Thank You!

Thank you to Malone Finke Eckhardt & Collins, Inc. for a $700 donation to support our programs! We also want to thank Old Missouri Bank for a $650 donation to assist local foster children through our agency.

We truly could not meet the needs of our community without your help. Thank you so much.

We need your Support

With the number of children in foster care from our county on the rise, we are struggling to financially meet the demands for our services. We have also set new service records for 4 of our programs in 2010 and continue to serve approximately 600-750 children per year.

Because we are 100% funded by donations and private grants, we need your help. Your donations are used to help purchase new clothing for foster children, match foster children with volunteer tutors, provide hygiene items and extracurricular activities for foster children--and much more!! We educate and mobilize our community to support local child victims of abuse & neglect, while also serving the needs of the children and reducing extra financial strain placed upon their foster parents.

Please consider making a donation by check or securely online. Checks should be made payable to CCO-AFC and mailed to Ambassadors for Children, 627 N. Glenstone, Springfield, MO 65802. Any amount is truly appreciated! Making a donation in honor of a friend or family member also makes a perfect unique gift. Thank you so very much:-)

2010 Child Abuse & Neglect

The Greene County Juvenile Office has completed their 2010 Child Abuse & Neglect statistics for Greene County, MO. There was a tremendous increase in the number of children placed into foster care, averaging 42 children per month. This is up from the average of 25 children per month in 2009.

Chronic Neglect continues to be the leading factor for children being placed into foster care from Greene County, followed by Drugs/Alcohol issues.

On a positive note, the number of children reunited with their parents after foster care increased 5%, so credit is due to the Greene County Children's Division and Juvenile Office for helping this happen!

You can view all the stats online at: http://www.greenecountymo.org/juvenile/file/abuse10.pdf

New Year, New Fun!

We are thrilled about 2011 and the exciting things we have planned for this year! We have an intern with our office from January-May and are looking forward to our 2nd Annual Appreciation Dinner in April.

We will also take part in the Annual Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner on May 5th and will be eager to begin planning for the Annual Price Cutter Charity Championship fundraiser golf tournament this summer.

Kringle Talk is Back!

It's time to order your personalized letters from Santa for the special children in your life. Great for your children, grandchildren nieces & nephews. Create Christmas memories and support local foster children at the same time!

The best part is 30% of the proceeds for each letter benefit Ambassadors for Children as we continue our ministry to serve local foster children. Create Christmas memories and support abused & neglected children at the same time!

Click Here to order!

Project Self-Esteem grant app

Just finished a grant draft for Project Self-Esteem! We have already served 40 foster children through this program in 2010 and will likely serve up to 10 more through December.

We have provided self-esteem enhancing items & activities to over 170 local foster children since 2005!

Learn more---visit our Project Self-Esteem web page!

You can Help!

With over 900 kids in foster care, sometimes it seems the problem of child abuse & neglect in Springfield & Greene County is overwhelming, but there are ways you can help. One of the biggest obstacles is finding a place to "jump in" and serve where your talents and resources can be used to make the biggest difference. With so many non profits in our area, even the task of finding an agency to call can be overwhelming!

That's where we come in. We mobilize community members to support local abused & neglected children and their Caseworkers and it's all very EASY! You have a few options:

• Adopt-a-Caseworker: you, your family unit, Sunday school class, Church, coworkers, book club or any other group you participate in can do this. We match you with a Greene County foster care Caseworker. They tell you what the kids/families on their caseload need and you help if you can. It's flexible, informal and builds relationships!
  

• Be a Volunteer Tutor: you meet with a foster child 1 hour/week in a public setting and help them with homework, studies and building confidence. No teaching experience is necessary but you will need to pass a couple background checks.
  

• Donate Clothing or Coats: we always need Brand New children's clothing and new winter coats of all sizes. We give these away to foster children through our Kid's Clothes Closet. We distribute only new items on purpose--this is to enhance the self-esteem of children who have often never worn a new clothing garment before:-)
  

• Donate Money: we are a charity, so we always need money to help cover operating costs so our 1 staff person can implement programs. Our services can't exist without an administrator:-) We also need money to purchase new children's clothing and help kids with eye glasses, contacts, school trips, summer camps and much more through Project Self-Esteem. Your tax-deductible gift can be mailed to Ambassadors for Children @ 627 N. Glenstone, Springfield, MO 65802 (payable to CCO-AFC or Ambassadors for Children).
  

• Donate Gently Used Items: You can put a description and photos of any item you would like to donate on our online Web Exchange. It's exclusively for our charity and child protective services workers in Greene County, MO. You list your item and a Caseworker will contact you if they have a client family that needs it.