JULY 2008

Spotlight

on Children & Families

A PUBLICATION FOR FRIENDS OF SUMMIT COUNTY CHILDREN SERVICES

Lt. John “Ed” Duvall Honored at SCCS

Shown at the recent ceremony honoring the late Lt. John “Ed” Duvall are: (from left) SCCS Executive Director John Saros; Akron Police Chief Michael Matulavich; Mary Duvall; Dr. Daryl Steiner, Director of the Children at Risk Evaluation (CARE) program at Akron Children’s Hospital; and SCCS Board Chair Dan Bell.

For many years, the late Akron Police Lt. John “Ed” Duvall, Jr. demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the service of families and children throughout Sumit County. In celebration of his many important contributions, a ceremony in his honor was recently held at the agency. At the ceremony, Summit County Children Services presented his widow, Mary, with an award in his honor. In addition, SCCS, in partnership with the Akron Police Department and the CARE Center at Akron Children’s Hospital, announced the establishment of the Lt. John “Ed” Duvall, Jr. ‘Detective of the Year’ award to be given annually in recognition of a local law enforcement officer’s “tenacity, commitment and integrity while serving the families and children of Summit County.”

2008 Child and Family Awareness Month This year’s 21st Annual ‘Child and Family Awareness Month’ is now history – but countless memories remain of the many fun and educational activities which were held throughout April. Summit County Children Services would like to extend an official ‘thank you’ to the many organizations which contributed to the various CAFAM events. These valued partners include: Akron Children’s Hospital and PATHS Program Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority Akron Police Department Akron Public Schools Akron-Summit Community Action, Inc. Head Start Akron-Summit County Public Library Akron-UMADAOP, Inc. Akron Zoo

PROTECTING

Alliance of Summit County Childcaring Providers Bill White’s Akron Lanes Child Care Connection Child Guidance & Family Solutions City of Akron Foresters Girl Scouts of North East Ohio KeyBank, N.A. Life Skills Center of Summit County

CHILDREN AND

METRO Regional Transit Authority OHDELA OMNOVA Solutions Foundation PBS 45 & 49 Prevent Child Abuse Ohio Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library Summit County Children Services Women’s Auxiliary Board Summit County Domestic Relations Court

STRENGTHENING

Summit County Educational Service Center Summit County Juvenile Court and Women’s Board Summit County Medical Alliance Summit County Sheriff’s Office White Hat Management

FAMILIES

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2 0 0 8 C H I L D A N D FA M I LY AWA R E N E S S M O N T H

Ten local professionals were recently honored during Child and Family Awareness Month by the Summit County Alliance of Childcaring Providers for their service to abused and neglected children in Summit County. The winners were: Front row (left to right) Suzie Lloyd (Summit County Children Services); Laurie Marniella (Summit County Children Services); Laurie Hanson-Estep (Summit County Children Services); Cheryl Hoover (Summit County Juvenile Court); Dietra Goggins (Summit County Sheriff ’s Department); and Stacy McKnight (Abraxas Ohio Youth and Family Services). Back row (left to right): Cathy Anderson (Akron Children’s Hospital); Kevin Floyd (Summit County Juvenile Court); Elena Bey (Summit County Children Services); and Lt. Gerald Kelley (Akron Police Department).

Third place PSA Contest Winner Max Morganti and a representative from St. Joseph School.

Memories of

Child and Family

Awareness Month 2008 SCCS Community Education Manager Julia Mothersbaugh and her daughter, Katieanne, were part of a large group of volunteers who helped plant the Pinwheels for Prevention on the agency’s front lawn. More than 6,000 pinwheels stretched across the agency’s front lawn during Child and Family Awareness Month – a symbol of the number of reports of abuse and neglect received in 2006 by SCCS. Photo credit: Sue Thompson, volunteer

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COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS

Ohio’s Safe Havens for Newborns Program What is Safe Havens for Newborns? Not all women who get pregnant are ready to raise a child. Sometimes they see no options except to abandon the baby. Safe Havens provides a new option. It allows a birth parent to leave a newborn infant (less than 72 hours old) with: • a medical worker in a hospital; • a medical worker at a fire department or other emergency service organization; or • a peace officer at a law enforcement agency. If the infant is left with a person at one of these places, and has not been abused, the parent will face no legal consequences for making this choice.

Who can take a newborn to a Safe Haven? Making bead bracelets was just one of many fun activities for kids of all ages at the Family Expo held at Summit Mall.

The birth parent (mother or father) can take a child to a Safe Haven. The law provides protection from prosecution only for the child’s parents.

Does the birth parent have to call before taking an infant to a Safe Haven? No. A birth parent may take a newborn to a Safe Haven at any time until the child is 72 hours, or three days, old.

What information will the birth parent have to provide? The birth parent is not required to provide any information, including his or her name. However, it would help the baby if the birth parent chose to provide basic health information. The birth parent will be offered a form to guide them in providing the most important health information.

What happens next?

Star of this year’s Summit Mall Family Expo was Clifford the Big Red Dog.

If the baby needs medical attention, it will be provided. The professional staff person who accepts the baby will contact the county children services agency and the baby will be placed in an adoptive home. There are many families who want to adopt a baby. When a parent cannot care for an infant, leaving the baby at a Safe Haven may be the best choice for the child. If the birth parent is not sure about this decision, an adoption social worker can help by providing information on available options and services for birth parents and their babies. Information is also available at the Ohio Help Me Grow website (www.ohiohelpmegrow.org ) or by calling toll-free (800) 755-GROW (4769). NOTE: Any birth parent who wants to raise a baby but doesn’t know how may use the same contact information to learn more about caring for and raising children.

EACH Award SCCS Executive Director John Saros accepts an award on behalf of the agency from East Akron Community House Executive Director Cazzell Smith, right, during EACH’s recent Celebration of 40 Years of Community Organizing. The award recognized SCCS’s leadership role in the advocacy efforts to place a full-service supermarket in the South Arlington Street Corridor. Summit County families await the opening of Zoorific 2008 at the Akron Zoo.

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VO L U N T E E R S , D O N O R S A N D S P O N S O R S

More Than 1,700 Easter Baskets Donated Among the others taking part in this year’s program were the following:

Allstate Insurance Company Copley Health Center Green High School Special Ed Class Holy Family Youth Ministry Candace Campbell Jackson Faith Lutheran Church Goodyear Heights Presbyterian Church Junior Women’s Civic Club Kenmore Church of the Nazarene Girl Scout Troup #394 Living Water Ministries Silverdonians Bober, Markey, Fedorovich & Company St. Eugene Church Amvets Ladies Auxiliary #176 Stow-Munroe Falls Newcomers Club Summit County Health Department

Sterling employees delivering baskets for Easter 2008.

Thanks to the continued generosity of lead donor Sterling Jewelers, Inc. and a variety of other groups and organizations, more than 1,700 festive Easter Baskets brightened the holiday of children served by Summit County Children Services.

Volunteer Recognition Dinner Important Summit County Children Services projects such as the Holiday Toy Room and Child and Family Awareness Month would be impossible to carry out without the help of numerous volunteers and donors – and the agency recently recognized a variety of individuals, groups and organizations for their generosity toward the children and families of Summit County.

Receiving the 2008 “Shining Star Award” were the following: Individual Awards Pat Westfall (Stow) Stacey Manes (Fairlawn) Susan I. Tucker (Sagamore Hills) Jean Lobalzo (Bath) posthumous award Family Volunteer Award The Tietz Family (Copley) Individual Awards Rubber City Radio Group (Akron) Citizens Committee for Children Services SCCS Women’s Auxiliary Board Mt. Zwingli Church of Christ (Wadsworth) Operation Teddy Bear (Akron)

Holy Family Catholic Church (Stow) Project St. Nicholas Returns (Akron) Eastwicke Farms Neighborhood Group (Stow) Office of the President, The University of Akron Summit Athletic Racing Club (Akron) Warm Up Akron! For more information on volunteer opportunities at Summit County Children Services, call Community Relations Manager Patricia Roy, at (330) 379-2055 or e-mail her at [email protected].

Agency Honors Foster Parents Across our nation today, more than a half million children are in foster care, and Summit County Children Services recently held its 58th Annual Foster Parent Recognition Dinner to honor the hundreds of dedicated local foster parents who willingly open their homes and their hearts to area children in need of some stability in their lives. Receiving the top honor, the 2008 “Heart Award,” was Cassie Duckworth of Akron. Mrs. Duckworth has fostered 40

children in her home since 1983, providing exemplary physical, emotional and moral support to the many children entrusted to her – including the one child currently in her home who has Down Syndrome and has been with Mrs. Duckworth since 2002. Among the other foster parents receiving special recognition at the event were: Veteran Foster Family of the Year Cecil and Joyce Higginbotham of Atwater Rookie Foster Family of the Year William and Susan Smith of Uniontown

‘GOING TO THE CHAPEL. . .’ When Sterling Jewelers recently informed SCCS of its wish to step down next year as primary Easter Basket program donor (while committing its continued support of the agency in various other projects), a new partner was needed for Easter 2009 . . . . and almost immediately, that new partner stepped forward. As a result of discussions between Agency Trustees Mary Ann Freedman and Pastor Knute Larson, next year’s Easter Basket program will be spearheaded by the staff and volunteers from The Chapel. Thanks to The Chapel and Pastor Larson for their generous commitment to seeing that our agency’s children have another very special Easter next year. Retiring Foster Parents - Charles and Geraldine Figley of Norton (41 years of service); Iola Jones of Akron (25 years of service); Jerry and Betty Kearns of Akron (12 years of service); and Michael and Doretha Williams of Akron (11 years of service). To learn more about becoming a foster parent or adoptive parent, call Summit County Children Services at (330) 379-1990.

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W H AT ’ S N E W AT T H E AG E N C Y

Congratulations to the

Women’s Auxiliary Board on its

th

60 Anniversary The agency’s Board of Trustees recently recognized the Women’s Auxiliary Board (WAB) on the occasion of its 6oth Anniversary by announcing that the Multi-Purpose Rooms at Summit County Children Services will be re-named “The Women’s Auxiliary Board Community Rooms” in honor of the group’s long history of service to children and families. Pictured are: (front row, l-r) Nancy Storms, Esther Costello, WAB President Beverly Foss, Anita Young and Dolores Marefka; (back row, l-r) Alma Slack, Sonja Giuffrida, Beverly VanderVeen, Lucilla Prusnak, Jeanne Hamilton, Bernadine Ward, Mary Jane McCorkle, Margaret Beight, Ellen Givens, Shirley Abrams, Elaine Johnson, and Mary Lou Rosinski.

Pastor Jeffrey Dennis Named New CAC Member Pastor Jeffrey A. Dennis, Senior Pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Akron, has been named to the Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) of Summit County Children Services. Pastor Dennis is the President of the Akron Unity Partnership, a collection of churches committed to partnerships in the interest of holistic community development. He is also the founder of the Akron Pastors’ Project, a program that raises the level of awareness and education within the clergy community regarding drug abuse, chemical dependency and mental illness.

SCCS Congratulates CFLE Graduates Congratulations to the five SCCS staff members who recently graduated with Class XIII of the Child and Family Leadership Exchange (CFLE): Steve Bodey, Maureen Flynn, Antuanne Hammond, Beth Kinney, and Krista Szalay. Other graduates of this year’s program included representatives from Akron Public Schools, the Urban League, Summit County Domestic Relations Court, the ADM Board, Summit County Juvenile Court, Akron Police Department, Oriana House, Akron Children’s Hospital, Catholic Social Services, Summit County Department of Job and Family Services,

Greenleaf Family Services, Child Guidance and Family Solutions, Summit County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD), Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina Counties, Community Health Center and SO WHO Enterprises, Inc. Patterned after Leadership Akron, CFLE is a training program developed by Summit County Children Services and the Summit Forum, designed to promote collaboration, cooperation and excellence in leadership among Summit County professionals serving children and families.

Strategic Planning The agency continues to seek input on its new multi-year Strategic Plan, scheduled to be finalized this fall. In addition to various meetings with groups inside the agency and other key stakeholders, a series of five Community Forums recently held in West Akron, East Akron, Barberton, Fairlawn and Twinsburg gathered valuable input from citizens across the county that will be used in finalizing the plan. For more information on our Strategic Planning process, or to obtain a copy of the draft plan so you can offer your own input, call Community Relations at (330) 379-2055.

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID Permit No. 356 Akron, OH

264 S. Arlington Street Akron, OH 44306

S AV E

T H E DAT E ! O C TO B E R 5 , 2 0 0 8 C h i l d r e n ’s H o m e Alumni Reunion Details to Come

VOLUNTEER AND DONOR OPPORTUNITIES PHONE: 330.379.2055 W E B S I T E : W W W. S U M M I T K I D S . O R G 264 S. Arlington Street Akron, OH 44306 Phone: 330-379-9094 TTY: 330-379-2036

www.summitkids.org Board of Trustees Daniel L. Bell, Esq., Chair Anne M. Connell-Freund, Vice Chair Susan I. Tucker, Secretary Candace Campbell Jackson, Esq. M. Beth Curley William D. Evans II, Esq. Mary Ann Freedman Cindy S. Johnson Pastor Knute Larson GinaKaye Maddox Richard F. Marsh John Saros, Executive Director

On any given day, Summit County Children Services serves more than 2,000 abused, neglected and dependent children. The agency relies on the generosity of the community to provide children with the “extras” – holiday gifts, school supplies and Easter baskets – not covered by tax/operating dollars. This kind of collaboration with area organizations, businesses, churches, groups and individuals is evident by the donations and financial support received for the various programs.

Summit County Children Services’ staff is also available to work with your business, church, organization or group to identify how you want to participate in a volunteer service project to benefit the abused and neglected children of this community. Below are just a few of the many volunteer and donor opportunities for individuals and businesses: • School Supplies Program • Holiday Toy Room • Grocery Store Gift Cards • Easter Program

Citizen’s Advisory Committee Mary Ann Freedman, Chair Shelley Walker, Secretary Lt. Charles Brown Barbara Davis Pastor Jeffrey Dennis Jerry Foys, Emeritus Heather Licata Janice Mercier-Wade Gillian Solem, R.N. Robert Stone, M.D., Emeritus Marianne Sweeney

It is the policy of Summit County Children Services to provide services to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or age.

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