CA with tag line 

 525 N. State Street · Suite 4 · Alma, MI 48801 
(989) 463-1422



"The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories ."
                 
- Og Mandino
In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Community Awareness Campaign
Above the Influence
About Us 

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 Rayburn
GCSAC Coordinator

Sara Krebs 
GCSAC Prevention
 Coordinator 
 
Alexa Morton
 GCSAC Prevention Educator
 
Morgan Rooy
CAN Program Director
 
 Richelle Davis 
CAN Prevention Educator
 
Michelle Zombeck 
 CASA Program Director    
 
Rachel Letsche
CASA Recruitment Coordinator
 
Heather Therrien  
CAC Program Director

Jennifer Stambaugh
CAC Victim Advocate
 
Nicole Showers
CAC Case Manager

Nikky Holton
CAC Intake Coordinator
 
Board of Directors  

President
Carolyn Studley
Community 
 Representative
   
Vice President 
Jennifer Leppien
Community Representative

Secretary
   
Treasurer
Sara Bonacci
Community 
Representative

Garth Anderson
Commercial Bank

Brett Baublitz
Transportation Director/City of Alma

Colleen Davis
Prosecuting Attorney's Office 
   
Jim Dubey
Garr Tool 

Rob DuHadway
DuHadway Dance Dimentions

Tammy Halfmann
Mercantile Bank

David Justin
 Alma School Board
 
John Morey
CPA

Mike Morris
Gratiot County Sheriff
     
Alison Morrison
Dept. of Health and Human Services 
 
Jennifer Siefker
Tri-Lakes Petroleum

Michelle Stillwagon
Gratiot Integrated Health Network

Kevin Sweeney
Michigan State Police

Katie Tobias
Katie Tobias State Farm

Annette Weller-Collison
Kahn Consulting, INC.
 
Mark Williams
Alma Public Safety Administrator 
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.  
8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Monday - Friday
 
Breckenridge Police Dept.
 104 E. Saginaw St.
8:00 a.m.- 5:00  p.m.
Monday - Friday
 
St. Louis Police Dept.
300 N. Mill St.
Mon. 7 - 3 
Tues. - Fri. 8 - 4 
 
These sites accept
prescription pills and patches.

Quick Links
 
Join Our Mailing List

We hope this newsletter finds you safe and well. As an agency we are continuing to adjust and make programming changes to continue to serve Gratiot County.

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter,
Staci Bigelow
Volunteer/Event Coordinator 
Check out our website www.linkforfamilies.org .

Telling Their Stories Virtual Art Gallery
Please visit our Facebook Page, Child Advocacy-Gratiot County, throughout the month of June to view our virtual Art Gallery. The gallery will showcase art submitted from children involved with our Children's Advocacy Center, CASA, and Above the Influence.
Community Awareness Campaign
Submitted by: Nikky Holton
CAC Intake Coordinator

In 2018, Child Advocacy received a grant to gauge our community's response to children who are crime victims because of the opioid crisis and substance abuse. At the Children's Advocacy Center (CAC), a program of Child Advocacy, we serve a large number of clients who have a component of substance abuse affecting their lives. Since receiving the grant, the CAC Victim Advocate, Jennifer has been busy enhancing victim advocacy services (support groups, court accompaniment, crisis intervention and much more!) and creating opportunities to better identify clients impacted by substance abuse.

In the summer of 2018, we conducted a community bench mark survey to assess Gratiot County's capacity to respond to substance use challenges with a special emphasis on child crime victims. The resounding concern from survey respondents was the under-utilization of local substance abuse resources. Recognizing this and seeing firsthand the correlation between substance abuse and the increased risk of child abuse, we are rolling out a community awareness campaign to highlight substance abuse resources in Gratiot County and will be touching on topics that affect individuals with a substance abuse disorder, including stigma.

Be on the lookout for this awareness campaign to begin in July on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Child-Advocacy-Gratiot-County-236412464569/

Above the Influence
Submitted by: Alexa Morton
GCSAC Prevention Educator

Although our school year did not end the way we planned, our Above the Influence students have still been working hard to raise awareness in our community. 

For the month of April, the ATI students raised awareness on alcohol and the dangerous effects and impact it can have on adults and our youth. For the month of May, we honored our ATI seniors for all their hard work and dedication to being leaders in our community. For the month of June, we will be having a virtual art show where the ATI students have drawn or painted a piece of art that express how they stay Above the Influence in some form. There will also be artwork displayed from both our Children's Advocacy Center, as well as our CASA kids. 

Please follow our Child Advocacy Facebook page, Child Advocacy - Gratiot County, as well as our Above the Influence Facebook page, Above the Influence: Gratiot County, so you can follow all the unique things our students are doing.

Thank you to our Above the Influence Seniors!

Greetings,
If you have had the chance to drive down N. State St. in Alma you will see our new building project got underway this month.  We did not have the chance to do a formal ground breaking due to COVID 19, but we will plan for some sort of celebration later this summer when it is safe for all of us to gather again.  In the meantime we will post updates regarding the progress of the project on our Facebook page over the coming months.  The project is estimated to take around nine months to complete.  To say we are excited about moving into our new building is an understatement.  

To anyone who works at the Wilcox Non-Profit Center or lives in the neighborhood we would like to offer our sincerest thanks for your patience and encouraging words.  Your support means the world to us and we look forward to continuing our work with families and children in this community.

Sincerely,
Audra Stahl
President & CEO