Learning, Information, News, Knowledge August 6, 2013 | Agency edition

It’s not just our name, IT’S OUR PROMISE

2

A Letter from Leslie

OUR 2012 ANNUAL REPORT IS NOW ONLINE!

Annual Report

To see your efforts in action, view our Annual Report online at: http://bit.ly/CFF2012AR

Thanks to the support of people like YOU, 2012 was a great year!

I hope you are all enjoying this summer that seems to be filled with storms and

heat. Personally, I prefer the sun!

The end of June was a busy time at CFF. We had some good news and some not so good news. The United Way did not make their goal this year. To make matters more challenging, due to changes in corporate giving, they had less money in the community impact fund. UW anticipated this and tried to build their campaign through the car raffle and bringing in new smaller businesses. They had mixed success, resulting in a 13.5% decrease in our allocations. We anticipated this decrease when we budgeted for 2013 but it still means fewer dollars for programs. On the other hand, our Grant In Aid remained flat. We had budgeted a small

decrease so are projections turned out to be pretty accurate.

In other news, our Board Advocacy Committee supported three bills which all passed the Senate and the House. They were:

House Bill 182: This bill provides the Family Court with discretion to determine whether it is appropriate to designate juvenile offenders who are under age fourteen on the date of the offense or who were over age fourteen on the date of the offense but did not commit one of the offenses enumerated in §§ 771-78 of Title 11 (for which registration is required pursuant to the federal Adam Walsh Act) as sex offenders, thus subjecting them to the registration and reporting requirements under Delaware law. This bill further provides for a review of registration for those persons who were under age fourteen on the date of the offense or who were over age fourteen on the date of the offense but did not commit one of the offenses enumerated in §§ 771-78 of Title 11 (for which registration is required pursuant to the federal Adam Walsh Act). This Bill does not adversely affect Delaware’s compliance with the federal Adam Walsh Act.

House Bill 125: This bill allows for the reinstatement of parental rights where a child remains in the custody of the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, despite reasonable efforts to secure a permanent plan of adoption. Where it is in the best interests of the child, this

bill allows for the legal relationship between the child and his or her biological family to be reinstated.

House Bill 163: This bill requires the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families to create and maintain a developmentally appropriate, comprehensive program that fully integrates independent living services from ages 14 to 21 and which will assist youth with their successful transition into adulthood. This bill reflects the work of youth and professionals on House Joint Resolution 18 from the 146th General Assembly.

Thanks to some great grant writing by our Development Team, we received generous grants to support building improvements/renovations at Seaford House. Grants came from the Welfare Foundation, Delaware Community Foundation, Ernest E. Stemple Foundation and Crestlea Foundation. We had additional help for Seaford House from Chicks For Charity who raised funds to purchase new outdoor furniture and Bonnie Sunnergren who held a party at her lovely home outside of Georgetown where attendees brought towels, blankets, sheets and other goods to improve the lives of our residents.

Let me know if you have questions.

Leslie

Celebration on Yellow Hats Final Day at Bancroft Dr. Harrison

recognizes Ken Livingston of Stubbs Elementary School for his efforts;

A group of “Yellow Hats” along with Dr. Harrison chat with students at

Bancroft Elementary School.

UD YOUTH STREET OUTREACH STUDENTS VOLUNTEER TIME & EXPERTISE AT EASTSIDE SCHOOLS

Yellow Hats at Eastside

Last spring 17 students taking Dr. Lana Harrison’s Criminal Justice/Sociology 467 course at the University of Delaware,

partnered with Stubbs and Bancroft Elementary Schools during after school program hours. From the end of February through mid-May, small groups of these students could be found Mondays through Thursdays, mentoring and playing games, at both schools fulfilling the goals of the Youth Street Outreach Project associated with Dr. Harrison’s course. The project is designed to:

“ • Build relationships with young people in our community through educational and recreational activities, and learn from them what information and programs they need and want.

• Provide youth with information they need and referrals to existing programs and services.

• The outreach workers can engage youth in healthy activities, and encourage them to continue their education.”

The symbol, worn by the students for this project, is a UD cap in yellow – therefore the group is dubbed the “Yellow Hats.”

Additionally Dr. Harrison’s students have come to the East-side on weekends to spend time with children in the area for six years. This year, with the added collaboration between Com-munity Schools and the Yellow Hats, many children from Stubbs and Bancroft spent time with them on weekends as well.

4

Get Fit with Keep The Beat Register for this FREE 10-week online physical activity challenge!

Learn about preventing heart disease and get your body in motion. It’s so good for your heart!

Sept. 10–Nov. 25, 2013Sign up and participate to win prizes!

HOW TO SIGN UP:

1. Join the Children & Families First team by September 9th by selecting our group from the drop-down menu at the website.

www.delawareonline.com/keepthebeat

2. Be active on your own, or with others. Fit in activity by walking, cycling, dancing, etc. Report your minutes weekly at the online site we provide you. Work up to getting the recommended 150 minutes of activity each week. Presented by the Delaware Center for Health Promotion at Delaware State University and The News Journal, with support from

Christiana Care Health System.

Event Snapshots April 28th, Brunch & Bubbly: Brunch & Bubbly raised $1,041 for Seaford house this Spring by inviting vendors to promote their businesses while guests mixed, mingled and munched on delicious bites prepared by Bear Trap and DiFebo’s Bistro. June 29th, Global Delaware: Global Delaware raised over $45,000 at Fish On which will help support local non-profits in Delaware including Children & Families First! Many

thanks to Global Delaware for their support!

6

Good SportsJune 21st, Killens State Park: CFF staff members and their families show their team spirit in the sack race at the Annual Picnic. Photos by Rhonda Adcox

Staff StoriesRunning Down Under: Corina Dunfee’s son, John Damron Jr., was invited by Down Under Sports to represent Delaware in two Cross Country events in Australia. He spent 7 days in Australia practicing and competing, with a few days free for sight-seeing. He ran the 5.7km in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon with a finishing time of 22:12. He was the 71st finisher out of 3,582 runners! He also ran in the All Ameri-can Meet with a finishing time of 20:08. Corina’s family is so proud of his accomplishments in Cross Country and glad he was able to be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity!

STAFFRATE $40

Join us for a unique creative arts & culinary experience!

SAVOR signature dishes by the area’s top restaurants...

SHOP beautiful works by local artisans...

ENJOY soothing sounds of live jazz...

SIP beer, wine & cocktails...

of art sales benefit Children & Families First

Get a jump on your Holiday shopping – all for a great cause! Cash, credit cards & checks accepted.

Open Bar Wall of Wine

Live Music Crab Feast Raffle

& Shopping Galore!

8

It’s not just our name, IT’S OUR PROMISE

WWW.CFFDE.ORG | (800) 220-3092 Children & Families First strengthens Delaware families by delivering an innovative and effective continuum of community-based social services.

In existence for more than 125 years, CFF builds the foundation for strong communities with child-centered and family-focused programs.