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"Every Child Needs A Hero, 
But Abused Children Need Superheroes"

April 18th was a perfect day for the 2015 CASA Superhero Run! The weather, the runners, the costumes...all looked amazing! This year, 567 participants came out to downtown Columbus for the annual fundraiser. 52 brave souls entered the costume contest for a chance to strut their stuff in front of our esteemed "Justice League" comprised of District Attorney Julia Slater, Judge Andrew Dodgen, and Robert Wilson, Child Advocate Attorney. The money raised from this year's race will go to help fund Chattahoochee CASA as they advocate for children in foster care.  Photos and More Photos

 

Child Abuse Awareness Program

In honor of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, Twin Cedars held its annual Child Abuse Awareness Program on April 14th. Guests enjoyed listening to our wonderful speakers and were moved by the powerful story of keynote speaker Tajuan McCarty. Tajuan shared the moving story of turning her broken past into a bright future. She is the founder of The WellHouse, a nonprofit, faith-based and Christ-centered organization devoted to the rescue and recovery of women who are being sexually exploited. The event also hosted the annual signing of the Troup County Child Abuse Protocol. Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed refreshments at the Coleman Community Center and a balloon release by the DFCS frontline workers. Photos

 

2015 Camp Viola Golf Scramble

There was a lot to celebrate on April 9th as more than 88 golfers headed out to Highland Country Club for the 2nd annual Camp Viola Golf Scramble. This year's event hosted more than 22 teams and was made possible by our 80 sponsors. Camp Viola will be able to host 10 camps for the children of our community all summer long, thanks to our wonderful sponsors and players. Visit our  Camp Viola site for more information.  Photos

 

"Changing Lives One Play At A Time"

April 18th was an exciting day for the boys at the Bradfield Center, a day they look forward to all year, the Wesley Woodyard Football Camp! The boys started early with learning skills, practicing drills, and hearing inspirational messages from the coaches. Dr. Kim Bond, Director of the Bradfield Center, wrote this to the 16Ways Foundation Members, "Wesley, thanks for sharing your gift with our community and allowing our youth to participate. I was very proud of them today and know they will remember this day, this experience, for a lifetime."

 

Live United Youth Council
Thanks to the wonderful students in the Live United Youth Council, we will now be able to provide substance abuse group therapy sessions for 50 children in our programs. The Live United Youth Council (LUYC) is made up of 27 students from 14 different schools in the Chattahoochee area. Throughout the year, these students spent 395 hours volunteering and raised $4,500. Part of the money raised was given to Twin Cedars' Community Mental Health program to help pay for much needed substance abuse therapy for children in our community.  
 
"Get Crafty"
This April, the girls at the Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home continued their "Get It" program sponsored by the Columbus Junior League with a "Get Crafty" day. The ladies came to AESH with supplies in hand and ready to paint. The girls at AESH were able to learn about the therapeutic benefits of painting as a creative outlet. The paintings turned out absolutely beautiful and bring even more life to the walls of our Anne Elizabeth Shepherd Home. Thank you, Junior League for all that you do for the girls at AESH. 
(LtoR) Dr. Townsend, Samantha  Defranks
Chief Judge McBride, Honorable Judge Dodgen and  Gwenetta  Sullivan-Echols
Chattahoochee 
Child Abuse Protocol

The Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit Child Abuse Protocol Committee celebrated the signing of the 2015 Child Abuse Protocol (CAP). Representatives from the six county circuit joined together to sign the protocol and celebrate the accomplishments of the committee. This year's protocol received influence from the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate and addresses a multitude of at-risk populations. Unique to our circuit is the comprehensive Forensic Medical Exam Protocol which has gained the support of our local law enforcement, DFCS, and medical facilities.  

"This is a special place with special people..."
Council on Accreditation (COA) stopped by this month for a site visit for our re-accreditation. National  accreditation is one method agencies use to show stakeholders that they are quality programs using national best practices. During re-accreditation, a  process that happens every 4 years, Twin Cedars employees work diligently to gather everything from policies to procedures for our 27 programs to pr esent before a panel of experts for consideration of accreditation.  Following the site visit, COA informed us that all measures were exceeded and that our re-accreditation would be expedited. Congratulations, Twin Cedars employees! 
Community Spotlight: Kappa Delta, LaGrange College
The Kappa Delta Sorority at LaGrange College worked hard in April fundraising for our Prevent Child Abuse LaGrange chapter. The girls held a 5K and Spring Fling in downtown LaGrange and then sold Pinwheels on Campus during the month of April to raise funds and awareness for child abuse. We are so thankful for these young ladies and their dedication to preventing child abuse in our community.  
 
Twin Cedars Board of Directors
Frank Newman, President
Cathy Smith, Vice President
Al Zachry, Secretary/ Treasurer
Jerry Fulks, TCYFS Foundation Board Liaison  

Loius Abbott

Lawrence Brack

Holly Brack

Rep. Debbie Buckner

Jay Carter, III

Peter Daughtery

Rebecca Gaston

Wendi Jenkins

Barbara Miller

Jennifer Upshaw

Beth Vaughan

Alton West

Twin Cedars Foundation Board
Clifton Fay, President
Arthur B. Edge, III, Vice President
Gene Kemp, Secretary/Treasurer
Jerry Fulks, TCYFS Board of Directors Liaison
Patrick Crews
Nancy Durand
Susan Prather
 
Emeritus Board Members
Kenneth Gordon
George Moore
Alice Owens
Stacey Poydasheff