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Parents, Children and Professionals,
Funding for the Green Bear Program has been eliminated. If you feel The Green Bear Program is a worthwhile program that should be continued, please email your stories and comments to tgwaltney@semonasv.org. These emails will be collated and sent to possible future funding sources. Below are coloring pages that children can color and send to our office. Thank you so much for your assistance.
Help Save Green Bear!!
Green Bear needs your help! We no longer have funding to continue the Green Bear Program. If you enjoyed seeing Green Bear and learned about staying safe, just print off one of the coloring pages below and send it to our office. Green Bear's Boss, Ms. Gwaltney, will send the coloring pages to people who may be able to get us funding so we can continue going to the schools. Thank you so much for your help!
Help_Save_Green_Bear_II.doc
Help_save_Green_Bear_I.doc
You can send your coloring pages to:
The Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence
#69 Doctors' Park; Suite C
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
On November 1, 2009, we received devastating news from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services; NONE of our child abuse prevention programs were funded. This means that we no longer have funding for any of our programs for adults and children in Southeast Missouri.
Tammy Gwaltney, Executive Director of The Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence, and other agency employees, are working tirelessly to obtain funding for these very important programs. We need your help! You all realize just how vital our programs are for protecting children in Southeast Missouri; you may have attended a Mandated Reporter class, The Green Bear Program with your children, a Parenting Class or one of our many annual conferences. For these programs to continue, we must receive funding.
Tell us your stories! Tell us how one of our programs have helped you, a child you know, or someone in your community; let us know why you think our programs are needed in your community. Tammy will soon be applying for new funding and she needs your stories. Email your responses to tgwaltney@semonasv.org. If you are a counselor or nurse, encourage your principal/superintendent and your teachers to write emails as well. We also have Save Green Bear Posters posted on our website for children to color. Send the completed posters to our agency, ask the children to write on the back of the poster why Green Bear is so important to (or has helped) them. Coloring pages from children with their own stories can make such a positive impact on potential funders.
Why should we continue funding these programs? Please read on.
A teacher informed me last year a 12 year old child disclosed sexual abuse last year after hearing our middle school abuse prevention program. The child told the teacher she was being sexually abused. The abuse was reporter and the family member is now in jail.
Last year we went to a local school and performed The Green Bear Program. A young student disclosed she was being sexually abused by a close family member. This abuse was reported and the perpetrator was arrested, convicted and sentenced. This family member was abusing other young girls in the family as well. The greatest tragedy in this story is that this child had been abused for years and never told anyone about the abuse. Due to the conditions of our grant from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, we were not allowed to present The Green Bear Program to this school for 2 years! Imagine the years of suffering that could have been prevented for this child and her family. If we do not receive funding, this scenario will be repeated numerous times.
My daughter, Tiffani, was sexually abused when she was 8 years old by her babysitter. After the abuse, she told her biological mother. Her biological mother told her it was her fault because she was "enticing" the babysitter. Her mother continued to use the same babysitter and the abuse continued. It took months before Tiffani found the courage to disclose the abuse to someone else, her grandmother. After she told her grandmother, the abuse stopped, but Tiffani continued to blame herself and spent years believing the abuse was her fault! With The Green Bear Program children learn to disclose abuse and if the first person they tell doesn't help, tell someone else. They also learn the abuse is not their fault!
This weekend my 21 year old daughter was playing cards with 3 of her friends. Our funding cuts were being discussed, and all the young adults were very upset. All 3 of the the young adults playing cards had been sexually abused and not one of them had told someone that could help them. They all said that if they would have had The Green Bear Program when they were young, they would have known it was OK to tell and it wasn't their fault they were abused.
We have heard numerous forensic interviews where when questioned as to what made them disclose the abuse, they replied, "Green Bear told me to." Although I am always sad that a child is abused, at least I know through our program we help children find the courage to disclose sexual abuse.
We all have heard numerous reports in the news, on the internet, and at school about the H1N1 (Swine) Flu Virus. This is a problem that concerns many; and as a pediatric nurse, I too, am concerned about this problem. But just imagine if 356,000 children in Missouri were suffering from H1N1 (Swine) Flu. There would be news specials, informational programs and extra funding to combat this problem.
In Missouri, over 356,000 children will suffer child sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. Although the H1N1 Flu can become a serious health issue for some, most children get the flu and are sick about a week, then get well. Children who suffer sexual abuse do not just "get over it" in 7 days. It is something that child will have to live with for the rest of their life. The sooner a child discloses sexual abuse, the sooner counselors, advocates and others can help this child. We also prevent the perpetrator from molesting other children.
Please help us continue The Green Bear Program. It will only take a few moments for you to write a letter of support to assist us in receiving funding. Thank you so much for your continued support of our programs to help children stay safe.
Sincerely,
Leasa M. Stone, RN
Is it worth $2.50
to protect a child from sexual abuse?
That is all it costs SEMO-NASV to teach the
Green Bear Program…
a child sexual abuse prevention program that reaches over 12, 000 southeast Missouri kids in pre k -12th grade every year. This program keeps kids safe from abusers, often family members, as well as on line predators.
As of November 1, 2009 the state halted funding to this program.
Protecting children from abuse is our #1 priority even if it is not the priority of the federal or state government. We only ask for your help one time per year and this year, this season we are asking you to help us keep kids safe.
For $2.50 you can give a child the protection they need from an abuser.
Instead of buying a gift that will be discarded or forgotten in a few days or weeks, why not give the gift of hope that protecting a child will provide?
Happy Holidays
Be a voice for victims.
Donate at www.semonasv.org (click the donate now button)
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