CA with tag line 

 525 N. State Street · Suite 4 · Alma, MI 48801 
(989) 463-1422

"Treat a child
as though he already
 is the person he's
 capable of becoming."

Haim Ginott
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Is your Child Riding Safely?
Child Abuse Prevention Month
Scheduled Classes

About Us 

 

 Child Advocacy is a non-profit agency with a mission to improve the welfare of children and their families through education, training, and support for the prevention of substance abuse and child abuse and neglect.

 Our Staff
  
Audra Stahl 
Executive Director
   
Pam Mahin
Office Manager

 

Ty Warczinsky 
GCSAC Coordinator
 
 Richelle Davis 
Prevention Educator
 
Heather Gardner
 CAC Coordinator
 
Michelle Zombeck
 CASA Coordinator 
 
Brenda Shafley
Event/Volunteer Coordinator
 
 

Board of Directors 

President
Wes Wickes
Youth for Christ
  
Vice President 
Jennifer Leppien
CASA
  
Treasurer
Carolyn Studley
  Community Representative

Secretary 
 Kelly Piotrowski
Dept. of Human Services


 

Steve Benn
Detective/Sgt.
MI State Police

Colleen Davis
Prosecuting Attorney's Office 
   
Rob DuHadway
DuHadway Dance Dimensions

    Carolyn Hilley
 Gratiot Co. Comm. Mental Health

David Justin
 Alma School Board
  
Mike Morris
Detective, Gratiot Co. Sheriff's Dept. 
  
Jamie Richardson
Doehring Schultz Insurance Agency

Matt Schooley
City of Alma Transportation

 Jennifer Siefker
Tri Lakes Petroleum
  
Jennifer Stambaugh
DeafBlind Central CMU

Andrea Tabor 
Mid MI District Health Dept
 
Joe Yourchock
Community Representative
 

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!
To make an appointment call
 989-463-1422
 or 800-552-4489

Permanent Prescription Drug Drop Off

Site

 

Gratiot Co. Sheriff

226 E. Center

Ithaca

open 24 hrs./day

7 days/week


 

Alma Police Dept.

525 E. Superior St.

 Hours 

8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

Monday - Friday


 

St. Louis Police Dept.

108 W. Saginaw St.

Hours

Mon. 7 - 3 

Tues. - Fri. 8 - 4 
 

The sites accept

prescription pills, liquids, and patches.

Your Feedback!

 
Ladies, THANK YOU for ALL of your time and effort in planning the Princess and Pirate fundraiser--your attention to detail was amazing! I thought it was very well-attended and I heard only positive comments.

 

From

Jen Shephard 

Quick Links

 
Join Our Mailing List

  

   

Happy Spring!

 

This month is Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month!  We have many events and classes offered to commemorate the month.  We are offering parenting classes for parents of children 0 - 8 years old and 5 - 11 years old.  Please take a moment to review our scheduled classes section. 

 

Donald L. Pavlick Middle School will be hosting the Alumni Charity Basketball game on Friday, April 10 (see Upcoming Events).  Your support of this event helps fund our child abuse and neglect programs.  We hope to see you there!

 

Enjoy,

Child Advocacy Staff

 

Check out our website www.linkforfamilies.org.


Upcoming Events

Charity Basketball Game
Alma High School Alumni vs. Ithaca High School Alumni

Friday, April 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Alma High School Gymnasium

Join us for a night of fun!  Local celebrity players!
Alumni Pom-Pon Routine! DuHadway Dance Dimensions Performance! Half-time entertainment! Children's games!

Tickets $5 available at the door
T-shirts $10 

Proceeds to benefit Child Abuse and Neglect programs
of Gratiot County.  

Child Advocacy Superhero 5K
Run/Walk/Fly

Please mark your calendar for the 8th annual 5K race!
Superhero costumes are encouraged but are not required.

Saturday, May 9 at 9:00 a.m.
Alma Armory, 710 N. State St.
Preregistration ends May 3.

Online registration is now available at  runsignup.com. 

Registration forms are available at linkforfamilies.org

Child Advocacy Banquet
Join us as we celebrate those who advocate and care for children and for those who strive to improve the welfare of children and their families!
Thursday, May 14
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Central Michigan Youth for Christ - Alma
$12 Lunch Buffet

Please call the Child Advocacy office at (989) 463-1422 to purchase tickets in advance.

Is your Child Riding Safely?

Pam Mahin

Child Safety Seat Technician 

 

When was the last time you adjusted the harness straps on your child's car seat?  Is your child complaining their seat is too small or is hurting them?  Remember if your child is rear-facing, the harness straps need to be at or below the child's shoulders and if forward-facing, the straps need to be at or just above the child's shoulders.  All child safety seats have a height and weight minimum and maximum.  If your child is over the height and/or weight limits for their current seat, you should replace it as soon as possible.

 

Remember the recommended age to turn a child forward-facing is 2 years old or when they reach the height and/or weight limit of the seat.  The child would then be forward facing in a 5-point harness until the forward-facing limits are reached.  If the child is under 4 feet 9 inches in height when they have outgrown the 5-point harness, they would then need to be in a booster seat until they have reached this height.

 

If you have a question or need help fitting the child in the seat or the seat in your vehicle, please give our office a call and we can help.  For more information about the use of child safety seats, please click here.

 

 

Child Abuse 

Prevention Month

Michelle Zombeck

CASA Coordinator


 


  

Join CASA of Gratiot County's commitment to helping victims of child abuse and neglect heal, and making sure all children feel safe and loved

 

Not everyone can be a CASA volunteer, but everyone can be an advocate by taking steps to make our community safer for our children: 

  • Be mindful of the signs of abuse and neglect in children, such as a lack of adult supervision, extreme passivity or aggression or poor hygiene. 
  • Be aware of warning signs in parents, such as showing indifference or rarely touching or looking at their child, constant verbal criticism, demands for perfection, blaming the child for family problems or other irrational behaviors. 
  • If you think a child is in immediate danger, don't hesitate. Call 911. 
  • If you believe a child is being abused or neglected, report your suspicions confidentially to our state's toll-free child abuse hotline at 1 (855) 444-3911. 

Working together, we can end abuse and neglect so that every child has a chance to thrive.

 

During National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we invite our community to learn more about the work we do and consider becoming a CASA volunteer.  Please call Child Advocacy at (989) 463-1422 to receive more information or to attend an informational session. 

 

*Information shared from the National CASA website http://www.casaforchildren.org.

Scheduled Classes

 

Foster/Adoptive/Relative Care Support Group

Tuesday, April 14

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Youth for Christ - Alma


 

ACT Parenting Class

for parents of Children 0 - 8 years old

Starts Tuesday, April 7 and meets on Tuesday's and Thursday's for three weeks.

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Wilcox Non-Profit Center - Alma

Call Child Advocacy to register. 


 

Nurturing Parenting Program

for parents and their school-age children (5 to 11 years)

Starts Thursday, April 16 and meets on Thursday's for 10 weeks

5:00 p.m. - Light meal served

5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Class

United Methodist Church - St. Louis

Call Child Advocacy to register.

 

Please call our office with questions about any of the above classes/workshops at (989) 463-1422.
We hope to see you this SPRING!!  Please consider joining us for one or ALL of our fantastic family events that are listed above.  We promise you will not be disappointed. 

A special thank you to Trooper Kim Vetter from the MI State Police for putting in more than five years of service as a member of our Board of Directors.  We wish Kim the best! 
  
With that being said, we would like to welcome Detective/Sgt. Steve Benn from the MI State Police to our Board of Directors. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter!

Sincerely,
Audra Stahl
Executive Director