Ware Children’s Initiative, Inc.
Minutes
January 21, 2016
The Ware Children’s Initiative met on Thursday, January 21, 2016 at 8:30 in Room 210 at Coastal Pines Technical College.
In attendance: Charles Pritchett, Destination Church; Milagros Washington, Peachstate Health Plan; Natasha Boatright, Mayo Clinic Health System in Waycross; Kit Brinson, Grace Episcopal Church; Linda Zechmann, Ware Ferst Foundation; Jimmy Brown, Chairman, Ware County Board of Commissioners; Ambi Bess, Julie Prestenbach, Southeast Health District; Sam Ganas; Okefenokee Heritage Center; Celenda Perry, HEARTS for Families; Terry Anderson, Satilla Advocacy Services; Viva Steed, Glyn Thomas, Unison Behavioral Health; Jay Jones, Misty Mercer, DJJ; Sandra Osburn, Lynn Rivers, Cindy Russ, Ware County Board of Education; Rev Nathaniel Anderson, Boys to Men, SWANS; Ayona Hill, Waycross Housing Authority; Linda Thrift, Coastal Pines Technical College; Ginger Peagler, HEARTS for Families and Waycross Exchange Club; Heather Harrell, Kevin Sullivan, YMCA; Doug Walker, Trinity United Methodist Church;, John McCray, McKinney Community Health Center; Heather Reeves, Kristi Dixon, Donna Thornton, Magnolia House; Beverly Harrell, Waycross RYDC/DJJ; Susan Harrell, Georgia Family Connection Partnership and Gail Seifert, Coordinator.
Reverend Nathaniel Anderson opened the meeting with the prayer for children.
I. Review and approve November minutes
Gail asked the members to review the Decemer 17, 2015 minutes. A motion to approve the minutes as presented was made by Ambi Bess and seconded by Julie Prestenbach and approved by those attending.
II. Project Updates
Stepping Stones
Ambi Bess reported that the first family had been selected and will move into the Alice Street transitional home on January 25th. The applicant was interviewed by a team of five social workers. She will begin counseling through Unison Behavioral Health. Her children have received a scholarship to attend the afterschool program at the YMCA. She is scheduled to work on her finances and school admission with Kim Rodgers and Linda Thrift from Coastal Pines Technical College.
Gail Seifert reported that the next organizational steps were to begin the process to acquire nonprofit status for the program and to begin soliciting funds to ensure sustainability for the program.
Ware Ferst Foundation
Linda Zechmann reported that in 2015, 573 children in Ware County were registered for the Ferst Literacy Program and that 3,384 books had been sent out. In addition, each month the parents of these children received a newsletter, a reading guide for that month’s book and useful tips about reading to a child. Children are eligible to receive free monthly books from birth to age 5. Linda appealed for donations and assistance in registering more children.
III. 2016-17 Annual Plan and Statistics Review
Gail asked collaborative members to refer to the agenda packet for the most recent (October 2015) Kids Count data and emerging trends for Ware County. Based on the data, she recommended that the collaborative adopt the previous annual plan for the coming year to continue its focus on reducing teen pregnancies and STD rates in Ware County. Ware has shown a significant improvement in the reduction of teen pregnancies over the past five year but current data indicates that the rates for Ware County are still significantly above those for the state.
Emerging trends of concern include the percentages of students with school absences more than 15 days, rates of child abuse and neglect, and the percentages of children living in families where no parent has full time year round employment. Members agreed that the school absences should see a significant reduction this academic year because of the arrest of parents that was made last spring because of school absenteeism.
Terry Anderson, Director of Satilla Advocacy Services addressed the rates of child abuse and neglect and indicated that because of the amount of education that her organization has conducted, more people are reporting child abuse thus the increase in numbers.
Gail commented that data shows that 40.7% (3,333) of Ware County children are living in poverty compared to 26.7% for the state.
IV. Member reports
Those present then engaged in a lengthy session of introductions and organizational reports.
Meeting Adjourned at 10:00
Celenda Perry, Ware CIS HEARTS for Families, Recorder
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Organizational Summary Reports
SATILLA ADVOCACY SERVICES – Terry Anderson
Satilla Advocacy Services is gearing up for the Heroes for Kids – 4 mile run on April 2nd. The run will be used to raise awareness for April – Child Abuse Prevention month/Sexual Assault Awareness month.
HEARTS FOR FAMILIES – Celenda Perry
According to the 2015 Georgia Student Health Survey, Ware County students’ answers to four out of five nation outcome measures were worse than the state average. Parental influence is the one area where Ware County excels. Never the less, of Ware students who began regular consumption of alcohol before middle school, 53.4% started drinking before age 9.