Chinese Orphan Summer Hosting Opportunity

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF 

AN OLDER ORPHAN

FROM CHINA THIS SUMMER

There are many ways you CAN make a difference this summer!  Do you have room in your heart and your home to host a child from China for 4 weeks this summer?  Have you considered being a back-up host family?  Are you able to make a monetary donation to bring an orphan to the US to be hosted?  Or are you able to simply spread the word in your community? Now is your opportunity to make a difference! CCAI’s 2015 Summer China Hosting Program has begun!

The Summer 2015 photo listing is OPEN, and they recently added several new children to the photo listing!  There are currently 12 children being hosted from China this summer, which means 26 children still need host families.  If you have not yet done so, please register to see the photo listing of orphans ages 5 to 13 who are available for hosting https://www.ccaifamily.org/Hosting/Host-Register.aspx.  Host families AND back-up host families are needed.  

For more information on hosting a child from China, please visit CCAI’s website at http://www.ccaifamily.org/Hosting/Default.aspx  or contact the China Hosting Program Coordinator at hosting@ccaifamily.org.  Those having questions in the evenings and on weekends can contact the Hosting Program Liaison at 404-859-6400. 

If you are not able to host at this time, are you able to make a monetary donation to help bring an orphan from China to the US to be hosted this summer?  Any monetary amount is welcome, is tax deductible, and goes toward an orphan’s travel expenses.  Monetary contributions are gifts that make hosting possible for families and children who may otherwise not have this opportunity. 

Spread the word about CCAI’s China Hosting Program in your community!   Please consider these truly remarkable ways to make a difference in an orphan's life this summer!  Hosting will not only change a child’s life forever, but will also change your life in ways you never even imagined! 

Sheila King, LCSW

China Hosting Program Coordinator

CCAI - where families grow and dreams come true

A Hague Accredited Adoption Service Provider

Phone: 303-850-9998 x42

Fax: 303-850-9997

Empowered to Connect Parent Training at Willow Creek

Empowered To Connect Parent Training Connect Course

Empowered To Connect (ETC) Parent Training is an interactive learning experience designed specifically for adoptive and foster parents. The ETC Parent Training was developed by Michael & Amy Monroe and relies heavily on the Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®) model developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and her colleagues at the TCU Institute of Child Development.

For more background, visit www.empoweredtoconnect.org and www.child.tcu.edu.

Wednesdays, April 15- June 10, 2015

Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road, So. Barrington, IL

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

* Class is limited to no more than 10 couples/singles.  

* Participants must commit to all 9 sessions and homework assignments.

* Register by April 8 to etc@scpickett.com

* Childcare is available at Midweek for Kids. www.willowcreek.org/midweekforkids

* Training is FREE.  Additional books will be recommended for purchase.

For more information about the training visit http://empoweredtoconnect.org/training/ or contact

Cheryl Pickett at etc@scpickett.com.

Understanding Poverty Workshop

The Vulnerable Children's Ministry

Presents a Workshop

“Understanding Poverty”

With Guest Speaker Lynn Clay, Certified Poverty Trainer

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Willow Creek Community Church

67 E. Algonquin Road, So. Barrington, IL

(Room B204/206 near the chapel)

Caring for those who come from a background of poverty can be confusing and complicated. We can do a lot of damage by assuming everyone should be “like us.” Sometimes an attempt to help can cause harm to the very people we wish to serve. This workshop will help us learn how to step into relationships with people who have a different way of approaching life, as well as teach us how to maneuver between the two worlds. 

This workshop is designed for:

·         Adoptive Families

·         Foster Care Families

·         Safe Families Hosts

·         Those involved in orphan care

·         Those who care about vulnerable children

6:00 Dinner together (Atrium)

7:00 Worship service (Lakeside Auditorium)

7:30 Workshop (room B204/206)

Please register for the workshop at www.willowcreek.org/midweekclasses

Childcare is available with Midweek for Kids (ages 0-5 years).

Suggested book of the month: When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert

Safe Families for Children Event with Joel Hamernick

FRIDAY, MARCH 20^th at 7pm

South Park Church, 1330 Courtland Ave., Park Ridge, IL 

Joel Hamernick is the executive director of Sunshine Gospel Ministries on the Southside of Chicago.  Joel will teach how we can better understand people of poverty as well as our role as Christians around justice and compassion.  It is extremely beneficial to understand the culture of poverty as we relate, interact, and extend Christian hospitality to placing families.

This event is open to ANYONE interested in better understanding our role as Christians in today's culture.   

For more information contact Janessa Gustaveson, Safe Families - South Park Church Network Coordinator at safefamilies@southpark.org

Blue Ribbon Campaign Marks National Child Abuse Prevention Month

For Immediate Media Release
March 3, 2015

Blue Ribbon Campaign on State Street to Prevent Child Abuse
April marks National Child Abuse Prevention Month

CHICAGO, Ill – On April 1, 2015 - Pro Se Services, a nonprofit, has partnered with the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), Chicago Loop Alliance, John Marshall Law School, local schools and universities, churches, community organizations, police officers, fire fighters, businesses, motorcycle groups, and elected officials to launch the first ever, month long, Blue Ribbon Campaign on State Street. The goal is to build public awareness on preventing child abuse and neglect. The kick-off event will be Wednesday, April 1, 2015 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. CST at the Gateway on State Street (Lake/State Street). Here we will tie blue ribbon on the trees in the Gateway, and on the trunks of trees located on State Street from Wacker Drive to Congress Parkway. Also, we will be handing out information cards and blue ribbons to the public. In addition, volunteers will plant signs with messages on how to strengthen families and preventing child abuse.

“April marks National Child Abuse Prevention month and I want to spread the word that we need to be diligent in protecting the children in our community. We need to speak out and be an agent of rescue and refuge when we see a child in an abusive situation or a family fallen on hard times. And for those of us who have been abused beyond imagination and have experienced hardships in life, we must lace up our bootstraps, forgive and move forward”, said Campaign Manager Dinae Knox. Knox is a 14-year veteran of the foster care system in Chicago, IL.

This month and throughout the year, Pro Se Services along with its partners and sponsors encourage all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Illinois a better place for children and families. By giving this hidden epidemic a voice and ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help promote children’s social and emotional well-being and prevent child maltreatment within families and communities. Research shows that when parents possess six protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish and optimal outcomes for children, youth, and families are promoted. The six protective factors are: nurturing and attachment; knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development; parental resilience; social connections; concrete supports for parents; and, social and emotional developmental well-being

The public can get involved and show its community that they are committed to the welfare of all children in Illinois and support Pro Se Services’ efforts towards strengthening families while reaching hundreds of regional business and community leaders through the following events:

 Kick Off Press Conference
o Blue Ribbon Campaign on State Street, Wednesday, April 1, 2015 from 12:00 – 2:00p.m.

 Building Healthy Families Relief Center
o Wednesdays (April 8, 15, 22, and 29) – Shalem SDA Church, 1105 Pine Street, Waukegan, IL from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

 Youth Connections Café
o Fridays (April 10, 17, and 24) – Shiloh SDA Church, 7000 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

 Focus on the Family Community Socials
o Saturdays (April 11, 18, and 25) – Independence SDA Church, 3808 W. Polk Street, Chicago, IL from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

For more information on our events / services, please visit: www.dinaeknox.com/events

 Media Contact: Dinae Knox
(708) 368-5515 mobile
(708) 469-1674 fax
dk@dinaeknox.com