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:

Churches & Faith Groups

Ash Grove First Christian Church

Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau

Christ Episcopal Church

First & Calvary Presbyterian Church

Grace United Methodist Church

Incarnate Word Associates Group

Messiah Lutheran Church

Park Crest Calvary Temple

Presbyterian Church of Willard

Ridgecrest Baptist Church

Royal Family Kids' Camp

Springhill Baptist Church

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Willard Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church

Temple Israel

Business Groups

Bancorp South Mortgage Center

City Utilities of Springfield

Gold Mechanical

Great Southern Bank

Old Missouri Bank

SBU St. John's School of Nursing

Civic Groups

Alpha Delta Mu Honor Society

Girls on the Run-Downtown YMCA

Missouri State University Social Work Club

Springfield Downtown Kiwanis Group

Springfield Rotary Southeast

Organizations

Boys & Girls Town of Missouri

Child Care Resource & Referral

Community Partnership of the Ozarks

Council of Churches of the Ozarks

Greene County Children's Division

Greene County Juvenile Office

Greene County Prosecuting Attorney's Office

Guardian Ad Litem

Jordan Valley Community Health Center

Missouri Baptist Children's Home

Missouri State University

Parenting Life Skills Center

Partners for a Better Tomorrow

Presbyterian Children's Services

Special Thanks for Media Coverage Provided By:

KY3

Springfield News-Leader

KSMU

Special Thanks to Caseworker Table Hosts From:

Missouri Baptist Children's Home

Presbyterian Children's Services

Greene County Children's Division

Boys & Girls Town of Missouri

If you would like more information about our Adopt-a-Caseworker program or would like to schedule a presentation of this program for your group, please contact Sondra Uzzell at suzzell@ccozarks.org

Please click here to view our printable brochure

Please click here to view the fantastic News-Leader article that depicts the Adopt-a-Caseworker program and our recent event.

Below: Pictures of event preparation and guest arrival

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.

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.

Ash Grove First Christian Church has set up the Lemonade stand at their annual BBQ summer event and at their "Sparks in the Park" event to celebrate the 4th of July. I also learned today that Messiah Lutheran Church youth have also raised funds for Ambassadors for Children through this effort. To learn more, please contact Juli Nelson, Pastor of Clever First Christian Church, or Sondra Uzzell, Ambassadors for Children Director. All funds received through Children Taking a Stand will be used to support our non-federally funded programs.

Thank You!!

Above: Children from Clever First Christian Church pose in front of their lemonade stand on Mother's Day 2008.

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.

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!!

Please join us for the auction at 6pm on July 15th at University Plaza. Visit http://www.pricecuttercc.org/ for more information.

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.

20 more duffel bags will be delivered to the Ozarks Family Resource Center on the Boys & Girls Town campus this week. This facility serves as an emergency placement for children entering foster care who are awaiting an available foster home. In addition to this, 20 duffel bags will be delivered to the Boys & Girls Town Foster Care Case Management office.

Wait...there's more! 200 duffel bags will be ready and delivered to the Alternative Opportunities Foster Care Case Management offices next week! We are still in the process of finding some available storage space at the Children's Division office for duffel bags, but we anticipate also being able to store some at that location for those Foster Care Caseworkers:-)

We have also started duffel bag sign-out sheets to account for the number of bags taken and trends in usage for statistical purposes. None of these exciting changes would be possible without the help of Ash Grove First Christian Church and the support of our local foster care case management offices!

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.

Pictured above: just a portion of the blankets and books used to "stuff" the bags

Adopt-a-Caseworker Orientation Event

Adopt-a-Caseworker

Ambassador Orientation Event

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
12 noon-1:00pm

Christ Episcopal Church
601 E. Walnut (corner of Walnut & Kimbrough)
Springfield, MO

FREE LUNCH provided!!

RSVP required by July 14 to Sondra Uzzell at suzzell@ccozarks.org or 417-862-3586 ext. 236 (space is limited, so RSVP early)!

**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:

Darrell Moore, Greene County Prosecuting Attorney
Vonda Wallace, Greene County Children's Division Circuit Manager
David Hockensmith, Council of Churches Executive Director
Sondra Uzzell, Ambassadors for Children Director

and more!

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.