This event is definitely not about the bowling; it’s about having fun for a good cause, so anyone can participate! Individuals and Teams of 4 to 8 people are welcome to register for this special event and help Big Brothers Big Sisters to raise funds for local programs exclusively benefiting children and youth in the local communities.  Each participant raises a minimum of $35 in pledges and is then eligible for 2 hours of bowling, an entry in the “Everyday Heroes” Drawing, free pizza compliments of Pizza Hut, great prizes and a lot of FUN.

The purpose of Bowl for Kids is to invite the community to be a part of our Mission of providing children and youth with one-to-one friendship, guidance and opportunities.  The Friendships of Big Brothers Big Sisters are joyful, uplifting and effective and the support of the community through Bowl for Kids is instrumental to the success of the relationships supported through our programs. Join in the FUN and make a BIG difference in your community. For more information or to register a team, call 487-9855, email bbbs@goodwillfarm.com or visit the Big Brothers Big Sisters’ website at www.upbigs.com

FAT Tuesday, February 16 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Horizons Alternative High School and Keweenaw Krayons Art Center in Mohawk

Music:  6 to 7 p.m. Talented duo of Heaven Hawkins and Tony Laux playing a mix of easy folk and indie 7 to 8 p.m. Jazz & Blues by Steve Loukus and John Snyder

There are still openings for volunteer musicians to play from 5 to 6 p.m.  (we’ll feed you) – Jazzy dinner music preferred but we’ll consider other options…

The Mardi Gras Celebration features Cajun food, including vegetarian options, music, silent auction, art sales, mask making and more…

Menu consists of Gumbo (vegetarian and regular); Cajun Salad; Red Beans & Rice; Corn Bread; and Keweenaw Krayons famous Berry Sundaes.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $20 at the door.  Pre-schoolers eat free and family discounts are available.  Can’t make it – but want to support Keweenaw Krayons and Horizons S.T.A.R.S. – consider purchasing tickets for us to give away…

Tickets are available at the following places:

Mohawk: The Mohawk Superette

Horizons Alternative High School

Keweenaw Krayons Art Center

Copper Harbor:

The Gaslight General Store

The Mariner

Calumet: Vertin Gallery

Michigan House Café and BrewPub

5^th & Elm Coffee Shop

Hancock: The Lone Wolf Hair Den

5^th & Elm Coffee Shop

Houghton: Good Times Music

Cyberia Café

If you cannot make it to one of these sites but know for sure you are coming, they can call Keweenaw Krayons at 337-4706 or email staff@keweenawkrayons.com and tickets will be put aside at the $10 price.  For current information on the FAT Tuesday, Mardi Gras event check out www.keweenawkrayons.com

An estimated 553,000 children suffered physical, sexual or emotional abuse in 2005-06, down 26 percent from the estimated 743,200 abuse victims in 1993, the study found.

“It’s the first time since we started collecting data about these things that we’ve seen substantial declines over a long period, and that’s tremendously encouraging,” said professor David Finkelhor of the University of New Hampshire, a leading researcher in the field of child abuse.

“It does suggest that the mobilization around this issue is helping and it’s a problem that is amenable to solutions,” he said.

The findings were contained in the fourth installment of the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, a congressionally mandated study that has been conducted periodically by the Department of Health and Human Services. The previous version was issued in 1996, based on 1993 data.

The new study is based on information from more than 10,700 “sentinels” — such as child welfare workers, police officers, teachers, health care professionals and day care workers — in 122 counties across the country. The detailed data collected from them was then used to make national estimates.

A. Baseden / AP Chart shows decrease in the number of children abused in the U.S.

What’s behind the decline?
The number of sexually abused children decreased from 217,700 in 1993 to 135,300 in 2005-2006 — a 38 percent drop, the study shows. The number of children who experienced physical abuse fell by 15 percent and the number of emotionally abused children dropped by 27 percent.

The 455-page study shied away from trying to explain the trends, but other experts offered their theories.

“There’s much more public awareness and public intolerance around child abuse now,” said Linda Spears, the Child Welfare League of America’s vice president for public policy. “It was a hidden concern before — people were afraid to talk about it if it was in their family.”

She also noted the proliferation of programs designed to help abusers and potential abusers overcome their problems.

Finkelhor, whose own previous research detected a drop in abuse rates, said the study reveals “real, substantial declines” that cannot be dismissed on any technical grounds, such as changing definitions of abuse.

He suggested that the decline was a product of several coinciding trends, including a “troop surge” in the 1990s when more people were deployed in child protection services and the criminal justice system intensified its anti-abuse efforts with more arrests and prison sentences.

Finkelhor also suggested that the greatly expanded use of medications may have enabled many potential child abusers to treat the conditions that otherwise might have led them to molest or mistreat a child.

“There’s also been a general change in perceptions and norms about what one can get away with, so much more publicity about these things,” he said.

Released to little fanfare
One curious aspect of the study was the manner of its release. Although HHS had launched the study in 2004 and invested several million dollars, it was posted a few days ago on the Internet with no fanfare — neither a press release nor a news conference. Finkelhor, noting that experts in the field had been impatiently awaiting the study, described this low-profile approach as “shocking.”

The findings might be disconcerting to some in the child-welfare field who base their funding pitches on the specter of ever-rising abuse rates, said Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform.

“The best use of scarce child welfare dollars is on prevention and family preservation — not on hiring more people to investigate less actual abuse,” Wexler said.

The study found some dramatic differences in child abuse rates based on socio-economic factors. Poor children were three times more likely than other kids to experience abuse, and rates of abuse in African-American families were significantly higher than for whites and Hispanics.

Family structure also was a factor — for example, children whose single parent had a live-in partner faced an abuse rate 10 times that of a child living with two parents.

The main author of the study, Andrea Sedlak of the Rockville, Md.-based research firm Westat Inc., said she was heartened by the overall findings of declining abuse rates. However, she was troubled to find that more than half of child maltreatment incidents are not investigated by child-protection agencies.

“Is the system still so strapped?” she asked. “There’s still a lot of material here saying the system has a long way to go.”

The study does not cover the recent period in which the United States plunged into a recession, prompting some reports of increased domestic violence and abuse in hard-off families.

Prevention, ‘Educational Opportunities’  available.

The Superior Child Abuse Prevention Council announces the availability of their request for proposal for the Denise Marth Memorial Grant.  The ‘educational opportunities’ will be awarded for child abuse and neglect prevention programs. Total funds available are $3,000 and are for one year.  Application is open to all groups.

Applications are due by Friday February 5th 2010 to the following address: PO Box 832 Houghton, MI 49931. An application may be requested by calling Rhys Edwards at 482-9077 or through emailing the coordinator at superiorcapcouncil@gmail.com, or following the link below.

The Superior Child Abuse Prevention Program is a local council of the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund, serving Baraga, Houghton and Keweenaw counties. We are a community based organization that serves as an outreach component for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. SCAPC identifies needs and facilitates collaborative prevention programs. The council includes representatives of public agencies, schools, law enforcement the probate court, prosecutor’s office, parents, related private agencies and other members representing the demographic composition of the community.

Application Form:

LOCAL RFP 2010

By-Laws 2009