Events
Pepe's Pizzeria Supports CCCC
Ozzie Levene (L), Steve Levine, Linda Levene and Bernadette Bimonte-Hackett
New Haven's Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana donated a percentage of the August 26 daily proceeds to Coordinating Council For Children In Crisis, Inc. in support of the agency's child abuse prevention and treatment services. As usual, the line of people waiting to enter the pizzeria was long but guests chatted and joked as they waited to 'eat pizza with a purpose!' and were rewarded with Pepe's delicious pizza pies. Bernadette Bimonte-Hackett, granddaughter of Frank Pepe, one of 7 owners, and CCCC Board member says "Pepe's believes in the mission of the 4 C's, which is to eradicate child abuse. We would like to believe that all children have enough food to eat and love to share, and we are proud to contribute to those ideals." Thank you to Pepe's Pizzeria and all our friends and supporters who came out to enjoy!
Marc Donald, Riley Donald (L), Phinn Donald and Kristy Jelenik
David Mandel Receives Richard Manware Humanitarian Award
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| Marcy Manware, David Mandel and CCCC Executive Director Cheryl Burack |
David Mandel, MA, LPC, nationally recognized domestic violence author, trainer, and consultant, was honored by Coordinating Council For Children In Crisis, Inc. for his work in improving systems' responses to domestic violence when children are involved. Mr. Mandel has piloted a national workshop seminar, "Safe and Together: Concrete Strategies for Addressing Domestic Violence When Children Are the Focus" and is overseeing a statewide network of domestic violence consultants for the CT Department of Children and Families. He has conducted national research on batterer's perceptions of their children's exposure to violence, written curriculum for batterer intervention providers and worked for batterer accountability and systems change.
Each year, CCCC recognizes individuals who have made a difference in the lives of troubled and vulnerable children, women and families through our Richard Manware Humanitarian Award. Past award recipients have included author and teacher/volunteer Wally Lamb, activist Naomi Wolf and domestic violence researchers Evan Stark and Anne Flitcraft. Last year's recipients were Adam Francis and Kathy Busch (see below).
Ted Koppy, News Channel 8 Reporter and Co-Anchor, moderated this special program. Jeff Browning, Brewmaster at BAR accepted CCCC's first Community Champion Partner award on behalf of himself and owner Randy Hoder for their charitable efforts on behalf of children and the annual fundraiser they sponsor each year, resulting in a generous contribution to support CCCC services.
Guests were entertained by the musical talents of the a cappella ensemble, The Conn Artists.
The Humanitarian Award Event has become a signature occasion for us to increase community awareness about some of the challenges that children in our community face, as well as serves as an opportunity to support CCCC’s free, bilingual and home-based child abuse prevention programs.
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| Ted Koppy with CCCC Assistant Director Jacquelyn Farrell and Vice Chairman Steve Levine | ||
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Jeff Browning receives award
2010 Richard Manware Humanitarian Award Sponsors
GOLD SPONSOR
Yale- New Haven Hospital
SILVER SPONSOR
New Alliance Bank
BRONZE SPONSOR
Biller, Sachs, Raio & Zito
Casey Family Service/Annie E. Casey Foundation
Community Foundation for Greater New Haven
People’s United Bank
T.M. Byxbee Company, P.C.
Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C.
Webster Bank
Thank you to CCCC's Event Committee and Supporters - You raised over $3000 for kids and families!
March Madness was a great success with lots of food and fun...and over $3000 raised to help support the child abuse prevention programs at CCCC. March Madness was sponsored by CCCC's Event Committee, a network of young professionals working to make a difference...One party at a time! For more information, see Event Committee
Advocate for Families
We did it!
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Public Hearing 3-11-10A budget plan has been approved for fiscal year 2009-2010 that leaves the Nurturing Families Network, teen pregnancy prevention and parent aide programs intact for this year. Our legislative advocacy definitely made a difference - thank you!!
Our work is not done. FY 2010-2011 begins July 1 and once again significant cuts have been proposed. We have learned that legislators are responsive to our education and advocacy. Please keep it up!
A $2 million cut has been proposed to the CT Department of Children and Families (DCF) Parent Aide Program (now Family Enrichment Services). This represents a 47% cut in core services to some of Connecticut’s neediest families. These programs provide free and home-based parenting education to families experiencing family violence and those at-risk of child abuse and neglect, and work to strengthen and preserve families that might otherwise face the removal of children from their homes. Please urge that this funding cut be reconsidered in light of the following:
- Cost of Parent Aide (now called Family Enrichment Services) services is $1600 per family, regardless of family size
- The cost of regular foster care is $9212.60 per child
- During the 07-08 year 97% of the children whose parents received Parent Aide services remained in the home
- During the 08-09 year 98% of the children whose parents received Parent Aide services remained in the home
Please contact your legislators to urge that funding be restored to the DCF Parent Aide Program. To find your legislator, go to legislator
Governor Rell has proposed a Deficit Mitigation Plan that would eliminate the community-based Nurturing Families Network (NFN) programs in New Haven and Hartford. The NFN provides intensive home visitation and parenting education to first-time parents at-risk of child abuse or neglect. Testimony presented at two Public Hearing follows, including testimony from a parent served by CCCC.
NFN programs are funded through the CT Department of Social Services and, as a prevention program, saves the state millions of dollars. It is estimated that a cut to these home visiting programs will likely result in over 350 additional cases of child abuse and neglect next year at a cost to the state of nearly $11 million.
Here is what you should know if these cuts are enacted as proposed:
- Over 100 employees statewide will lose their jobs
- Almost 1050 fewer families will receive services
- A cut to the home visiting programs will likely result in over 350 additional cases of child abuse and neglect next year at a cost to the state of nearly $11 million in new DCF cases
- It costs only $3500/family to provide home visiting through the NFN
- Poverty is one of the major indicators for child abuse and neglect – New Haven is the poorest city of the 21 towns making up the New Haven area
- The median family income in New Haven is $35,950, which is only 49% of the regional average (2000 census)
The Nurturing Families Network has proven outcomes, evaluated by the University of Hartford’s Center for Social Research.
- The rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect in high-risk families participating in Nurturing Families is, on average, only 3% compared to 20% for similar families not participating in this type of program.
- The immunization rate for two-year olds in NFN is 93% compared to 66% for two year olds with a similar demographic background on Medicaid.
- A significant percentage of parents in NFN complete high school, become employed and become more economically self-sufficient.
The Nurturing Families Network is a highly cost-effective program that depends on years of infrastructure development across the state and will not be easily reconstructed if subjected to the Governor’s cuts. Each DCF case is almost 10 times as expensive as the most intensive Nurturing Families Network home visitation service. Furthermore, by the time children are referred to DCF, real damage has already occurred. The NFN’s “penny of prevention” can save the state many “pounds of cure” while preventing long-term damage to children.
John Leventhal, medical director of the Child Abuse Programs and Child Abuse Prevention Programs at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital explains this.
An Ounce of Prevention 3/8/10
Should Connecticut dismantle its child abuse prevention program after 15 years of working to build this program from 2 to 42 sites to support the state’s most vulnerable families -- socially high risk, first time mothers and their young children? Unfortunately, that is Governor Rell’s proposal as put forth in the deficit mitigation plan. The governor wants to reduce the $13.5 million for the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) -- the state’s child abuse prevention program -- by over 50%. This reduction will eliminate 14 sites and shrink each of the remaining sites by at least 30%. Is it wise to do away with this ounce of prevention?
The prevention services of the Nurturing Families Network of CTF are provided by trained home visitors who make weekly home visits to first-time mothers from the time of the child’s birth to the child’s fifth birthday. The home visitor models and teaches parenting, helps the parents with life skills, and encourages the parent’s own goals, such as returning to school or work. Many are teen mothers, and some are cognitively, emotionally, or socially challenged. Many have been poorly nurtured themselves, and the program aims to break the cycle and help parents effectively nurture and stimulate their child. The program has had success. For example, the rates of substantiated cases of abuse and neglect are 1.5 to 3% per year as opposed to rates 4 to 6 times higher in similar populations without these preventive services.
During this past year, almost 2,000 families were served state-wide by the home visitors, at a cost of $3,000 per family per year. Compare this with $30,000 per year for a case of abuse or neglect substantiated by DCF.
As the Medical Director of the Child Abuse Programs at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, I know all too well the difference between seeing a child who has been maltreated by his caretaker and a child in our prevention program. When a child has been maltreated, he or she suffers from the pain of the injuries or the neglect, the family is torn apart, and the state tries to put the pieces together, often at enormous financial and personal costs. Surely, it is cheaper and more humane to help children from falling off of the cliff than to rescue them at the bottom after they have fallen.
The Governor’s proposed cuts will reduce the number of families served by home visitors around the state from over 1,850 to about 800. In New Haven alone, the cuts will be more dramatic since 5 of the 7 sites will be closed. Home visitors from these 7 programs serve over 350 families, but if the Governor’s proposed cuts are passed, fewer than 90 families will be served each year.
For $2 per state resident per year, the home visiting programs could be saved. At this time, it makes little sense to eliminate prevention programs that work. An ounce of prevention is what this state needs, not doing away with the Children’s Trust Fund’s home visiting program.
John M. Leventhal, MD, is medical director of the Child Abuse Programs and Child Abuse Prevention Programs at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and is professor of pediatrics at the Yale University School of Medicine, which receives funding from the state’s Children’s Trust Fund.
Tim Black, a researcher of the Nurturing Families Network, writes the following:
Should child abuse prevention programs in our cities be eliminated?
Should home visitation programs for vulnerable first-time mothers be eliminated in Hartford and New Haven? The Governor’s answer is yes, even though she does not explicitly identify the cities where these programs would be eliminated. Instead, her deficit mitigation plan proposes the elimination of “non-hospital” home visitation programs managed by the Children’s Trust Fund. Her language, however, is misleading – there are many community-based sites throughout the state, but only programs in New Haven and Hartford are being targeted for elimination. Why?
In 2006 and 2008, the Nurturing Families Network (NFN) home visitation program was expanded in Hartford and New Haven, with a similar vision planned for Bridgeport. The reason for the expansion was simple – to concentrate services in our largest cities where poverty and vulnerability are likewise concentrated. Our cities are among the poorest in the country and the concentrations of child poverty in our urban cores are striking. For instance, of all poor children five years of age or younger living in the 21-town New Haven region, 62% live in the city of New Haven. Similarly, 60% of poor children in the Hartford 17-town region live in the city. The governor’s plan does not target “non-hospital” NFN sites, it targets these expansion sites.
The NFN home visitation program sends trained home visitors into the homes of our most vulnerable families throughout the state at the time of the mothers’ first births. Home visitors develop healthy relationships with vulnerable parents whom they see on average two to four times a month, help them bond with and facilitate the development of their children, help them cope with a range of problems, many associated with poverty, help them achieve their educational and employment goals, and provide a constant source of support and guidance to these mothers.
The program has been carefully developed over the past 15 years, utilizing research to enhance program practices – I know because I have been the principal researcher. Because of coordinated efforts with the Children’s Trust Fund, the NFN research committee (which includes researchers from UConn and Yale) and key legislators, the program has expanded to all 29 birthing hospitals in the state, has focused services in areas where the greatest needs exist, serves around 2000 vulnerable families each year, and has demonstrated a wide range of positive outcomes. Consider, for instance, that among our most vulnerable families in the state, only 1.3% of participating families in 2008 had substantiated cases of state reported child neglect, and there were no cases of child abuse -- an astonishing achievement.
The state’s proposal would reduce funds to all NFN home visiting programs by 30%, but it would eliminate 14 program sites in New Haven and Hartford. Almost 700 mothers a year in New Haven and Hartford would lose these services, 95% of whom are racial minorities, 91% single, 76% unemployed, and 46% without a high school education.
Prevention programs like NFN home visitation help to stabilize families living in excruciating circumstances. State money invested in the front end saves money in the back end when families are diverted from more expensive services needed to treat family dysfunction, juvenile delinquency, poor health, or educational problems.
Difficult fiscal times call for difficult decisions. But making cuts in programs that have demonstrated effectiveness through carefully designed research and eliminating program services where they are needed most is misguided. It withdraws badly needed support in fragile urban neighborhoods and ultimately misleads taxpayers.
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Timothy Black, associate professor of sociology and director of the Center for Social Research at the University of Hartford, is the author of the recent book When a Heart Turns Rock Solid: The Lives of Three Puerto Rican Brothers On and Off the Streets (Pantheon).
The governor has also proposed major cuts to teen pregnancy prevention funding, also provided through the CT Department of Social Services. DSS has made a decision to fund only those programs that are proven through science-based evaluation. The Teen Outreach Program, one of those initiatives, is part of a national evaluation that has shown a 33% lower rate of teen pregnancy. In 2004, teen childbearing cost Connecticut taxpayers $98 million. The state has made impressive progress in reducing births to teen mothers - now is not the time to eliminate this funding.
Please contact your legislator immediately to urge that these programs be maintained at current funding levels. To find your legislator, go to legislator.
Testimony to the
Appropriations Committee
March 11, 2010
My name is Camellia Redway, Program Director for the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) at Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis (CCCC) in collaboration with Augusta Lewis Troup School in New Haven Connecticut. We are in the third year of teen pregnancy prevention funding. CCCC has been trained to utilize the science-based Wyman Teen Outreach Program model that is committed to ensuring program fidelity, utilize service learning to foster community engagement and make vulnerable students the givers rather than receivers of help. I have been placed in a wonderful position at our local middle school (Augusta Lewis Troup School) where I have acknowledged how important it is to talk to our youth. It’s important to speak on a personal level and have them understand the world they live in and how they are able to make changes for themselves and/or others. The TOP students complete a minimum of 1000 service learning hours each year. CCCC participates in a national evaluation in which results indicated that students participating in TOP have a 60% lower rate of school dropout, 14% lower rate of school suspension, 11% lower rate of school course failure and 33% lower rate of teen pregnancy.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy estimates that in 2004, teen childbearing cost Connecticut taxpayers $103 million. According to an analysis by the Family Planning Program at the University of Connecticut Health Center, New Haven exceeds the statewide average for births to teen mothers (aged 19 or younger). It is ranked the sixth worst community in Connecticut with an average percentage of 13.1% of all resident births to teen mothers as compared to the statewide average of 6.9% during the same time period. New Haven is clearly a community in need of teen pregnancy prevention services. We would like to maintain the Teen Pregnancy Prevention funding to preserve the uninterrupted delivery of science-based teen pregnancy prevention program for at-risk youth. Service learning influences the students to become better people in their homes, schools and general communities. This program will put forth outstanding students who will eventually give back to their communities.
Thank you for your consideration
Camellia Redway
203-624-2600 ext 311
Testimony in support of the Nurturing Families Network
And against the proposed cuts in the Governor’s Deficit Mitigation Plan, Line 56 under DSS
Honorable Members of the Committee,
My name is Galit Sharma, I am the Clinical Supervisor of the Nurturing Families Network at the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc., in New Haven.
Here we are again, for the fourth time this past year, asking you once again to support the Nurturing Families Network and to vote against practically eliminating the program from the high-risk communities of New Haven and Hartford.
I don’t have new figures to share with you -- you have heard it all before, and I have included a fact sheet with my testimony, along with a letter from a mother in our program. You already know that Nurturing Families is effective in reducing child abuse and neglect and you know how important it is to the State of Connecticut. You know, because if you haven’t believed in it you would not have supported it in the past. Please, don’t destroy this valuable asset that took fifteen years to build. It is truly worth fighting for.
Think of Nurturing Families as a smoke detector: inexpensive, effective, consistently present to react to an early sign of trouble. Certainly, investing fifteen dollars in a smoke detector to prevent a costly house fire is a sensible thing to do.
The Nurturing Families Network is the smoke detector of child abuse and neglect. It is inexpensive, effective, and consistently present to detect an early sign of trouble and address it. It is sensible to invest in it at an annual cost of $3,500 per family, so we don’t have to pay $30,000 for the same family under DCF. It will cost the state 11 million dollars to support the additional families that will end up in DCF. This is ten million dollars more than what the Governor hopes to save by cutting the proposed sites.
Of course the budget has to be balanced and the economy has to be stimulated. But to stimulate the economy people have to be working. If the proposed cuts pass one hundred additional Connecticut residents will be out of a job. The State will have to pay them unemployment benefits, support their children on Husky and WIC and provide additional services they might need. A hundred families that lost an income will only add to the public’s uncertainty and contribute to the decrease in private spending.
Cutting the Nurturing Families program in New Haven and Hartford doesn’t make sense any way you look at it: It will cost more, increase unemployment, and reduce positive community outcomes.
Please, vote to preserve the Nurturing Families Network in New Haven and Hartford.
Thank you for your time.
Galit Sharma
Nurturing Families Network
Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc.
131 Dwight St., New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 624-2600 X313
Testimony in support of the Nurturing Families Network and Teen Pregnancy Prevention
CT Department of Social Services
Honorable Committee Members:
I urge you to oppose Governor Rell‘s proposed budget cuts to the CT Department of Social Services teen pregnancy prevention and Nurturing Families Network Programs. These combined cuts will result in job losses for at least 118 Connecticut residents. Even more importantly, they will remove a safety net that is saving Connecticut millions of dollars through the prevention of child abuse and neglect and a reduction in births to teen parents. Here is where I get confused about the direction our State is taking.
I have been told that Connecticut is head and shoulders above other states when it comes to using scientific models for prevention. In fact, the Department of Social Services should be applauded for agreeing to fund only those teen pregnancy prevention models that are validated and evidence-based. The Teen Outreach Program has been part of a national study that shows that participants in the program have a 60% lower rate of school dropout, 14% lower rate of school suspension, 11% lower rate of school course failure and 33% lower rate of teen pregnancy. The Nurturing Families Network is part of an ongoing statewide evaluation that has demonstrated a rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect in participating high-risk families of only 3% compared to 20% for similar families not participating in this type of program. With our government’s focus on results-based accountability, I don’t understand how or why programs that demonstrate successful outcomes have been selected for elimination.
I am grateful for your efforts up to now to keep teen pregnancy prevention and nurturing families network programs fully funded, and I ask you to continue to fight for these services.
Thank you.
Cheryl Burack, M.S.
Executive Director
Coordinating Council For Children In Crisis, Inc.
(203) 624-2600 x303
www.ccccnh.org
Human Services Committee
Testimony in support of the Nurturing Families Network
February 11, 2010
Honorable Members of the Committee:
My name is Cheryl Burack. I am the Executive Director of Coordinating Council For Children In Crisis and the Program Manager of its Nurturing Families Network (NFN) program. The Governor's Deficit Mitigation Plan has proposed the elimination of all 14 of the non-hospital based Nurturing Families Network sites, resulting in a job loss to approximately 80 Connecticut residents. An additional unknown number of jobs will be lost because even the hospital-based sites will be forced to eliminate positions in order to absorb the proposed 30% cut, added to the 5% rescission that has already been made. I urge you to vote against these program cuts.
The Nurturing Families Network uses evidence-based materials and achieves very specific and cost-saving outcomes. Research conducted since the program began shows that
- The rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect in high-risk families participating in Nurturing Families is, on average, only 3% compared to 20% for similar families not participating in this type of program.
- The immunization rate for two-year olds in NFN is 93% compared to 66% for two year olds with a similar demographic background on Medicaid.
- A significant percentage of parents in NFN complete high school, become employed and become more economically self-sufficient.
In New Haven alone we estimate that our capacity to serve high-risk families will go from 442 families to 110, leaving over 330 families without the services that are helping them to achieve these outcomes.
I hope you will refuse to dismantle a statewide network that took 15 years to build and is achieving the outcomes our State is reaching for. Please fight to maintain the Nurturing Families Network in New Haven and Hartford. Thank you for your time.
Cheryl Burack, M.S.
Executive Director
Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc.
131 Dwight St.
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 624-2600 ext. 303
cburack@ccccnh.org
Appropriations Committee
December 9, 2009
Testimony in support of the Nurturing Families Network
Honorable Members of the Committee:
My name is Galit Sharma. I am a Clinical Supervisor with the Nurturing
Families Network (NFN) at the Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc. in New Haven. I urge you to vote against eliminating this vital program, as proposed in the Governor's Deficit Mitigation Plan.
The plan calls for a program reduction that would, in fact, eliminate the Nurturing Families Network entirely by cutting 90% of its funding. This is not only a "reduction"! The remaining 10% would clearly be insufficient to run even a few remaining sites and will set us ten years back in terms of program development and outcomes in the community.
The University of Hartford’s Center for Social Research has been following the Nurturing Families for 14 years with impressive results. They report that-
- The rate of substantiated child abuse and neglect in high-risk families participating in Nurturing Families is significantly lower than state and national rates. Annual maltreatment rate for our families is, on average, only 3% compared to 20% for similar families not participating in this type of program.
This is an amazing finding!
- The immunization rate for two-year olds in NFN is 93% compared to 66% for two year olds with similar demographic background on Medicaid.
- A significant percentage of parents in NFN complete high school, become employed and move out of financial hardship.
The State can be proud to have a program like this one. maybe we can present it as a model to other states and turn it into a source of revenue for Connecticut instead of fighting for its very existence.
Pulling out our support would be devastating to many families and would come at a high price: Dr. Charles Super at the University of CT estimates that eliminating the Nurturing Families program will result in 484 additional cases of child abuse and neglect that will be referred to DCF in 2010. Their annual cost to the state is estimated at additional 14.5 million dollars. Additional funds will have to be allocated to support growing caseloads at the Department of Corrections, DMHAS, and other programs.
The Nurturing Families Network helps the most vulnerable families, and reaches as many as 4,000 of them every year. We are there for the mothers and fathers who have so few resources and so many barriers to accessing them. We are there to give them the tools and the support to alleviate some of the stress so closely associated with child abuse and neglect.
If our children are our future, there is no better time to support them than now.
Vote for them. Vote for the children. Vote for the Nurturing Families Network, and say NO to the Governor's proposal.
Thank you for your time.
Galit Sharma
Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis, Inc.
131 Dwight St.
New Haven, CT 06511
Phone: (203) 624-2600 ext. 313
Appropriations Committee
December 9, 2009
Testimony in support of the Nurturing Families Network
My name is Jessica F and I am here to speak as a parent participating in Nurturing Families Network. Prior to having my daughter I spent my adult life feeling that I didn’t want to bring a child into this terrible world. I never felt good enough and everyone put me down. I felt like a failure.
My mother did the best she could but I know that my life would have been better if she had had the same support I find in Nurturing Families Network. I came out of my past growing up in psychiatric and residential facilities. Seven months before I got pregnant I was in a coma following a suicide attempt. I had hit my rock bottom. When I got pregnant I knew that if I was a failure my daughter would be, too, if I didn’t change. The changes I have been able to make come from the education, support, and emotional connection from Nurturing Families.
When I got pregnant I was scared and devastated. I wanted a baby but I wanted a good life for my child. I wasn’t sure I could provide that. I saw my therapist and asked for help in being the best parent I could be. I wanted my child to turn out so much better than me. One of the places I was referred to was a Nurturing Families Parenting Group. That group made me feel I was with others just like me. I felt so connected to those people. We got insight to our children, we could talk to each other, and we got personal support from each other and our group leader, Renee. I was fortunate to have this during my pregnancy and in the beginning of my daughter’s life. I have also been involved in Nurturing Families Home Visiting since I was seven months pregnant. The thought that I could have this support until my child is five years old is such a comfort. I have learned so much about by daughter’s development. I had no idea what was normal. There were things I was afraid of. I have been around lots of children but never had the experience of a miserable teething baby. I wasn’t sure how to handle sleeping issues. Noreen sat with me one day while I learned to let Mikayla cry and settle herself down for two very long minutes. Not only did I learn to do it but I learned why it was good for me and my baby.
I don’t feel like a failure anymore. I have a happy, healthy baby girl who is developing right on track. She’s beautiful – the joy of my life. I get a lot of positive feedback about my parenting and my daughter from Noreen and Nurturing Families, my pediatrician, my therapist, even people on the street.
Please keep Nurturing Families Network in the budget for our state and its families. If I didn’t have their support I would probably have the authorities in my life and my daughter might not be with me today.
Jessica F
New Haven
Southern CT State University Collects 400 boxes of Food
for CCCC Families!
Thanks to the students, faculty and staff at Southern Connecticut State University, hundreds of children served by CCCC and their parents will receive boxes of food this winter. The food boxes were put together to be both healthy and attractive. The food drive is an annual event and CCCC is the happy and grateful recipient.
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Third Annual
Dine-Out at Frank Pepe Pizzeria
CCCC joined the hungry line and partnered with Pepe’s for the 3rd annual “Dine Out” event to raise awareness about the agency and support for CCCC's programs. Pepe’s, located on Wooster Street in downtown New Haven, generously donated 10% of their sales from their lunch and dinner service as part of their ongoing community involvement and dedication to the cause of child protection. Bernadette Bimonte-Hackett, family owner and CCCC Board member, presents the check to Executive Director Cheryl Burack. CCCC is enormously thankful for this opportunity and appreciates Pepe's support for its programs and mission.
Back to TopAward-Winning Teens Celebrate at the University of Connecticut
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Participants in the Teen Outreach Program accepted awards for poetry and poster
art in the Expressions Contest, sponsored by the CT Department of Social Services.
The Teen Outreach Program, a partnership with the Augusta Lewis Troup Middle
School in New Haven, is a service learning program that integrates learning and community service. This year, the eighth grade students participated in the Walk for Hunger, worked with preschoolers at the Montessori School on Edgewood, assisted the school's PTO and held a holiday party for elders.
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Spring For A Cause!
On May 9, CCCC’s Event Committee hosted their 2nd fundraising party at Citrus Restaurant in Milford. It was a success! Nearly 100 guests enjoyed Citrus’s great food and drinks while listening to live music by Louie and the Rockets. Comedians George Gallo and Michael Grosso entertained the crowd with their hilarious humor. And twenty guests walked away with fantastic raffle prizes such as Yankee tickets, a golf bag and putter and spa gift certificates.
A special thank you goes to CCCC’s event committee for organizing and hosting this special event that generated much needed funding for our child abuse prevention programs.
Richard Manware Humanitarian Award with Champion Sponsors NewAlliance Bank and Yale-New Haven Hospital
Coordinating Council for Children in Crisis (CCCC) was proud to present The 2009 Richard Manware Humanitarian Award to Adam Francis and Kathy Busch, volunteers who host a holiday party each year to collect new toys for children served by CCCC. "Adam and Kathy like to fly below the radar," said CCCC Executive Director Cheryl Burack, "and are examples of the unsung heroes who are improving the lives of Connecticut's children. They are role models for the entire community." In accepting this recognition, Adam told the audience of 125 friends and supporters that it is the many guests and donors who are the true heroes.
Ted Koppy, News Channel 8 Co-Anchor and coworker of Adam Francis, moderated the special program. He described how Adam's editing talents combined with his compassion for the plight of abused and neglected children have enhanced the WTNH Wedenesday's Child segments. Joseph Schofield, Citizens TV Executive Director, friend and former CCCC employee, provided a moving tribute to Adam and Kathy, explaining that an unwrapped new toy is the only "price of admission" to the extravagant and festive party hosted by Adam and Kathy each year.
The Conn Artists a cappella ensemble provided entertainment that included a heartfelt rendition of God Bless The Child. (For more information on the Conn Artists, see http://www.singers.com/contemp/connartists.html). CCCC thanks them, the event sponsors (listed below) and the guests and donors who helped to make this event a success and honored the memory of Richard Manware.
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Richard Manware Humanitarian Award Sponsors
| Champion | NewAlliance Bank |
| Champion | Yale-New Haven Hospital |
| Sponsors | Biller, Sachs, Raio & Zito |
| Littler Mendelson | |
| People's United Bank |
| Updike, Kelly & Spellacy, P.C. | ||
| Webster Bank | ||
| WTNH & WCTX TV |
Victims' Voice Day - Thank you for participating - Your voice was heard!
Crime victims came to CCCC on March 25 to talk about how they have been impacted and what improvements they would like to see in the criminal justice system. CCCC's Neighborhood Victim Advocates were on hand to hear victim stories and provide assistance. If you have been a victim of domestic violence, assault, robbery or elder abuse in New Haven, West Haven, East Haven or Branford, CT and would like help, contact the Neighborhood Victim Advocacy program at (203) 789-1425.
Back to TopThank you for supporting CCCC's Annual Holiday
Adopt A Family Program - 129 families adopted!
The Adopt A Family Program is a community effort to support families who are struggling and to bring joy into their homes during the holidays. Families, businesses, faith organizations, schools and other community groups can "adopt a family" or "adopt a child" and fulfill some of their needs during this season.
Follow this link to view our brochure.
Back to TopThe Nurturing Families Network Celebrate at Rascal's Gym
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Children's Empowerment Group Has a Party!
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The Employees of Sargent Manufacturing Company Hold a Toy Drive While Southern CT State University
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The Employees of Sargent Manufacturing Company Donate 300 Boxes of Food
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Ghostly Gathering Costume Party attracts new support for CCCC
CCCC's newly formed Event Committee, consisting of young professionals, organized and hosted the Ghostly Gathering costume party on October 25th at Daniel Street Club in Milford. Nearly 100 people from New Haven and Fairfield counties dressed for the event in their favorite costumes and enjoyed a night of live music and dancing with old and new friends. The Event Committee looks forward to making this fundraising party even better next year and raising more support for CCCC's child abuse prevention programs.
