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
President & CEO
Pam Mahin
Office Manager
Staci Bigelow
Event/Volunteer Coordinator
Ty Warczinsky
GCSAC Program Director
Emily Whipple
GCSAC Coordinator
Sara Krebs
GCSAC Prevention Coordinator
GCSAC Prevention Educator
Morgan Rooy
CAN Program Director
Richelle Davis
CAN Prevention Educator
Michelle Zombeck
CASA Program Director
Danielle Schmidtman
CASA Recruitment Coordinator
CAC Program Director
Jennifer Stambaugh
CAC Victim Advocate
Nicole Showers
CAC Case Manager
Mallory Harrier
CAC Intake Coordinator
Board of Directors
President
Carolyn Studley
Community Represenative
Vice President
Matt Schooley
Alma City Manager
Secretary
Treasurer
Sara Bonacci
Community
Represenative
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 Integrated Health Network
Mark Williams
Alma Public Safety Administrator
Joe Yourchock
Community Representative
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Car Seat Safety |
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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 Boxes Bottled Water
Baby Pantry
Our items for our New Baby Bags are running low!
- Baby Shampoo & Soap
- Bottles
- Breast milk Storage Containers or Bags
- Diapers(P,N,1)
- Safety Items
- Shoes & Socks
- Teethers
- Towels
- Wipes
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!!!!! for coming into our classroom to teach us about Protect Yourself. One thing I learned from your visits is I can say NO to a adult if necessary."
Protect Yourself Student
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Please take a moment to read our program articles, great things are still happening here at Child Advocacy over the summer.
This month we welcome a new face to Child Advocacy. The new Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition Coordinator, Emily Whipple. View her welcome article below.
Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter,
Staci Bigelow
Volunteer/Event Coordinator
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Summer Hours
Starting the week of June 11
Monday - Thursday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Limited staff on Fridays, please call ahead.
Car Seats are by appointment only.
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Soar Human Trafficking Training
Submitted by: Nicole Showers
CAC Case Manager
In June, Child Advocacy sponsored a training titled: SOAR: Stop, Ask, Observe, Respond to Human Trafficking. This training was open to Child Advocacy's partner agencies and professionals within those agencies: there were 21 individuals in attendance. Stephanie Krieger from s7 Consulting presented the training, which was focused on how to identify human trafficking, screening questions to asses whether a person is a human trafficking victim, and response protocols for adults and children including mandatory reporting. If you, or your agency, are interested in receiving training related to human trafficking please contact Child Advocacy at (989) 463-1422.
Click here to view an informational video, created by the Manasseh Project out of Grand Rapids, on the effects of human trafficking.
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Welcome Emily Whipple
My name is Emily Whipple and I am proud to be joining Child Advocacy as the Substance Abuse Coalition Coordinator. As a long-time Gratiot County resident, I am thrilled to be able to share my enthusiasm for making Gratiot County the best that it can be. Also, I am ecstatic about this opportunity to work for such a great organization.
A little about myself-I am an Ithaca native. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Saginaw Valley State University. Previously, I worked in The Office of Community Corrections-Gratiot County for a little over two years as a part-time, and eventually full-time, Case Manager. My experiences have taught me so much and have given me insight into what the residents of Gratiot County need. Ranging from education regarding substances and their causes/effects to information regarding services offered in our county. I look forward to doing all that I can to assist in educating others about these effects and ways in which, together, we can solve these problems!
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Court Appointed Special Advocates
Submitted by: Danielle Schmidtman
CASA Recruitment Coordinator
(Pictured left to right: Judge Kristin Bakker, Fawn Thompson, Nancy Duffus, Pepper Near, Michelle Zombeck (CASA Program Director), and Danielle Schmidtman (CASA Recruitment Coordinator)
There are some amazing things happening for the CASA Program! I am very proud to announce that on June 12th, we swore-in three new volunteers at the Gratiot County Courthouse: Fawn Thompson, Nancy Duffus, and Pepper Near! It was a true honor to watch these volunteers grow as advocates throughout training and to stand beside them as they took an oath to give children in Gratiot County a voice.
These three women bring incredible strengths to our already amazing group of volunteers.
Fawn Thompson is an active volunteer for Girls on the Run, the Mid Michigan Foster and Adoptive Coalition, and 4-H. Fawn is a loving mother and has been described as being
compassionate, understanding, and encouraging.
Nancy Duffus has over 30 years of experience in the medical field and is a proud Army veteran. Nancy is also a loving mother and grandmother. She has been described as loyal, faithful, and determined.
Pepper Near is a child care professional with a Master's degree in Human Development and Family Studies. Pepper has extensive knowledge of child development and has been described as compassionate, educated, and a strong advocate for youth.
We are currently seeking volunteers for our next training class, starting in September! Fall training will be held twice a week starting on Sept 11.
If you are interested in learning more, please contact Danielle at
danielle@linkforfamilies.org
or submit an application on our website, linkforfamilies.org!
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Scheduled Classes
Foster/Adoptive/Relative Care Support Group
Tuesday, July 10
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
East Superior Christian Church - Alma
Please call our office to RSVP at (989)463-1422 or email morgan@linkforfamilies.org.
Gratiot County Substance Abuse Coalition Meeting
No July Meeting, please check back for the August meeting.
Please call Sara at 989-463-1422 with any questions.
The Baby Pantry
Every Wednesday
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Wilcox Non-Profit Building - Alma
The Baby Pantry will be closed on July 4th in observance of Independence Day.
For more information about the Baby Pantry please contact Morgan Rooy at (989)463-1422.
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Happy Independence Day!
I hope you are having a great summer so far. It seems to fly by very fast. As we begin planning for back to school and the fall/winter calendar, we have started to evaluate our events, fundraisers, and trainings. We would love to hear feedback from you on what types of community/family events and trainings that you would like to see Child Advocacy put on free of charge. We would also love to hear what type of fundraisers you would be willing to support throughout the year. It is necessary for Child Advocacy to host fundraisers and ask for donations to keep our programs running. Fundraising/donation dollars fill in the gaps where our grants fall short. If you have an idea or would like to assist us with the planning of these things we would love to hear from you. Please give our Event Coordinator a call at 989-463-1422 and ask for Staci or email her at staci@linkforfamilies.org.
Please keep reading our newsletter for upcoming events and information and we wish you a happy and healthy 4th of July!
Thank you for reading our newsletter!
Sincerely,
Audra Stahl
President & CEO
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