SPLASH Days at Ithaca South Elementary and Hillcrest Elementary in Alma.  SPLASH Day is the schools day to focus on health and safety for their students.  Several of the Child Advocacy staff spent the day teaching students an abbreviated version of our Protect Yourself Program.  It was an awesome opportunity to review what we had already taught the students in the program.  Teaching our children how to stay safe is a topic that needs to be discussed on a regular basis at school, as well as by parents at home.

Thank you to our schools for allowing us to bring this awesome program to your students and thank you to the parents who continue to discuss these topics with your children on how to protect themselves.

Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition

Submitted by Lisa Cannon

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are 10 Ways to Keep Youth Smoke-Free:

1. Set a good example: Youth tend to follow the important adults in their lives. If you don't smoke, your child is less likely to smoke. If you do smoke, seek help to quit - now. The sooner you stop smoking, the better your child's chances are of remaining smoke-free.

2. Understand the attraction: For youth, smoking may be about rebellion or wanting to fit in with a particular crowd. Others get started because they think smoking will make them appear cooler, older or more independent.

3. Say NO to youth smoking: Tell your child that smoking isn't allowed. Parental disapproval is more powerful than most people realize.

4. Appeal to your child's vanity: Play up the fact that smoking is gross, not glamorous. Smoking causes bad breath and wrinkles, yellow teeth and stinky hair and clothes, not to mention a chronic smokers cough and decreased energy for sports, band and other activities.

5. Do the math: Smoking is not cheap. Sit down with your child to calculate the cost of smoking a pack a day, then compare it to what he/she could buy in place of the money spent on cigarettes (like shoes, clothes or electronics).

6. Expect peer pressure: Help your son or daughter practice refusal skills in times when they need more than a simple, "No thanks, I don't smoke."

7. Take tobacco addiction seriously: Most youth tend to think they will never become addicted to tobacco, and can easily just smoke once in a while. Share with your child that most adult smokers became hooked as teens, and that quitting can be a lifelong struggle.

8. Predict the future: Youth tend to think bad things only happen to other people. Use real-life examples to show how smoking has harmed your family's loved-ones, friends and/or neighbors.

9. Think beyond cigarettes: Smokeless tobacco, clove cigarettes, candy-flavored cigarettes and water pipes are sometimes thought to be less harmful than traditional cigarettes. Be sure your child is clear that all of these carry negative health risks.

10. Get involved: Take an active stance to support community and school-sponsored efforts to reduce and prevent youth smoking.

And remember, adults who think smoking is no big deal will have children who think the same. Make tobacco the topic of your next conversation. Be clear and firm in stating your expectations for your child not to smoke. Then talk through and discuss some of the items listed above. Know this is not a one-time talk, but an ongoing conversation.

To share health facts on smoking with your child, visit this great resource: http://betobaccofree.hhs.gov/health-effects/index.html.

Sources: American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts & Figures 2013. BeTobaccoFree.Gov., U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Washington DC, 2013. Mayo Clinic: 10 ways to keep teens smoke-free.

Overall Male One Mile Fun Run - Luca Lebron (8:27)

Overall Female One Mile Fun Run - Ava Frost (7:52)

Overall Male 5K Walker - Todd Cashen (37:58)

Overall Female 5K Walker - Jaeme Berman (38:22)

5K Walk Male Age Group Winners

40 to 49 - Matt Wood (39:29)

50+ - Larry Sroufe (1:08:46)

5K Walk Female Age Group Winners

20 to 29 - Bethany Fletcher (43:38)

30 to 39 - Melisa Smith (45:09)

40 to 49 - Hope Delorenzo (40:24)

50+ - Nancy Throop (38:24)

Overall Male 5K Runner - Aaron Stebelton (18:36)

Overall Female 5K Runner - Valerie Helinski (21:44)

5K Run Male Age Group Winners

14 and under - Case Martin (24:32)

15 to 19 - James O'Boyle (19:13)

20 to 29 - Justin Charping (23:20)

30 to 39 - Michael Simon (18:53)

40 to 49 - John Lewis (19:57)

50+ - Craig Zeese (24:41)

5K Run Female Age Group Winners

14 and under - Morgan Johnson (21:51)

15 to 19 - Jessica Sutherland (25:42)

20 to 29 - Rachel Charping (22:24)

30 to 39 - Allison Lebron (23:04)

40 to 49 - Roxanne Morey (23:53)

50+ - Chris Sipka (29:20)

To view the complete results, click here.

Please mark your calendar for next years' race - Saturday, May 3, 2014.

Summer Office Hours

Starting the week of June 3

Monday - Thursday

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Closed Friday