Dear Volunteer Child Advocates and Supporters of Our Youth,
We have been hard at work to make sure we can meet the growing complex needs of the children we serve. We told you earlier in the year we were more committed than ever to make sure children thrive and their social, emotional, medical, and educational needs are met while in care. We don't do this work alone. It takes our volunteer child advocates, our donors, and community partners to help us meet those needs and we thank each of you for being a part of this work.
We couldn't be prouder to offer a special edition e-newsletter to share all the exciting opportunities and resources for youth in the GAL Program. There are more opportunities in the works and we hope you will take advantage of these new resources our partners and donors helped make possible.
If you can't attend, we will still accept full size hygiene donations to support our teens at any office location through the end of April. We are also currently collecting donations of pajamas (all sizes infant-18), books, diapers (all sizes), and formula to meet the needs or relative and non-relative caregivers who open their homes in an emergency to care for our children. If you have a civic group that would like to discuss a project to help support our children, please don't hesitate to reach out to
AmyF@galf6.org.
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Vision 20/20 & Children's Needs Committee
Tuesday, March 28, 6-7:30pm
ICOT Office: 14102 58th Street; Clearwater
Planning meeting for the Vision 20/20 Committee and Children's Needs Committee. If you want to help with activities and resources for youth or marketing and telling the story of how GALs make a difference-join us!
Hamburger Mary's Clearwater Bingo Night
Wednesday, April 5, 7:30pm
28910 US Hwy 19 Clearwater, FL
Come join us at Hamburger Mary's Clearwater on Wednesday, April 5th to eat, drink, and be Mary...while raising funds to support children's needs in foster care! Bingo is $10 for 10 games-and we have some great prizes. You also don't want to miss an opportunity to participate in a raffle to win a 60" TV or the 50/50 raffle - bring cash and be ready for a good time.
Reservations should be made in advance by calling 727-400-6996!
Life Skills 101: Financial Fitness
Tuesday, April 18, 5:30-7:30pm
ICOT Office: 14102 58th Street North; Clearwater
Youth Ages 15-21
Join us for a fun, interactive workshop where you will learn the basics of banking and how to manage your money to meet your goals (whether that is saving up for a prom dress, car, or a more long term goal). Dinner will be provided. Register
here.
Cooking Matters Pinellas
6 Thursdays starting April 20, 6-8pm
Kimberly Home: 1189 NE Cleveland St; Clearwater
Youth Ages 14-18
Come to one session or all six! Learn how to prepare delicious, healthy, budget friendly recipes. Participate in a competitive cook-off and win a $20 gift card
and receive a tote bag with utensils, and a cookbook and cooking guide.
Questions or to RSVP: Evelien 727-464-6528
Cooking Matters Pasco
April 4, 11, 18, 25, May 2 & 9; 4-6pm
Hope Lutheran Church: 12321 Canton Ave; Hudson
Youth Ages 14-18
Come to one session or all six! Learn how to prepare delicious, healthy, budget friendly recipes. Complete all 6 lessons and receive free giveaways!
Questions or to RSVP: Suzanne 727-834-3493
Breakfast and Books (and PJs too!)
Saturday, April 22 9:30-11:30 AM
ICOT Office: 14102 58th Street North; Clearwater
Think there is nothing better than a fresh, new pair of pajamas??? Well, how about a fresh new pair of pajamas
and
an exciting new book to read before bed?
Congregants at St. Matthew's Church and the Greater Federation of Women's Clubs will be supplying new pjs and books to children in the GAL Program. Coffee and and a light breakfast will be provided.
Click here for more information.
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Prom Season Resources Available
The
Tampa Bay Area Belle of the Ball Project offers dresses and accessories for area high school students experiencing financial difficulties. Shopping dates are held in Clearwater on 3/25, 4/8, 4/22, and 5/6. To find out more visit the above website or their Facebook page. But wait-boys, we didn't forget about you! Men's Warehouse has donated gift cards for tux rentals as well as other items. Please see your CAM to complete a
request form for assistance with tuxes or other prom fees.
Infant Items Available
Special thanks to
Angels Against Abuse for assisting with
the overwhelming emergency needs we are experiencing.
If you are a GAL for an infant who needs safe sleeping arrangements, please have your CAM complete a request form and you can pick up a pack-n-play and sheets at the ICOT office. Pasco GALs we can transport items to Pasco for you-please coordinate requests with your CAM. We also
have a limited supply of diapers and formula for relative and non-relative caregivers only while they wait for funds and assistance to be provided.
Florida State Elks Association Offers Resident Camp Scholarships
Special thanks to former GAL, John L. Gudavich, a limited number of scholarships are available for GAL children 9-13 to attend a week of resident camp. Campers enjoy modern cabins while participating in swimming, archery, arts 'n'
crafts, campfires and more. To learn more information about the camps click here. GALs will need to work in tandem with
case management and caregivers to gain permission to the information needed to apply for scholarships. Scholarships are limited and the deadline is 5/1/17. Please download this form and manually fill out and circle
the week your child is interested. Once the application is complete, please email it to jlgudavich@aol.com.
STEM TEC 4 Week Camp Program Available
Who: Youth 14-17 with a 2.5 GPA or higher
When: June 4-30; Mon-Fri 8am-3pm
Where: SPC Downtown
The program consists of hands-on activities in various career industries, workplace readiness training, teambuilding, goal setting and personal motivation. In addition, youth will have the opportunity to visit some employer
sites and have job shadowing experiences in STEM specific fields. Students who successfully complete the program will receive a $400 stipend. Bus passes are available to assist with transportation. If you have a youth who interested and eligible
, please contact
AmyF@galf6.org
.
Other Camp Resources Available
If you advocate for a child who would be interested in attending a day camp program at Great Explorations, Ruth Eckerd Hall, or the Dali Museum please contact
AmyF@galf6.org before completing the Let Kids Be Kids request form. We have a partner that may be able to help!
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Next Month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month! What will you do to make a difference in the life of a child? Click here to learn more about becoming a GAL, to volunteer for the Foundation, or donate to help meet the growing needs of children in care.
At the end of February 2016, we had fulfilled 40 specific requests. At the end of February 2017, we have fulfilled over 125 requests totaling a value of over $13,000.
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Children Who Have a Guardian ad Litem
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Do Better in School
Have Fewer Placement Changes
Receive More Services
More Likely to be Adopted
Spend Less Time in Foster Care
Are 50% Less Likely to Return to Care
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Support the
Guardian ad Litem Foundation
of Tampa Bay
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| To provide advocacy and support for abused, abandoned, or neglected children in the Guardian ad Litem Program of Pinellas and Pasco Counties. |
| We envision a world where every child has a safe and permanent home with the opportunity to thrive. |
APRIL is Volunteer Appreciation Month!
Without committed volunteers like you, children would have no voice in court and are more likely to languish while in out of home care. We want to make sure your employer, family and others know how valuable your service is to the Guardian ad Litem Program and Foundation.
Please fill out
by April 1st.
Thank you for all you do for our kids! We really couldn't do it without you!
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Does Your Company Offer a Matching Gift Program?
A matching gift is a charitable donation by a corporation that matches an employee's donation to an eligible nonprofit organization, most often dollar for dollar. Thousands of companies across the country have matching gift programs. To see if your company might be one of them, look here:
If your company is not on this list, check with your HR Department to see if your company matches monetary donations or volunteer time.
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