covenanttocare's Blog

We had to reduce our receptionist poition to 15 hours. Lucky for her she found a full-time job and is now leaving us. We have a hiring freeze which prevents me from hiring even a part-time person to replace her.

We are looking for someone who has very strong telephone and one-on-one skills to work as our receptionist. The individual will get extra points if they have basic HTML skills for email blast set up and online community maintenacne.

Excellent writing skills are a must.

THIS IS A VOLUNTEER UNPAID POSTION.

We are looking for someone who will work between 15 and 36 hours a week 8:30 to 4:00 M-F.

When the hiring freeze is lifted the volunteer in place will be the first considered for hire. Regardless, I will provide a personal letter of recommendation for the individual; the experience can be added to a resume, and we will be flexible if you need to take time to go on interviews.

This sort of thing will look good to any employer and is better than daytime TV.

Plus you will be helping serve 25,000 abused, negelcted or at-risk kids in the state of Connecituct.

If you are interested, please call 860-243-1806 and ask for Dave.

Covenant to Care for Children asks that your faith community join us in a very bold and powerful effort again this April…a Prayer Weekend for children in our State. This event was a big success last year and we are hoping to have twice as many participants this year. For more than 20 years, Covenant to Care for Children has mobilized and channeled the generosity of caring and faithful people, like you, to advocate for, mentor, and provide direct assistance to abused, neglected and at-risk children and youth in Connecticut. We have done this in unique partnerships with more than 260 faith-based organizations, communities of faith just like yours. Covenant to Care for Children serves nearly 25,000 children each year, but this is only possible through the collective efforts and involvement of all these faith communities. April is National Child Abuse Prevention month. The theme for this year is “The Winds of Change…It’s Your Turn." This theme encourages individuals to take action and make children a priority in our communities. The majority of child abuse cases stem from situations and conditions that are entirely preventable in an engaged and supportive community. We are asking you to make a choice to join us in finding the spirit and strength to end the cycle of child abuse in Connecticut. We want all our faith-based partners to join each other and us in offering a special prayer during your services the first weekend in April. Please do all you can to ensure your faith community takes part in this amazing effort! As part of this state-wide effort we are also asking you to take a special collection to support the continuing work of Covenant to Care for Children as we move to serve even more children. Our appeal is that together the members of all faith communities be given the strength to end the cycle of child abuse; that we be given the wisdom to turn our attention away from providing a "safety net" for some families and toward creating a community-wide commitment to support all parents and children in ways that make them stronger and healthier; that our legislators open their hearts and minds to the plight of the most helpless of our citizens; that everyone in Connecticut celebrates families and all the things a community can do to support its parents and children. Imagine the power of all Connecticut’s faith communities offering a single prayer to end child abuse! Please join us on this journey. We have included a flyer that you may print and distribute throughout your community. This and other child abuse prevention information and awareness tools are available on our website for download. We plan to have media coverage of this event and would love to include you in the list of participating faith communities. Please let us know by March 20, 2009, if you will be joining us in this exciting opportunity by RSVP to 860-243-1806 x18. Thank you so much for all you have done to support the work of Covenant to Care for Children as we aid neglected, abused and at-risk children and youth in Connecticut.

The Blue Ribbon Campaign began in Virginia in 1989 when a grandmother, Bonnie W. Finney, tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her van "to make people wonder." The story she told to inquisitive community members was a tragic story about the abuse of her grandchildren, which ultimately led to the brutal death of her grandson. "It has been so long since I sat by my grandson's side in the hospital. Of course, I knew something was wrong as I sat there, I saw fear on his face, the bruises on his body, and the healing cigarette burns on his hands. His doctor did not believe my daughter's story he fell in slippery water in the bathtub'." "After the ordeal at the hospital my grandson was placed into foster care for three weeks. He cried when they came to take him back to his mother I ached for this dilemma, but I was not physically able to care for him." "I never saw him again. My 16-month old granddaughter was hospitalized after being beaten severely Her leg broken in four places and her hand burned from the tip of her little fingers to her wrist. It was only then that the search was on for my grandson. We learned that he had been killed, wrapped in a sheet, stuffed in a toolbox and dumped into the dismal swamp three months earlier." "My grandchildren had suffered and battled so much throughout their young lives that it sickened me. My life was turned into physical and mental chaos. My efforts to understand became a plea to stop abusing children. I tied a blue ribbon on my van antenna to make people wonder. Why blue? I intend never to forget the battered, bruised bodies of my grandchildren. Blue serves as a constant reminder to me to fight for protection for our children." The story of Bonnie Finney demonstrates the effect that just one concerned citizen can have on raising public awareness of child abuse and in promoting prevention. Since Bonnie Finney first tied that blue ribbon to her van antenna in 1989, millions of people across the country have participated in blue ribbon campaigns. Each year more people join the effort by wearing blue ribbons, encouraging others to wear and display them, and getting involved in community activities to "make people wonder" about the significance of the blue ribbon. Our Adopt a Social Worker Program is the core program at Covenant to Care for Children. It was begun with the realization that sometimes all a family or child needs is a helping hand and the knowledge that someone cares. By providing for the children we serve we can change their future; help reunify a family; or even prevent a family from being torn apart. Covenant to Care for Children provides services throughout Connecticut but we do this with only 13 paid staff persons. There is only one way that such a small staff can have the tremendous impact we have on the children of Connecticut and that is through all of our caring and faithful volunteers from faith-based organizations and community groups. Covenant to Care for Children invites you to get involved this year, and make this the best Child Abuse Prevention Month Connecticut has ever seen. Start or join your Faith-Based organization's Adopt A Social Worker effort, become a Mentor, and make a donation to Covenant to Care for Children. Together, we will bring hope and possibilities to the abused, neglected and at-risk children of Connecticut.

The Winds of Change… It’s Your Turn!

Remember the 5 Rs

Remember that children are the future Children are our future and their early years have an enormous impact on their future health and success. Child abuse prevention is one result of a firm community commitment to support children and the families raising them. You can help by making a donation right now. www.covenantotcare.org

Recognize prevention is a shared responsibility Parenting is the toughest job any of us will ever undertake, and our most important civic contribution. As parents we have enormous responsibility to raise our children to be productive members of society, and as citizens we are responsible for ensuring that all parents and families have access to the support, information and services they need to succeed.

Raise the issue of prevention We all care about the issue of child abuse. But, we hear a lot more about the problem than we do about the solutions. Preventing child abuse means setting the stage for healthy, stable families who have the tools they need for nurturing their children. Help your community understand prevention. Ask your elected officials to support programs and services, like those at Covenant to Care for Children that help children and families. Contact your local school district and faith based organizations to encourage them to participate in our Adopt a Social Worker Program or sponsor classes and support programs for new parents.

Reach out to kids and parents Anything you do to support kids and parents in your family and extended community helps reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. Commit to mentoring an at-risk youth for one year. Be a good neighbor. Offer to baby-sit. Donate your used children's clothing, furniture and toys for use by another family through our Critical Goods Program. Be kind and supportive, particularly to new parents and their children. Recommend ideas that your community can use There are many programs, services and actions that support families and prevent child abuse. Facilitate friendships and support. Offer opportunities for parents in the neighborhood to get to know each other, develop support systems, and take leadership roles, such as volunteering to serve on the Board of Directors at Covenant to Care for Children. Strengthen parenting. Develop ways for parents to get support on parenting issues when they need it. Possibilities include: classes, support groups, home visits, helping place our tip sheets in pediatricians' offices and other places parents frequent, and resource libraries.

Respond to family crises Offer extra support to families when they need it, as in times of illness, job loss, housing problems and other stressors. Link families to services and opportunities: make sure families know where to go for job training, education, health care, mental health and other essential services.

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Adapted from Building on Strengths: Enhancing Protective Factors for Children and Families, National Clearinghouse of Child Abuse and Neglect Information. (v2009)

We are looking for black male professionals to mentor a child in Connecticut for a minimum of one year. These are children, young boys and men, who have a parent incarcerated and who are living in Connecticut. It is estimated that there are over 23,000 children in Connecticut who have a parent(s) in prison, too large a number of these children are black and male. Mentoring offers them a choice to be more than they have been told they can be, it helps them make better decisions, and builds trust and community for these children. Change the future for a black child today. Step up to the challenge of our youth's futures. Call us to volunteer to be a mentor if you live anywhere in Connecticut. The need is urgent. Thanks Covenant To Care for Children 860-243-1806 Hartford 203- 377-4037 Stratford 203-574-0365 Waterbury

On Saturday, August 23rd, members of the Covenant to Care for Children staff attended "Simply Speaking," a public speaking seminar led by Mr. Lenny Laskowski. Mr. Laskowski is an international professional speaker whose books and seminars have improved the public communication skills of thousands of people worldwide, and he was generous enough to provide CCC with a free, private seminar. The program was held at the Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Stratford, CT.

Rich Davis, our Reach One Youth Mentoring Coordinator, was impressed with how easy it was to apply some of Mr. Laskowski's tips. At one point in the seminar, CCC staff members were asked to interview a co-worker and present information about that staff member to the rest of the audience. Rich described how Mr. Laskowski quickly and easily improved the performance of the speaker. "When we clutched onto our notes and died a slow death in front of the class, and [he] simply took the notes away," said Rich, "every student went from zero to sixty with that simple hint."

All those who attended the event found Mr. Laskowski's ideas extremely useful in making them more effective public speakers. We are grateful to Mr. Laskowski for taking his time to provide us with this excellent opportunity.

Vanessa, Dave, and Mr. Laskowski at the seminar