Newsletter: print mailer 2019

spring | summer 2019 / vol. 126 / no. 1

Wichita, Kan. -April 26, 2019- KCSL President & CEO Dona Booe along with members of the Board of Directors and Foundation Trustees accept a donation from Westar Energy during KCSL’s 126th Annual Meeting. John Bridson, board member and vice president, generation at Westar, presented the $17,000 check for the Building Healthy Families program. We are grateful for Westar’s continued support for the sixth consecutive year!

2019 KCSL Board Chair Zachary Schultz, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt & KCSL President & CEO Dona Booe

Junod family shares why they are foster parents

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1st HFA accreditation process as multi-site begins

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Head Start staff enjoy year-end Field Day

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Did you know? Family-Friendly Workplaces

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KCSL HONORS ATTORNEY GENERAL, FORMER STAFF, LONGTIME VOLUNTEER AT THE 126TH ANNUAL MEETING LUNCHEON AND AWARDS CEREMONY Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) awarded Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt with our most prestigious honor, the Distinguished Service to Kansas Children Award at KCSL’s 126th Annual Meeting Luncheon and Awards Ceremony April 26. This award is presented to a person or an organization that has done exemplary work for Kansas children with a lasting impact. Attorney General Schmidt has supported KCSL throughout the years in many ways including Darkness to Light Stewards of Children Sexual Abuse Prevention trainings and the annual Governor’s Conference for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK Dear Friends,

Dona Booe | KCSL PRESIDENT & CEO

EMPORIA Derek Harvey, Ex-Officio Cyrilla Petracek EL DORADO Mary Martha Good GARDEN CITY Aaron Kucharik, Ex-Officio Zachary Schultz, Chair* HUTCHINSON Dan Dejmal Marilyn Graham Patrick Sullivan, Ex-Officio INDEPENDENCE Judge Jeffrey Gettler, At-Large Joanne Smith, Ex-Officio KANSAS CITY METRO Carol Bailey, At-Large Melinda Duckworth Chad Heggem LIBERAL Sheri King NORTON Karen Griffiths, 2nd Vice-Chair* PAOLA Heather Morgan TOPEKA John Bridson, 1st Vice-Chair* Lisa Brown Tom Krebs Chris Noack Mary Peterson, Secretary* Timothy Shultz, At-Large WICHITA Jeri Hewitt, Ex-Officio Brad Heyen, Treasurer* Jean Hogan Randy Steinert PRESIDENT/CEO Dona Booe *Denotes Executive Committee Member

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I am always hopeful as summer arrives that time for leisurely, sun-filled days will come my way. I approach each summer with a sincere belief that this will be the year that my flower beds will be without weeds; vacation plans and schedules will come and go without any stress; and efforts to commit more time to family and friend gatherings will be realized. It always seems so reasonable. Yet, as I drove home from work on our first truly hot and humid afternoon of this summer season, the sheer audacity of my summer hopes became all too clear.

I saw a young couple walking towards a busy intersection involved in a loud verbal altercation. They looked hot, tired and poorly dressed and groomed. The man was shouting at the woman, who was literally running to keep pace while pushing a stroller with a very young child. As the light changed, I stopped at the intersection in heavy traffic and heard him shout harshly to hurry (with a few superlatives added) as the blood bank would close in 20 minutes. Their destination was only a few more blocks away, but she was struggling and crying. The light changed to green, and I felt forced to move on.

We can each surmise for ourselves what underlying issues this young family might face and why they felt an urgent need to get to the plasma center. Regardless, it was heartbreaking to watch and recognize there was no way to reach them safely in that moment to help. I could not shake the flood of emotions that resulted. I feel so blessed that I have never had to experience such heartache; that I have never been treated or talked to so poorly; that I was never without decent clothes; and that I never had to “run” to get anywhere, let alone pushing a stroller. An image of their struggle at that moment is hard to erase from memory, and it has reminded me to think.

Perhaps my hopes for this summer should be that through KCSL’s extensive outreach efforts in the community, we can find this young family and help guide them to a better place. Maybe one with fewer weeds. Perhaps I should hope that any young parent’s travel to necessary appointments includes transportation and not their bare feet on hot pavement. Perhaps I should hope that this summer brings more families together with KCSL and our friends who can ease suffering with needed resources.

Perhaps we should all hope to find the strength and the means to help others find a fraction of happiness, serenity and security that we all enjoy every day.

Thank you for what you do to make certain we have the mission and the means to make summer brighter for many children and their parents. The hope you bring through your volunteerism, gifts and passion means so much.

With Hope,

THE JUNOD’S SHARE THEIR PASSION FOR FOSTER PARENTING No one plays a more vital role in the life of a foster child than the foster parent. KCSL has amazing resource families who are dedicated to the children in their care. Although Stone and Jennifer Junod have only provided foster care for less than a year, they are passionate about helping the children in their home.

“We started our foster care journey only wanting to house Respite and Police Protective Custody children,” said Jennifer.

“We ended up accepting long-term placement of two children we were familiar with from church who have stolen our hearts and are now beginning the process to adopt them.”

KS POST ADOPTION RESOURCE CENTER’S (K-PARC) MOMS BRUNCH July 27

BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH HEAD START AWARENESS MONTH Oct 1 thru Oct 31

Jennifer & Stone Junod, KCSL Foster Parents

Oct 22 thru Oct 24

“The fact that kids in the foster care system can have extensive trauma issues no matter what age they are really surprised us,” said Jennifer.

“Learning about Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TRBI) skills through K-PARC has been a life saver, and KCSL’s resource family social workers are exceptional and really care about our family.”

Nov 1 thru Nov 30

“We felt that God had laid this upon our hearts to help children in the foster care system,” said Jennifer. “Foster parenting requires dedication but we’ve never regretted fostering and the blessings far outweigh any sacrifice!”

STATEWIDE

GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE for the prevention of child abuse & neglect

As a statewide sponsor of resource homes, KCSL provides its foster families with the support, resources and training necessary for them to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children in their care. KCSL’s Kansas Post Adoption Resource Center (K-PARC) is one of many resources offered.

The Junod’s first heard about KCSL at a Foster the Cause meeting at their church. Foster the Cause is a partnering organization that recruits and educates new foster families by reaching out to local churches.

KCSL Morris Building TOPEKA

Capitol Plaza Hotel TOPEKA

NATIONAL ADOPTION MONTH STATEWIDE

PARENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Nov 15 thru Nov 16

Capitol Plaza Hotel TOPEKA

For more information on these events, please visit

kcsl.org

KCSL CELEBRATES NEW GARDEN CITY OFFICE On April 12, KCSL hosted an Open House for the new Garden City office on Labrador Boulevard. Staff gave away door prizes, served refreshments and presented information on KCSL’s local Head Start and Early Head Start programs. The Garden City Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony before the event. Attendees included Judge Christopher Sanders, Commissioner Roy Cessna and members from CASA, Mosaic and Garden City Police Department and many more! Special thanks to Aaron Kucharik, KCSL’s local Community Leadership and Development Council chair and board member, and Price & Sons Funeral Home for donating a beautiful custom pinwheel cake by Loving’s Cakes and to local artist Robin Valenzuela for lending her creative paintings to decorate the new office.

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HFA ACCREDITATION PROCESS CONTINUES THROUGH THE SUMMER KCSL began its first accreditation process with Healthy Families America (HFA) as a multi-site system this spring.

To start, HFA reviewed KCSL’s Healthy Families programs during a site visit March 3-5 in Topeka. In previous years, KCSL’s Healthy Families sites have been accredited by HFA individually.

In 2017, KCSL became affiliated as a multi-site system of HFA, creating a formalized central administration team to coordinate services among our 10 programs. The functions of the central administration system include training, quality assurance, technical assistance, policy development, data collection and evaluation, and administration and oversight.

“KCSL has a long history with Healthy Families America, and we’re excited about this new opportunity to be a multisite system,” said Kelly Hayes, Healthy Families Kansas director. “It will further improve and support the programs in our network.”

KCSL is one of only 10 Healthy Families multi-site systems nationwide. The accreditation process continues this summer with individual site visits to four KCSL office locations. During each visit, a team of peer reviewers interview families receiving services, assess staff and review files and other documentation.

The Topeka and Wichita offices recently completed their visits in June. The remaining site visits for Overland Park and Independence are scheduled in July. A detailed outcomes report will arrive sometime this fall, and the next accreditation process will be in 2024.

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Independence, Kan. -April 6, 2019- (center) Healthy Families Supervisor Erin Bunn greets attendees as they enjoy pancakes at “Chair”ish Independence. This year, the event moved to Memorial Hall Civic Center to accommodate more guests.

LOCAL ARTISTS CHANNEL THEIR INNER-CHILD FOR “CHAIR”ISH Each year, artists, volunteers and staff collaborate for KCSL’s “Chair”ish our Children, which features a live auction of children’s chairs creatively designed by local artists. KCSL hosted two “Chair”ish our Children events this year. The third annual event in Independence was held April 6 and included a free Chris Cakes breakfast funded by Westar Energy and featured the theme Nostalgic Indy.

“We loved having a theme that celebrates our town,” said Erin Bunn, Healthy Families supervisor in Independence. “The volunteers’ passion for the community and art really show in the chair designs.”

On April 27, our second “Chair”ish event included a social hour and dinner in Liberal. Artists designed chairs with their favorite characters from children’s movies including Harry Potter, Toy Story, Wildflower and many more.

“Attendees were very impressed by the talent displayed,” said Cecilia Douglass, KCSL grant development manager. “The chair theme sparked serious creativity, and the artists have expressed interest in contributing to future events.”

Proceeds from both events benefit KCSL’s child abuse prevention programs and services in their respective areas. Thank you to all the talented artists who donated their time and talent to these events.

We greatly appreciate all of our sponsors and the hard work of all the volunteers, especially KCSL’s local Community Leadership and Development Council members and Eisenhower Middle School in Liberal.

CONTINUED FROM COVER The ceremony was held at the Wichita Marriott and celebrated outgoing and new KCSL Board Directors and Foundation Trustees, staff milestones and achievements and a special volunteer.

Jack Cooley, who has been a KCSL volunteer in Liberal for nearly a decade, received the Glenna Van Metre Outstanding Volunteer Service award. Cooley has read to children in KCSL’s Head Start classrooms weekly for most of his time as a volunteer.

After retiring in 2008, Cooley sought volunteer opportunities so he could stay busy and continue giving back to his community.

Kansas City region from 2001-2008, Kirchhoff helped establish a private base of giving that produced new funding sources for KCSL’s Healthy Families Johnson County. Those relationships and gifts continue to fund our program in Johnson County today. Past Chair Margaret La Rue introduced our new Chairman of the Board of Directors, Zachary Schultz, attorney from Garden City. Schultz has been a KCSL volunteer for more than four years. We thank Past Chair La Rue for her service to continue KCSL’s mission to protect and promote the well-being of children.

“Your community is only as good as you are,” said Cooley. “It’s not just about giving money; it’s about seeing how community services work.”

This year, we honored Jim Gustavson of Wichita and SuEllen Fried of Prairie Village, two former KCSL Foundation Trustees, with Honorary Trustee Emeritus status for their exceptional leadership and volunteer service to KCSL over the years. Debbie Kirchhoff of Olathe received the Hilda Dyer Staff Achievement award.

As the development officer in the

Get to know the kids waiting for a ‘no matter what’ family!

Sophie | age 9 energetic

I ENJOY…taking care of animals, like kittens, playing dodge ball & roller skating.

KCSL Board Member Shirley Smith & Jack Cooley, 2019 Glenna Van Metre Outstanding Volunteer Service recipient

Meet great kids who need NO MATTER WHAT families on these stations: NORTHEAST KANSAS: Wednesday’s Child Lori Hutchinson on WIBW TV-13 SOUTHEAST KANSAS: Monday’s Child Lisa Oligis on KOAM TV-7

Thomas & Rylie | ages 15 & 13

dreaming big

BOTH SIBLINGS: Love being creative & greatly value their education.

877-457-5430 • adoptkskids.org

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IN MEMORIAM: of our departed Trustee Emeriti

We are deeply saddened to report the recent passing of three former KCSL Foundation Board of Trustees, Aileen DeBruce, James “Jim” Sloan and John “Jack” Winne. KCSL greatly appreciates their years of leadership and the gifts we have received in their honor.

Holcomb, Kan. -May 31, 2019- Enjoying some fun in the sun, Head Start and Early Head Start staff participate in Field Day activities to wrap up the school year. Employees received awards and celebrated program achievements.

SW PROGRAMS CELEBRATE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR Coordinators (FEC) received the program’s highest honors. Jessica Salgado accepted the Head Start Employee of the Year Award for going above and beyond in so many ways during the school year. And Josefina Chavez received the Head Start Leadership Award recognizing her compassion and problem solving skills. Employees were also recognized for completing child development certifications and enjoyed hamburgers and hotdogs catered by Great Western Dinning.

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JAN HOLMES Leroy Holmes Marvin & Mary Vidricksen Lois A. Shaw Tim & Kim Frederking

JAMES SLOAN 1927-2019 | Topeka, Honorary Trustee Emeritus 2015

Child eat ho

chapter for Prevent Child Abuse America, KCSL coordinates a campaign to raise awareness and promote promising prevention strategies. Major events included Wear Blue Day April 5 and Family Fun Day at Sedgwick County Zoo April 6. #W e ar Blue People across the state helped bring awareness to prevention efforts through the #GreatChildhoods campaign sharing their CAP Month activities and pinwheel gardens on our Facebook page. Continue to support and make child abuse prevention a priority year-round!

AILEEN DEBRUCE Eli & Melody Haskett Stephen F. & Carol Rose Rebecca L. Cox Cheryl L. Holland

AILEEN DEBRUCE 1927-2019 | Ulysses, Honorary Trustee Emeritus 2018

ods

APRIL WAS CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION (CAP) MONTH... As the Kansas

#Gr

On May 31, KCSL’s Head Start and Early Head Start program staff held a Field Day for their year-end event at the Holcomb Recreation Commission. The day began with a training about the Our Tomorrows Project, a family story gathering initiative from the University of Kansas, Center for Public Partnerships and Research. Staff broke into eight teams to compete in a car wash relay, three-legged race, water balloon volleyball, tug of war and a scavenger hunt. Two Family Engagement

MARTHA BAY BLACK Stephen & Cathie Yager Christopher & Janet Brogan Natalie Sollo VCV Georgetown, Inc. Richard E. & Celinda Black Susie Black

JACK WINNE 1935-2019 | Overland Park, Honorary Trustee Emeritus 2015

YVONNE HOGAN Frances J. Garcia Jeffery A. & Pamela Stroberg Robert J. & Carol McGaughey David & Susan Stroberg Kit Lambertz

DID YOU KNOW? KCSL educates community leaders on the importance of Family Friendly Workplace initiatives On Feb. 14, KCSL staff hosted two screenings of the documentary Resilience, The Biology of Stress and The Science of Hope at the State Capitol Visitor Center in Topeka. Legislators were invited to learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and its impact on our state and about initiatives for Kansas businesses to create Family Friendly Workplaces.

This spring, KCSL continued discussing Family Friendly Workplaces by presenting Making the Business Case for Prevention to several legislative committees and government agency heads, the Early Childhood Caucus, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, Kansas Power of the Positive and attendees of a prevention webinar. KCSL staff also presented ACEs research to employees at the Sedgwick County Adult Residential and Service Center and United Way of the Plains Education Summit Tackling Chronic Absenteeism.

Do you knit or crochet? CLICK for Babies We need you! Help us spread awareness of the dangers of shaking a baby and the Period of PURPLE Crying® by making purple infant caps for our CLICK for Babies campaign. Please send caps to KCSL’s office: 3545 SW 5th St., Topeka, 66606, no later than Sept. 30.

AKK’s new partner provides helpful recruitment tool Adopt Kansas Kids (AKK) began a partnership with America’s Kids Belong to participate in the I Belong Project,™ which uses high quality videography to give children in foster care a face and a voice. Children who do not have an identified adoptive placement are videotaped describing things they like, what they want in an adoptive family and other details about themselves. Watch the videos and learn how you can become a ‘no matter what family’ on AKK’s site, adoptkskids.org.

Communities statewide give to KCSL Kids 4 Kids, a student organization at Andover and Andover Central High Schools, donated to KCSL’s Kinship Navigator program in Wichita. This gift will help pay for legal guardianship for local families. Western Motor in Garden City hosted a diaper drive for KCSL’s Early Head Start program. The Wichita Community Foundation awarded 29 local nonprofits including KCSL’s Crisis Nursery with Wichita Wagonmasters Good Life Grants Fund. The grant will provide additional child care slots for Crisis Nursery, which offers short-term care services for children when parents are experiencing a crisis or extreme stress. And instead of receiving birthday gifts for themselves, two young girls Myah and Chloe asked

friends to purchase items for KCSL’s Healthy Families program in Emporia. We love seeing communities come together to help Kansas children and families thrive.

ACE collaborative recognized in international journal Earlier this year, the International Journal on Child Maltreatment published an article highlighting the work of Kansas Power of the Positive, a collaborative effort that focuses on reducing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and encouraging safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for Kansas children. The article covers the first five years of the collaborative team’s partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project. KCSL is part of the leadership team for Kansas Power of the Positive. Read the full article at http://bit.do/KPOPjournal2019.

New grant promotes healthy eating this fall KCSL’s Head Start program received $4,000 from the Kansas Local Food and Gardening grant provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services. This grant will allow each KCSL Head Start center to purchase seeds, potting soil, starter pots, shovels and watering cans. Staff at each site will plant their own garden in September. This experience will increase nutrition education helping children develop the knowledge, skills and motivation to make healthy food and activity choices as part of a healthy lifestyle.

“Wins for Kansas” recognizes Kinship program DeVaughn James Injury Lawyers and KAKE-TV awarded a “Wins for Kansas” $500 grant to our Kinship Navigator program in Wichita. Eligible nominees include non-profit organizations in Wichita and the surrounding areas that have a positive impact and add greater value to individuals and our community. Prevent Child Abuse Kansas Assistant Director at KCSL Pam Noble and Kinship program staff accepted the check and were featured in the weekly TV news segment on May 26. Funds from the grant will be used to help families pay for necessary legal services.

KDHE contracts with KCSL’s Parent Helpline Through a contract with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), KCSL’s Parent Helpline (1-800-CHILDREN) now serves as Kansas’ centralized access point to connect families to services and care coordination in their communities. The framework for this early childhood system, Help Me Grow Kansas, launched in April. This new collaboration with KDHE also included transferring their Kansas Resource Guide hotline to 1-800-CHILDREN. KCSL has already seen a significant increase in Helpline calls and app downloads.

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PAID Permit No. 652 Wichita, Kansas

CIMARRON

600 N 2nd St | (620) 855-3889

EMPORIA

215 W 6th Ave, Ste 209 | (620) 340-0408

GARDEN CITY

2111 E Labrador Blvd | (620) 276-3232 603 E Cedar | (620) 272-9611 4101 E Hwy. 50 #531 | (620) 276-4323 4101 E Hwy. 50 #620 | (620) 277-7148 121 W Walnut | (620) 805-1460

GREAT BEND

3520 Lakin Ave, Ste 107 | (620) 603-8442

HUGOTON

304 E 6th | (620) 544-7016

HUTCHINSON

129 W 2nd Ave, Ste E | (620) 664-5000

INDEPENDENCE

201 N Penn. Ave, Ste 307 | (877) 530-5275

LEOTI

108 W Broadway | (620) 375-4933

LIBERAL

50 Village Plaza| (620) 624-9220 836 S Jordan | (620) 626-5339 105 E 11th | (620) 276-3232

NEWTON

215 S Pine St, Ste 314 | (316) 333-1888

OVERLAND PARK

6025 Metcalf Lane, Ste 300 | (913) 371-2220

PITTSBURG

100 S Broadway St, Ste 201 | (620) 875-0078

SATANTA

603 Tecumseh Ave | (620) 290-9028

Kids View is published

by Kansas Children’s Service League, a private not-for-profit agency whose mission is to protect and promote the well-being of children.

CONTENT/DESIGN BY: DEENA WILLIAMS Communications Manager BRITTANY MILLIKAN Communications & Design Specialist © 2019 Kansas Children’s Service League

TOPEKA

3545 SW 5th St | (785) 274-3100 Center for Restorative Education 200 SE 40th St | (785) 438-6800

ULYSSES

921 N College | (620) 356-4180 837 N Baughman, Room E | (620) 424-4320

WICHITA

1365 N Custer | (316) 942-4261 Outpatient Mental Health: (316) 686-6671

A chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America