I I AI *- -- --- -- *NNO I IM ~J~u / a SPS highlights literacy GREEN EGGS AND HAM: Sheriff Tony Cameron reads Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" at Suwan- IMPORTANCE OF READING: Ed Robinson talks with a class about the importance of reading during nee Primary School during literacy day this past school year. Photo: Vanessa Fultz literacy day at Suwannee Primary School recently. Photo: Vanessa.Fultz . Grant used to break the_ cycle .of child abuse or: "IM,, m.r A $137,800 grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Re- ligious, Charitable and Educational Fund will help Children's Home So- ciety 'of Florida (CHS) to launch a new effort to break the cycle of child abuse. CHS, a private not- for-profit known for 104 years of caring for Flori- S da's abused, neglected Sand abandoned children, is boosting its core efforts through the addition of applied research. S"I can't tell you how ex- cited I am to be a part of- Children's Home Society for the next several years,". said Robert Moser, execu- tive vice president of Sun- Trust Banks and chair of CHS'. strategic planning committee. "Rarely ,does anyone get the opportuni- ty to make an impact that can significantly improve the lives of thousands of children. I truly believe we are poised to have that impact." CHS' approach will be to: 1) conduct applied re- search on social service programs that address complex family manage- ment issues; 2) document the most effective pro- grams and elements; 3) develop new programs in- corporating these strate- gies; and, 4) use the re- sults to drive advocacy ef- S forts at the state and na- tional levels. In simpler terms, fami- lies most at risk for child abuse almost always struggle with multiple is- sues such as substance abuse, illiteracy, unem- ployment, housing, men- tal health diagnoses, etc. However, resources for these struggling families are delivered in single-is- sue funding streams, mak- ing it extremely challeng- ing to address the overall health of a family in order to reduce the stressors that lead to child abuse. CHS plans to pilot pro- grams that cross over these funding boundaries, breaking down barriers in an effort to better protect children. "The need is never more urgent to collect sound ev- idence that tells us what programs, services and techniques most help troubled families become healthy," said David A. Bundy, president and CEO of Children's Home Society. To protect a child and help him escape the cycle of abuse means he and generations to come will have the opportunity to be successful, support- ive and nurturing." SNo other organization in the country known to be researching best practices in child welfare has CHS' capacity to both serve and study large numbers of clients. Delivering ser- vices to more than 139,000 children and family mem- bers in 2004-05, CHS -has an unprecedented capabil- ity of reaching large num- bers of clients with data- driven programs and training for child welfare practitioners. CHS is the ideal laboratory for' this critically important effort. Seeking seed money for its innovative evidence- based approach to child protection, CHS turned to the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, source of CHS' ini- tial 2005 planning grant for this new direction. Lo- cated in Jacksonville, where CHS was founded in 1902, the duPont: Fund awards grants to 325 eligi- ble institutions, encourag- ing those institutions to expand their capacity to serve their communities, finding new and innova- tive ways to extend the reach of Mrs. Alfred I. (Jessie Ball) duPont's lega- cy. CHS is the fourth largest private not-for-profit in the United States and Canada accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Child &. Family Services and is the oldest statewide provider of. services to children and fam- ilies in Florida, pre-dating state governmental agencies. Infulfilling its mission, "Em- bracing Children. Inspiring Lives.," CHS offers a broad spectrum of services that in- clude adoption, foster care, emergency shelter residen- tial group homes, indepen- dent and transitional living for teens, parent education, counseling, mentoring and treatment for developmental- ly disabled children. Head- quartered in Winter Park, CHS currently manages the cases of nearly one-third of all children in the Florida foster care system. Operating 200-plus locations through- out the state, CHS employs more than 2,300 dedicated staff to deliver child-cen- tered, family-focused pro- grams. JULY 22-JULY 30 NO FLORIDA STATE TAX CHARGED ON APPAREL OR FOOTWEAR PURCHASES INDIVIDUALLY PRICED $50 OR LESS. *Fr ~ U ji ii: B l t hi SHOP TAX FREE ,DURING OUR SATURDAY BONUS SALE! *STORE OPENS SAT, JULY 22 8AM- 10 PM! DOORBUSTERS! 5 HOURS ONLY! SSTOREWIDE CLEARANCE! 60% OFF ORIGINAL PRICES! LOOK FOR OUR CIRCULAR IN OUR STORE. ..- -_ .. Sale prices effective through Saturday, 7/22/06 unless otherwise noted. Percentages off regular prices or original prices, as shown. Actual savings may exceed stated percentage off. ."'.i E "Regular" and "Original" prices reflect offering prices which may not have resulted in actual sales. "Original" prices may not have been in effect during the past 90 days or in all trade areas. Any event designated as a "sale" excludes Value Right merchandise and items sold every day with discounts if purchased in multiples of "2 or more". Intermediate markdowns may have been taken on original-priced merchandise. Clearance items are available while supplies last. Merchandise selection may vary from one JCPenney store to another. Catalog/Internet merchandise and prices may vary from those offered in JCPenney stores. Some in-store discount offers may not apply to Catalog and Internet orders. To find the JCPenney store nearest you, call 1-877-FIND JCP (1-877-346-3527) or go to jcpenney.com 280so01rv SHP8M1PSPRDYIjL 2' PAGE 11A 0 SUWANNEE DEMOCRAT/LIVE OAK FRIDAYJULY 21 2006 As