Thank you all for being so nice this semester!  You were all so welcoming and tried to include me in as much as you could.  This internship definitely made my last months as a college student great!
 

from Courtney - CMU Intern

resources and family activities sponsored by Gratiot County agencies. 

 

Have you Had These Thoughts?

By: Michelle Zombeck

CASA Coordinator  

 

Can a CASA volunteer really make a difference? I don't have any training.  What could I do?  I don't have a background in social work.  Is there a "typical" CASA Advocate?  Somebody will help, won't they?   I am sure they have a great foster family.  The state pays for everything.  What will people think?  I can't, I will get too attached.  Don't they pay people to do that?  What kind of training does a CASA Volunteer receive?  What will my kids think?  I have so much going on right now.   I want to help but I don't know what I could do.  How long is a case in court?  I don't know if I would be good at this.   How is CASA funded?  How long does a CASA Volunteer remain involved with a case?  How much time does it require?

 

Stop wondering, come to an informational meeting.  Learn more about Court Appointed Special Advocates and what you can do to advocate for abused and neglected kids in our community.  Call Child Advocacy at 989-463-1422 or email michelle@linkforfamilies.org to sign up for the next informational meeting.

 

"We must not, in trying to think about 

how we can make a big difference, 

ignore the small daily differences we can make which,

over time, add up to big differences 

that we often cannot foresee."

 

- Marian Wright Edelman -

by Pam Mahin

 

As we approach rising summer temperatures, the danger for kids left in hot vehicles increases exponentially: at least 13 children have already died this year from vehicular heatstroke.  Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash vehicle fatalities for children 14 and under.  Nearly every 10 days, a child dies from being left in a hot vehicle.  More than half (52%) of kids who died from vehicular heatstroke were "forgotten" by their caregiver.  This is a 100-percent preventable tragedy.

 

On a hot day, a child's temp heats up to 5 times faster than an adult's does.  High body temperatures can cause permanent injury or even death.   In more than 29% of cases of fatal heatstroke, a child got into the vehicle on their own.  Heatstroke deaths have happened even when vehicles were parked in shade and the temperatures were 80 degrees or less.

 

If you see a child alone in a hot vehicle, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.  If the child is in distress due to heat, get them out as quickly as possible.  Cool the child rapidly (not an ice bath but by spraying them with cool water or with a garden hose).

 

Visit www.safercar.gov/parents/heatstroke.htm or www.safekids.org for more information.

Scheduled Classes

 

Childcare Provider Trainings

(parents are welcome to attend)

 

It's Clear as Mud: Cultural Competencies/Self Assessment Survey

Starting the week of June 16

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

Sincerely,

Audra Stahl

Executive Director