January 2009 will mark the beginning of our new Adopt-a-Caseworker program. This program has been in the "planning" stages for around 9 months, so you can imagine what a celebration it is for the program to finally be implemented. This means that both Caseworkers and Partner groups in the community will be trained and matched in January. Once matched, these partnerships can begin to provide much-needed resources for local abused & neglected children and their families. Many of the needs this program can fulfill are not being fulfilled by other local charities. With the economic decline and the loss of several jobs locally, increased needs are expected. Can you help?
If you are interested in partnering with a child protective Caseworker to support the needs of his/her caseload, please call 862-3586 and ask for Sondra.
"The Adopt-a-Caseworker program is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims oice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice."
Friday, December 19, 2008
Gearing up for the New Year!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Coats Needed
Thank you for helping us keep children warm this season!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Adopt-a-Caseworker Web Exchange
Exciting news!!
Our Adopt-a-Caseworker strategic planning meeting is now over and we continue to finalize our program policies and procedures in preparation for the January 09 program kick-off.
With the brilliant donated help of my husband, an online Web Exchange program is being created. This program will allow the exchange of items available for donation from Partner groups when their "adopted" Caseworker does not have a need for that item on his/her caseload.
It's a way we can channel all available donations to Greene County Caseworkers to distribute to their client families without the fiscal or physical responsibility of providing storage for the items.
~ If their "adopted" Caseworker has no need for the item on his/her caseload, the Partner group asks Ambassadors for Children to list it on the Web Exchange
~ Greene County Caseworkers are notified by email each time a new listing is posted
~ Caseworkers contact the Partner group to receive the item for a family on their caseload
~ This system operates on a 1st come, 1st serve policy
~ Items are automatically removed from the Web Exchange 7-14 days after being listed
(depending on how long the Partner group is willing to hold the item)
~ Caseworkers are responsible for either delivering items to their clients or following
procedures for arranging delivery (in the case of large items)
The Web Exchange site will be available for use in January 2009
To view the new Ambassadors for Children website, (in progress) click Here
To view the current Ambassadors for Children Website, click Here
Ex
change It's almost January!
You know what that means...our Adopt-a-Caseworker program will be starting! We are very excited for this program to become operational as we begin to make "matches" between Partner groups and Child Protective Caseworkers.
Caseworker TrainingAmbassadors for Children will be training Greene County Caseworkers at Children's Division and their Contracted sites providing Foster Care Case Management and Intensive In-Home Services. The training will occur during regularly scheduled Caseworker staff meetings in early January 2009.
Partner Group Training
Ambassadors for Children will be training faith, business & civic Partner groups who have already expressed a verbal committment to participate in Adopt-a-Caseworker. This will take place at the Council of Churches on January 20, 2009.
Recruitment LuncheonWe are planning another Adopt-a-Caseworker Partner Group recruitment luncheon in February/March 2009. The program will be presented and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions as they decide if it's a good "fit" for their group.
Missouri Compassion Conference
Ambassadors for Children is partnering with Missouri Compassion and other local faith-based organizations to provide a conference for the faith community in April 2009 on ways to help local families involved in Child Protective Services. The Adopt-a-Caseworker program will be presented at one of the breakout sessions at this conference.
"The Adopt-a-Caseworker program is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims oice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Tutoring Program adds New Element
Ambassadors for Children has begun a wonderful partnership with The Ozarks Literacy Council to enhance the Tutoring Scholarships program we offer for Greene County foster children! In addition to funding tutoring sessions, we will be providing tutoring "starter kits" to each foster child as they begin tutoring. These kits will be assembled by The Ozarks Literacy Council and will contain brand new books and other educational resources specialized for each child's educational and emotional needs.
There will be a benefit car wash to support this project at the In & Out car wash (North Glenstone, just South of Kearney in Springfield) on November 19th. All proceeds will benefit this program. Sondra Uzzell, Ambassadors for Children Director, has also been invited to participate in a radio interview from 4-6pm on November 19th (at the Car Wash benefit) with Paula Shumaker, the Director of The Ozarks Literacy Council.
Free Haircuts for Foster Kids!
2008 Business Expo
Ambassadors for Children was successfully represented at the 2008 Springfield Business Expo sponsored by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce on October 2, 2008. Our booth was staffed from 8:30am-7:00pm and we had the opportunity to share our Adopt-a-Caseworker program with many people in the community.
This was a fun event and we are thrilled to continue expanding community awareness about our programs, especially Adopt-a-Caseworker. Special Thanks to the following members of our Advisory Committee who volunteered time at our booth: Karenanne Miller, Connie Condict, Cynthia VanBuskirk, Denise Bredfeldt, and Mary Casada. It couldn't have been done without your help and support!
Pictured above: Sondra Uzzell, Agency Director poses just after booth set-up
Pictured at Left: Sondra Uzzell & Cindy VanBuskirk, Advisory Committee member, pose at the Expo
Pictured Below: Two side views of our Expo Booth
"The Adopt-a-Caseworker program is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims oice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice."
Monday, October 13, 2008
$19,500 Grant Awarded by Community Foundation of the Ozarks
Ambassadors for Children was awarded a $19,500 grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks on October 1, 2008 as part of their 2008/2009 Health & Social Services grant cycle.
These funds will be used to purchase brand new clothing for The Kid's Clothes Closet program and to fund tutoring sessions for Greene County foster children through our Tutoring Scholarships program. There were over 819 foster children in Greene County in FY 2007 (source: Greene County Children's Division FY 2007 statistics), and these programs served 337 of those children. With this great support from The Community Foundation of the Ozarks, we can continue to provide these wonderful services for foster children in our community.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Fun on a Friday!
I finally finished putting several finishing touches on the Ambassadors for Children booth for the Springfield Business Expo! I put special effort into making the booth appealing, as to stand out among the other non-profit booths. This will be a major recruiting effort for business Groups to participate in our new Adopt-a-Caseworker program. Several members of the Ambassadors for Children Advisory Committee will be volunteering at the Expo to facilitate discussions about the program and a fun game to enter the drawing. No more spoilers...you will have to come check out our booth to learn more.
Click this link to our September newsletter and print page 2 for a free ticket. See you on Thursday at the Expo!
"The Adopt-a-Caseworker program is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims oice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice."
Win 2 Dixie Stampede tickets!
Email Sondra at suzzell@ccozarks.org to get your free ticket to the Springfield Business Expo on Thursday, October 2nd at the Springfield Exposition Center (9am-7pm). This is a $10 value!
Come and "party" with Ambassadors for Children in booth 803 for a chance to win 2 tickets to Dixie Stampede in Branson. These tickets were generously donated by Dixie Stampede for our booth drawing. Our theme is "Every child deserves a Happy Birthday!" Come find out how you can support this cause thorough our Adopt-a-Caseworker program.
"The Adopt-a-Caseworker program is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims oice Programs, U.S. Department of Justic, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice."
Junior League of Springfield goes Shopping...
Ready for Fall & Winter...
A group of volunteers from Great Southern Bank has once again ensured in-season clothing is available in The Kid's Clothes Closet. The group spent part of the day on August 28th rotating in Winter clothing and took a break to pose for this picture. Thank you so much Great Southern Bank for your continued support and dedication to this program!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Kid's Clothes Closet Milestone
We are proud to be a service and resource to local foster children and foster parents. We also proudly collaborate with the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks to make this program a reality. Thanks to everyone who has made this possible!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
2008 Springfield Business Expo
Friday, August 15, 2008
2008 Day of Caring
The 2008 United Way Day of Caring proved to be a huge success for Ambassadors for Children! 
A total of 14 fantastic volunteers from the City of Springfield volunteered their time and energy on Thursday, August 14th to help organize and distribute duffel bags for our Pack-a-Bag with Love program. Their total in-kind volunteer time was 52 hours!
These volunteers completed 185 duffel bags for children entering foster care in Greene County and also assisted to transport 100 of the bags to the Greene County Children's Division Office.
A total of 265 bags had already been completed and delivered to Missouri Baptist Children's Home, Presbyterian Children's Services, Boys & Girls Town, and Springfield Partners by volunteers from Ash Grove First Christian Church.
We truly appreciate the help and support of these wonderful people!
Check out these amazing Before & After pictures!!!
Foster Parent Insight
Local Foster Parents were given the opportunity to participate in a special focus group last night (8/14/2008) to share their thoughts about Ambassadors for Children and our new Adopt-a-Caseworker program.
21 Foster Parents participated in the event. They shared enthusiasm for the program, as well as the existing Ambassadors for Children programs that serve them and their foster children exclusively.
Many great questions, suggestions, and opinions were shared among the group. Thanks to all who participated in this process! The information gathered will be used to assess our community needs as we embark upon the strategic planning process for this new and exciting program!
For more information about Adopt-a-Caseworker, see the program information section to the right.
"The Adopt-a-Caseworker project is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or polices of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice"
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Adopt-a-Caseworker Luncheon a Success!
Ambassadors for Children hosted a free luncheon on July 22, 2008 for local faith, business, and civic groups to learn more about the Adopt-a-Caseworker program. This event was attended by 80 individuals representing the following faith groups, business groups, civic groups & organizations:
Please click here to view the fantastic News-Leader article that depicts the Adopt-a-Caseworker program and our recent event.
The Adopt-a-Caseworker project is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or polices of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lemonade Stand Catching on...
The Children Taking a Stand initiative started by Clever First Christian Church is continuing to make an impact on our community. In addition to the 3 local churches who have already had Children Taking a Stand events and contributed to Ambassadors for Children, 2 others have joined the movement.
We Exceeded our Goal!!
Our goal for Marlin Group Charitable Fund Sweepstakes raffle tickets (as part of the Price Cutter Charity Championship): 100 tickets
Total Number of raffle tickets sold: 108 tickets
Total Number of raffle tickets sold last year: 82 tickets
With the great work and support of staff and volunteers, we exceeded our goal of 100 tickets and made a total of $2,700 dollars from raffle ticket sales alone! We look forward to hearing our total award amount in December 2008 at the Celebration of Sharing event.
I will be working concessions this Sunday from 1-4 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship at Highland Springs Golf Course, so please stop by if you will be attending. The grand prize drawings for the $10,000 and 2008 Pontiac Solstice Convertible will be Sunday afternoon.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Peace, Love & Charity Auction
Thank you very much to the local businesses that donated gift certificates and tickets for the Peace, Love & Charity Auction as part of the Price Cutter Charity Championship! Ambassadors for Children receives 50% of the proceeds for all auction items donated on our behalf. These proceeds will be used to operate our Kid's Clothes Closet, Project Self-Esteem, Pack-a-Bag with Love, and Foster/Adoptive Parent Recruitment programs. Total value for donated items exceeds $600!!
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Please join us for the auction at 6pm on July 15th at University Plaza. Visit http://www.pricecuttercc.org/ for more information.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Adopt-a-Caseworker Event
Plans are well under way for this exciting event that will increase public awareness and hopefully motivate many to participate! The invitations will be complete this week and will be mailed by the end of this week or beginning of next week.
We are truly hoping for a good turnout, as this is such an excellent opportunity to learn more about the program, which serves as a specific, direct, and immediate way to help local child victims of abuse/neglect and their families.
Our community is strong and has accomplished many great things. Our faith, civic, and business community members are powerful resources for local children and families that are struggling. Individuals and groups (big or small) can make a huge difference in the lives of children!
If you would like to learn more about this fantastic program and how you can help, please come to our event (scroll down for detailed event information or click on the event flyer link).
The Adopt-a-Caseworker project is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or polices of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice.
Pack-a-Bag Success
A couple weeks ago the first bundle of 20 duffel bags filled with hygiene and children's items was delivered to Missouri Baptist Children's Home! With their new location at the caseworker's offices there, the bags will be more accessible and will make their way to children entering foster care in Greene County.
Reminder: We are still in need of donated large plastic storage tubs. These will be used to store surplus duffel bags so I the foster care office supplies can be replenished as needed.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Adopt-a-Caseworker Orientation Event
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
12 noon-1:00pm
Christ Episcopal Church
601 E. Walnut (corner of Walnut & Kimbrough)
Springfield, MO
**If you lead or belong to a church, faith, business, or civic group that wants to enhance the lives of local abused and neglected children and their families in a very direct and powerful way, this event is for you!!
Featuring:
Vonda Wallace, Greene County Children's Division Circuit Manager
David Hockensmith, Council of Churches Executive Director
Sondra Uzzell, Ambassadors for Children Director
Junior League "Done in a Day" Award Recipient
We are pleased to announce that Ambassadors for Children has been awarded a 2008-2009 "Done in a Day" award of $2,500 from the Junior League of Springfield, Missouri, Inc. The Junior League will provide volunteers to buy and put away new clothing for foster children in Greene County as part of our Kid's Clothes Closet program. There will be a designated day around Fall 2009 and Spring 2008 to complete this project. We are so appreciative of this support from the Junior League and we know this project will provide many new clothing items for local foster children! 
Pictured: Sondra Uzzell (Ambassadors for Children Director), David Hockensmith (Council of Churches of the Ozarks Executive Director), and Linda McAllister (Junior League of Springfield President).
The Kid's Clothes Closet is a project supported in-part through funding and volunteers provided by the Junior League of Springfield.
Children Taking a Stand
Children are Taking a Stand against child abuse and neglect across the Ozarks! This initiative started in Clever, MO from the ingenuity of a young boy who wanted to help local child victims. With support from his pastor and Clever First Christian Church family, the young boy's idea came to fruition on Mother's Day and several other local churches and groups are following suit! To learn more about this initiative, visit our June Newsletter link or the Council of Churches of the Ozarks link.
Last week, Ambassadors for Children received a gift of $650.80 from Clever First Christian Church (represented by Pastor Juli Nelson) as a result of this initiative. As part of this movement, we also received a gift of $150.00 from Evangel Temple in Springfield and a gift of $159.00 from Clever United Methodist Church. The funds raised by Children Taking a Stand will be used to support our non-federally funded programs. Thank You! Bags Finding new Homes
We recently decided to look at alternative storage options for our Pack-a-Bag with Love bags. They are currently housed at the Boys and Girls Town, where they are accessible to foster care caseworkers at that location, but not easily accessible to other foster care caseworkers in the county.
The bags are in the process of being neatly organized and we are hoping to have them housed at each of the offices where Greene County foster care caseworkers are located. That way, the caseworkers won't have to travel to an external location to pick up the bags when a new child is taken into care. The caseworkers work very hard and are extremely busy, so this will hopefully simplify the process for them and allow more local children to receive the bags.
So far, 20 bags have been deliverd to Missouri Baptist Children's Home,
and 200 bags are ready to be delivered to Alternative Opportunities. New bag sign-out sheets have also been developed so we can track the number of bags taken, child ages, and child gender. This will help us sustain supply for the ages/genders that are more prevalent in our county.
Thanks Ash Grove First Christian Church for making this happen!
Above: picture of bags before being newly reorganized
To the Right: picture of hygiene items used to fill the bags
Fantastic Volunteers
I have been tracking total volunteer hours on a monthly basis since February. For our federal grant (Adopt-a-Caseworker program), we have a total of 175.25 in-kind hours from February-May 2008. Thanks to our in-kind staff and volunteer Advisory Committee members for all your hard work to make this program a success! Also, a huge thanks to my husband for his IT and programming expertise in helping develop this blog, our newsletter, and providing other technical assistance related to this project.
The Adopt-a-Caseworker program is supported by grant #2005-VF-GX-K009 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in cooperation with HALOS. Points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of HALOS or the U.S. Department of Justice.
For our non-federally funded programs (Kid's Clothes Closet, Pack-a-Bag with Love, Project Self-Esteem, Tutoring Scholarships, Foster/Adoptive Parent Recruitment), we have a total of 109.75 volunteer hours from April 2008-present. A HUGE Thanks to Connie Condict and members of Ash Grove First Christian Church for their hard work getting Pack-a-Bag with Love bags organized and ready for delivery!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Recently Restocked
Former Director, Kate Baldi, and I went shopping last week to restock the shelves of the Kid's Closet. We were nearly out of summer pajamas and boys toddler clothing. Now the shelves look great and are ready for local foster children and foster parents to go "shopping" for summer items!
A huge THANK YOU to all who have donated or contributed to the success of this program. There were a total of 465 visits to the Kid's Closet in 2007 and we served 335 Greene County foster children. 
The boys shelves are restocked and additional outfits hang in the back of the Closet. As you can see, we are still needing toddler clothing. Please see our "Wish List" section for details. Clothing can be donated to the Council of Churches office or to the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks on Primrose. All donated clothing items must be brand new with tags attached. These new clothing items help to enhance the self-esteem of foster children.
This is the view foster children, foster parents, caseworkers, and volunteers first see as they enter the Kid's Closet.
Special "Thanks" to the staff and volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks. They help organize the clothing, help families find clothing, schedule appointments, and track monthly statistics. This program would not be possible without their wonderful partnership and support!
Welcome!!
This blog is a new and exciting way to keep you updated on our programs, events, news, and fundraisers. New posts will be added weekly (or more often). I look forward to sharing our progress, success, and even obstacles as we strive to fulfill the needs of local child victims in the Ozarks.
We have also started a free monthly e-newsletter called "Kidz Biz" that will highlight stories and feature an Ambassador of the Month! To subscribe, simply email suzzell@ccozarks.org
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Charity Sweepstakes Tickets for Sale
Tickets are $25 each and enter you to win a 2008 Pontiac Solstice Convertible, $10,000 cash, or one of 400 $25 gift certificates. We receive 100% of proceeds for all the tickets we sell! You do not need to be present to win.
To purchase a ticket, contact Sondra at 417-862-3586 or at suzzell@ccozarks.org
We are also looking for companies/organizations to sponsor our agency in the golf tournament Spectator Guide. Sponsorship is $500 and provides a full-page color ad for Ambassadors for Children, as well as the full-color sponsoring company logo at the bottom of the ad page. Approximately 12,000 Spectator Guides will be distributed. Ambassadors for Children receives $300 from each $500 sponsorship! Contact Sondra at 417-862-3586 or suzzell@ccozarks.org for more information.
