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...

Volunteers from The Junior League of Springfield went shopping for The Kid's Clothes Closet on August 29th as part of their Done in a Day project. The timing of this project was perfect, as it took place the day following the rotation of winter clothing into the Closet by Great Southern Bank volunteers (see next post). This allowed us to make sure winter clothing was well-stocked in preparation for the season. Thank you so much Junior League of Springfield!

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!

Kid's Clothes Closet Milestone

The Kid's Clothes Closet served its 2500th foster child in August 2008!

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!

Pictured: a Thank You drawn by a foster child served through The Kid's Clothes Closet

2008 Springfield Business Expo

Ambassadors for Children will have our own booth at the Springfield Business Expo, which draws around 6,000 spectators each year. This is a very exciting opportunity for us, as we will be recruiting business groups to participate in the Adopt-a-Caseworker program.

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This program will allow local businesses the opportunity to support local child victims of abuse/neglect and their Caseworkers in a very specific and direct way. Volunteers from the Ambassadors for Children Advisory Committee and the Agency Director, Sondra Uzzell, will staff the booth from 9am-7pm on Thursday, October 2nd. To receive a free Expo ticket, please contact Sondra Uzzell at suzzell@ccozarks.org or call 417-862-3586.

Come see us on October 2nd in booth 803!!!

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"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."

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!!!

Bags before prep, empty storage boxes after prep, and finished bags ready for transport