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About Us
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Child Advocacy is a non-profit agency with a mission to
improve the welfare of children and their families through education, training, and support for the prevention of substance abuse and child abuse and neglect.
Our Staff
Audra Stahl
Executive Director
Pam Mahin
Office Manager
Ty Warczinsky
GCSAC Coordinator
Sara Krebs
Coalition Coordinator
Richelle Davis
Prevention Educator
Michelle Zombeck
CASA Coordinator
CAC Coordinator
Nicole Showers
CAC Case Manager
Mallory Harrier
CAC Intake Coordinator
Staci Bigelow
Event/Volunteer Coordinator
Morgan Rooy
Board of Directors
President
Carolyn Studley
Community Represenative
Vice President
Matt Schooley
City of Alma Transportation
Secretary
Jennifer Stambaugh
DeafBlind Central
Treasurer
Sara Bonacci
Sara Bonacci Photography
Steve Benn
Detective/Sgt.
MI State Police
Wendy Currie
Mid MI District Health Dept
Colleen Davis
Prosecuting Attorney's Office
Jim Dubey
Garr Tool
Rob DuHadway
DuHadway Dance Dimensions
Tammy Halfmann
Mercantile Bank
David Justin
Alma School Board
Jennifer Leppien
CASA
John Morey
CPA
Mike Morris
Detective/Sgt. Gratiot Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Alison Morrison
Dept. of Health and Human Services
Jamie Richardson
Doehring Schultz Insurance Agency
Jennifer Siefker
Steve Vernon
Gratiot Co. Comm. Mental Health
Wes Wickes
Central MI Youth for Christ
Mark Williams
Detective/Sgt.
Alma Police Depart.
Joe Yourchock
Community Representative
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Did you know that at Child Advocacy we can install and provide a safety inspection for your child safety seat? Child Advocacy has a nationally certified safety seat technician available!
To make an appointment call
989-463-1422
or 800-552-4489
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Permanent Prescription Drug Drop Off
Site
Gratiot Co. Sheriff
226 E. Center
Ithaca
open 24 hrs./day
7 days/week
Alma Police Dept.
525 E. Superior St.
Hours
8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Monday - Friday
Breckenridge Police Dept.
104 E. Saginaw St.
Hours
8:00 a.m.- 5:00
p.m.
Monday - Friday
St. Louis Police Dept.
108 W. Saginaw St.
Hours
Mon. 7 - 3
Tues. - Fri. 8 - 4
These sites accept
prescription pills and patches.
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Program Needs
Gas Cards
to help cover the cost for medical travel to Grand Rapids or help with transportation of foster children.
Gift Cards to Walmart and Meijer to purchase the specific needs of a child.
Drawing Paper
Puzzles
New Children's Books
Play-dough
Games for younger children to play
Capri Sun Juice Box's
Bottled Water
Community donations help the quality of our programs and are greatly appreciated. Donations can be made directly at Child Advocacy or by contacting our office. (989) 463-1422
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Your Feedback!
"Thank you, Child Advocacy-Gratiot County, for investing in the lives of young people in this area and for connecting area heroes with such an incredible opportunity to serve and be served!"
Andi Whitmore
Shop with a Hero volunteer
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This month the Children's Advocacy Center will be hosting it's 3rd annual Princess & Pirate Party. Please join us February 12th for a Royal Fundraiser to help support the Children's Advocacy Center of Gratiot County.
Who is your favorite superhero? May 13, 2017 will mark the 10th annual Child Advocacy 5K fundraiser. This event offers fun for the whole family and encourages superhero-theme costumes.
Please enjoy our newsletter,
Child Advocacy Staff
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Upcoming Events
Princess & Pirate Party
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Youth for Christ - Alma
Draw Bridge opens at 3:00 p.m. and closes at 4:30 p.m.
Princesses, Princes, Kings, Queens, Captains, Pirates, and Mermaids are all welcome! Princess and Pirate attire encouraged, but not required.
Tickets -$10 a person in advance
$15 at the door
Photo Opportunities with real Princesses, Snacks, Games, Treasure, Updo's, and MORE...........
All proceeds to benefit the Children's Advocacy Center of Gratiot County.
CASA Trivia Night
The Sequel
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Alma Elks Lodge # 1400 - Alma
Doors open at 6:30, Trivia Play begins at 7:30
No Silent Auction, No Big Production, No Kidding
Just Trivia!
Team tables now available.
Click here to print a registration form, for more information please contact Michelle at (989)463-1422.
Charity Basketball Game
Alma High School Alumni vs. Ithaca High School Alumni
Friday, April 21 at 7:00 p.m
Alma High School Gymnasium
Proceeds to benefit Child Abuse and Neglect programs
of Gratiot County.
Child Advocacy Superhero 5K
Please mark your calendar for our annual 5K race!
Saturday, May 13 at 9:00 a.m.
Alma Armory, 710 N. State St.
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Above the Influence
Basketball Nights
By: Sara Krebs
Coalition Coordinato
r
Everyone is bombarded daily with many different stressors, and teens are no exception. The amount of stress and the pressures that teens deal with each day can vary greatly as they are working to figure out who they are, and who they would like to be. Schoolwork, extra-curricular activities, friendships, social media, college applications; there are many obligations that teens today have. While these may seem like positive things, sometimes they can be very overwhelming, and many times teens are presented with negative influences (drugs, alcohol, bullying, etc.) to deal with some of the pressures that they face. It is important for teens today to have the knowledge and tools available to stand up against these negative influences.
There are many different resources in a teen's life which can help provide valuable knowledge for teens to stand up against negative pressures. One of these resources/groups is the Above the Influence Campaign. Above the Influence is a national non-profit campaign that helps to provide new perspectives to teens and current information on negative influences like drugs, alcohol, and bullying. The Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition (GCSAC) runs Above the Influence groups at several local high schools. Throughout the school year GCSAC staff meet with students to help raise awareness of the different influences that impact local teens. Through Above the Influence group activities, students become aware of both positive and negative influences that they may encounter. This knowledge helps to prepare them to live above the influence of the negative influences that they may encounter as they face the many obligations they have each day.
High School students in Gratiot County have been working on organizing Above the Influence Basketball nights. Each Above the Influence High School Group has chosen a topic that they feel is important to educate their peers about. Join the local groups at one of the upcoming events, where activities will be held during halftime at upcoming basketball games and each of the Above the Influence groups will be distributing educational information on the following topics:
Alma High School Varsity Basketball Game
Friday, January 27th Topic: Addiction
Ithaca High School Varsity Basketball Game
Friday, February 10th Topic: Bullying
Fulton High School Varsity Basketball Game
Thursday, February 16th Topic: Bullying
Ashley High School Varsity Basketball Game
: Date TBD Topic: Tobacco
If you are interested in learning more about Substance Abuse Prevention in Gratiot County, please visit our Facebook page:
Above the Influence: Gratiot County
or visit our website:
www.gratiotdrugfree.org
to learn more about the Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition.
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Michigan State Police Human Trafficking Presentation
By: Nicole Showers
CAC Case Manager
During the January multi-disciplinary team meeting for the Children's Advocacy Center of Gratiot County, The Michigan State Police held a presentation on the dangers of human trafficking. The multi-disciplinary team is made up of law enforcement officials, Child Protective Service workers, Children's Advocacy Center staff members, members from the prosecutor's office, and mental health personnel. Each profession that is present at this monthly meeting brings a unique perspective on every child abuse case. In order to be able to provide the best services to families, the multi-disciplinary team completes training on several important topics. The presentation on human trafficking that was given by Lieutenant Sweeney of the Michigan State Police was an eye opener on the statistics and dangers of human trafficking. Here are a few facts about human trafficking:
-Human trafficking involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, and/or receiving a person through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.
-It can take as little as eight minutes for a trafficker to entice their target.
-Traffickers often recruit at schools, after-school events, malls, and online.
-The desired starting age for traffickers to recruit is 12 to 13 years old for girls and 12 years old for boys.
-The average life span of a trafficked child is seven years. They typically die from suicide, murder, disease, or drugs.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline phone number is: (888) 373-7888
*Information provided by Human Trafficking presentation by The Michigan State Police.
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Scheduled Classes
Foster/Adoptive/Relative Care Support Group
Tuesday, February 14
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
New Location: East Superior Christian Church - Alma
Please call our office at (989) 463-1422 to register for the class.
Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition Meeting
Monday February 13
1:00 p.m.
Youth for Christ
2550 W. Cheesman Rd.
Alma, MI 48801
Please call Sara at 989-463-1422 with any questions.
Nurturing Parenting Program
For Parents and Their School Age Children(5-11 years old)
January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16
5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Dinner will be provided
First United Methodist Church
116 S. Franklin St.
St. Louis, MI 48880
Free Training presented by Child Advocacy and Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition
10-Session Group-Based Program for Both Parents and Children that Teaches:
- How to increase empathy
- Nurturing ways to encourage appropriate behaviors
- Building Self-esteem and self-concept
- How to have fun as a family
Contact Morgan Rooy at Child Advocacy to Register
(989)463-1422.
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Greetings,
February is here! Wow! Where has the time gone?
We are busy here at Child Advocacy, so be sure to follow our Facebook page for up-to-date details on all of our events. You can follow us on Facebook at Child Advocacy - Gratiot County.
We held our 7th annual Family Carnival and Expo on Saturday, January 28th. The event was a great success with 500 people attending the event. A special thank you to the Alma College Baseball Team for running our carnival games. A big thank you to the students from YAC, all of our volunteers, the Lion's Club, Bryce Wickes, Central MI Youth for Christ, Pat Knapp, Rent Rite, the vendors, CMU's MAC TV, and everyone who visited our Family Carnival and Expo!
Please stop in and see us soon and check out all that Child Advocacy has to offer you and our community.
I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Sincerely,
Audra Stahl
Executive Director
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