Register now for the 14^th Annual CAN Council Golf Scramble benefitting the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Saginaw & Bay Counties. Hilliard Lyons - The LeRoy/Bartnikowski Group presents this year’s golf outing on Friday, June 15^th. Your four-person team will enjoy 18 holes of golf and a skills contest at Swan Valley Golf Club. The team registration of $400 includes a continental breakfast, lunch at the turn and a steak dinner.

Call Delores Gale at (989) 752-7226 to register your team, sponsor the outing or donate an item for the event’s auction.

CONTACT:
Catherine Martinez, Community Development Director
715 N. Euclid Ave.
Bay City, MI 48706
(989) 671-1345
cmartinez@cancouncil.org

Al Doner, Event Chair
100 W. Midland St.
Bay City, MI 48706
(989) 316-7921
adoner@newexecmtg.com

WINES AROUND THE WORLD EVENT
RAISES NEARLY $60,000 FOR CAN COUNCIL PROGRAMMING

Locals Support Forensic Interviews for Abused Children While
Sampling the Region’s Finest Fare

BAY CITY, MI - May 10, 2012: Over 500 people enjoyed the fare of the region’s most-reputable chefs at the 2012 CAN Council Wines Around the World event. By the time the festivities of April 20th ended, the Great Lakes Bay Region had raised nearly $60,000 for the CAN Council’s Nathan Weidner Center.

Al Doner, Wines Around the World Chair, says “This was truly a team effort by the volunteer committee and Council staff. The result was the largest and most successful event ever. I want to thank the sponsors, food vendors and especially US Foods, Fabiano Brothers, and the Bay City Country Club for their help and support. The community showed up in full force and was extremely generous in its efforts to help the children and this great cause.”

Proceeds from the event will support the Nathan Weidner Center of the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region. Year-to-date, the Center has provided 75 forensic interviews of abused children in a child-friendly environment, minimizing further trauma. 2012 will see an estimated 175 interviews along with the expansion of programming geared towards the prevention of child abuse & neglect in the Bay County area.

Catherine Martinez, CAN Council’s Community Development Director, seconds Doner’s sentiments. “The Nathan Weidner Center of the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region would simply be unable to provide services to abused children without the support of our community. For generating that support and the countless hours they dedicated to this event, Wines co-chairs Al Doner & Tom Doran deserve major kudos.”

To be a part of next year’s Wines Around the World event, contact Catherine Martinez at (989) 671-1345 or cmartinez@cancouncil.org.

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About the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region
The CAN Council is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the Great Lakes Bay Region dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect through education, awareness, intervention and advocacy. It is the only nonprofit organization in the Great Lakes Bay Region devoted to this cause. Founded in 1979, the CAN Council has consistently grown over the past 32 years to meet the needs of the community’s children and families. For more information, visit CANcouncil.org or call (989) 671-1345.

Over 500 people enjoyed the fare of the region’s finest chefs at the 2012 CAN Council Wines Around the World event. By the time the festivities of April 20th ended, the Great Lakes Bay Region had raised nearly $60,000 for the CAN Council’s Nathan Weidner Center.

Al Doner, Wines Around the World Chair, says “This was truly a team effort by the volunteer committee and Council staff. The result was the largest and most successful event ever. I want to thank the sponsors, food vendors and especially US Foods, Fabiano Brothers, and the Bay City Country Club for their help and support. The community showed up in full force and was extremely generous in its efforts to help the children and this great cause.”

Catherine Martinez, CAN Council’s Community Development Director, seconds Doner’s sentiments. “The Nathan Weidner Center of the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region would simply be unable to provide services to abused children without the support of our community. For generating that support and the countless hours they dedicated to this event, Wines co-chairs Al Doner & Tom Doran deserve major kudos.”

To be a part of next year’s Wines Around the World event, contact Catherine Martinez at (989) 671-1345 or cmartinez@cancouncil.org.

Kelsey Ropp, a tenth grade student at Freeland High School, and her soccer teammates will be “Kick’n to Help Kids” on Wednesday, May 9^th.

Purchase a $5 ticket at the gate to the soccer field of Freeland High School for either the 5pm junior varsity game or the 7pm varsity game against John Glenn. Admission fees, plus proceeds from the sale of pinwheels, commemorative t-shirts, baked goods, 50/50 tickets and concessions will benefit CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region. The CAN Council is at the forefront of addressing child abuse & neglect through prevention, intervention and advocacy programs.

Ropp, a Varsity soccer player and avid volunteer with Freeland Scholars and Chippewa Nature Center, spearheaded the charity game and is hoping the stands are filled with CAN supporters and soccer enthusiasts alike on May 9^th!

Game sponsors include Burt Watson, CAN Council staff, Eudici’s Pizza, Freeland Athletic Association, Freeland Fast Lube, Freeland Pharmacy, Freeland State Bank, Hundred Acre Woods, MidMichigan Health, Mid-State Liquidators, Pat’s Food Center, Riverside Family Restaurant, Ruppert Automotive Repair, Saginaw Athletic Club, State Farm, The Log Cabin Bar & Grill, Tiffany’s, and Zion Lutheran Church.

To get more information about the event, call Bonnie Skornia at (989) 752-7226.

CONTACT:
Bonnie Skornia, Children’s Advocacy Center Program Director
1311 N. Michigan Avenue
Saginaw, MI 48602(989) 752-7226 office
bskornia@cancouncil.org

FREELAND GIRLS SOCCER TEAMS ARE KICK’N TO HELP KIDS

Varsity Soccer Player Orchestrates Game Benefitting
CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region

FREELAND, MI - May 1, 2012: Kelsey Ropp, a tenth grade student at Freeland High School, and her soccer teammates will be “Kick’n to Help Kids” on Wednesday, May 9^th. Admission fees to the evening’s soccer games, plus proceeds from sideline sales will benefit CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region. $5 tickets will be available at the gate to the Freeland High School soccer field for either the 5pm junior varsity game or the 7pm varsity game, both against John Glenn.

Ropp, a Varsity soccer player and avid volunteer with Freeland Scholars and Chippewa Nature Center, spearheaded the charity game. Since last year, Ropp has wanted to play a game for charity, much like Freeland football players do yearly during the Clash For a Cure. Ropp and her teammates identified multiple local & national charities before ultimately selecting CAN Council to benefit from the game. Ropp says the teams will honor the CAN Council each year during the “Kick’n to Help Kids” charity game.

Suzanne Greenberg, President/CEO of CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region says, “This young lady’s leadership and the commitment of the soccer teams will impact the lives of many vulnerable children. It’s a great example of what each of us can do to make a difference in our own way, in our own community.”

Game sponsors include Burt Watson, CAN Council staff, Eudici’s Pizza, Freeland Athletic Association, Freeland Fast Lube, Freeland Pharmacy, Freeland State Bank, Hundred Acre Woods, MidMichigan Health, Mid-State Liquidators, Pat’s Food Center, Riverside Family Restaurant, Ruppert Automotive Repair, Saginaw Athletic Club, State Farm, The Log Cabin Bar & Grill, Tiffany’s, and Zion Lutheran Church.

The CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region is at the forefront of addressing the issues surrounding child abuse & neglect through its nationally-accredited and award-winning prevention, intervention and advocacy programs. To learn more about the event or the CAN Council, call Bonnie Skornia at (989) 752-7226.

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About the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region
The CAN Council is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the Great Lakes Bay Region dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect through education, awareness, intervention and advocacy. It is the only nonprofit organization in the Great Lakes Bay Region devoted to this cause. Founded in 1979, the CAN Council has consistently grown over the past 32 years to meet the needs of the community’s children and families. For more information, visit CANcouncil.org or call (989) 752-7226.

Dad reminds Annie several times to wash the breakfast dishes, which she has forgotten to do three times this week. Annie continues listening to her iPod and tells her dad to get off her back.

Sound familiar? Sometimes it seems like it’s more work to get your child to help with household chores than it would be to just do them yourself!

Try using this approach: Tell Annie it makes you feel frustrated when she acts this way. Speak calmly and be clear about what you want done and when you want to have it done by. Tell Annie what the consequence is if she doesn’t do the dishes. (The best consequence is something you’ve agreed to in advance when you discussed what chores each person will help with). Let her know that since she’s also spoken to you disrespectfully, she’ll get another consequence. Ignore any further misbehavior and assign consequences right away. When she begins the dishes, praise her for her being helpful.

Adapted from the Great Start University parenting class offered by the CAN Council. Call Vera at (989) 752-7226 to learn more.

There’s a $1,000 prize up for grabs, and it’s up to CAN Council supporters to help us win it!

Visit http://videos.realityworks.com/contest-videos.php, scroll down to CAN’s video entitled “Saginaw BTIO 2012″ and click on the 5th star in the upper right-hand corner of the box.

Visit the site and give the “Saginaw BTIO 2012″ video a 5-star rating once a day until Friday, May 4th at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The top five highest-rated videos will be judged by a panel of professionals for final prize allocation.

The video presents an overview of the Baby Think It Over program of the CAN Council Great Lakes Bay Region. Prize money will be used to purchase new baby simulators for student use. For more information on the program, call Danelle at (989) 752-7226.

Dad is trying to get his children ready for school in the morning. His son, Theo, won’t eat his brea

Sound familiar? It can be frustrating getting yourself ready for work and dealing with the needs of your children at the same time. It’s especially frustrating when your children don’t understand the pressure you face to be on-time for work.

Try using this approach: Praise both children for what they have already done to get themselves ready. Ask Theo why he’s not eating. If he’s not hungry, compromise and ask him to just have a little breakfast so he can get through the morning at school without getting hungry. If he doesn’t like his breakfast, offer him 1 chance to trade it for something else you find acceptable. Give Rosie 2 choices of outfits and a timeframe within which she needs to choose 1. Let her know if she can’t make the choice herself, you’ll make it for her. Praise both kids when they do what you’ve asked. Ignore any misbehavior so you don’t reinforce it with your attention.

At the end of the day, have a family meeting. Sit down and discuss what needs to happen each morning. Allow room for choices. For example, your child might have to get dressed and eat his breakfast. But, let him know each day he’ll have 2 outfits to choose from. And, he can choose what cereal & fruit he wants for breakfast. Let them know the rewards and consequences for helping get ready in the morning. If they’re mature enough, let them help determine the reward & consequences.

Adapted from the Great Start University parenting class offered by the CAN Council. Call Vera at (989) 752-7226 to learn more.

Mom hears Cheyenne crying and asks her what happened. Cheyenne tells her that her brother, Damon, hit her for no reason.

Sound familiar? Getting along with siblings takes time and practice for any child.

Try using this approach: First, take care of any injury Cheyenne might have. In front of both children, let Cheyenne know it’s never okay for anyone to treat her this way. Let Damon know what he did was wrong and give him a reasonable punishment. Inform him that because the punishment is reasonable, you’re not going to argue about your decision. If Damon tries to argue, let him know he’ll receive an additional punishment. Don’t argue back.

A note about the use of punishment to deal with behavior problems: Punishments are most effective if they’re agreed to in advance of a problem. When this situation ends and the punishment is over, Mom should sit down with Damon in private and tell him that the whole family needs to feel safe. Let him know that hitting is not allowed. And, work with him to determine what the punishment will be if he hits Cheyenne in the future.

Adapted from the Great Start University parenting class offered by the CAN Council. Call Vera at (989) 752-7226 to learn more.