Dolphin House News
A Gift from the Employees of
Gordon Composites and Polystrand
For the second year in a row, the Dolphin House has been chosen by the employees of Gordon Composites and Polystrand as a recipient of the Christmas Party Funds. A $2,506 check was presented to Sue Montgomery on January 19 by Jarrod Thornton, Gordon Composites (left) and Andrew Reed, Polystrand (right). These funds are raised by the employees during the holiday season.
El Pomar Foundation Provides
Merit Grant to Dolphin House
The El Pomar Foundation, located in Colorado Springs, provided a $12,500 Merit Grant to the Dolphin House in December 2011. The Dolphin House received this grant because of the improvement in its program and excellence in service to abused children in the 7th Judicial District.
The Foundation also provided a $5,000 Merit Grant to the Black Canyon Boys and Girls Club in Montrose/Olathe.
Official checks were given to Sue Montgomery, executive director of the Dolphin House, and Justin Kiehl, director of the Boys and Girls Club, in Colorado Springs in December. In this photo Kay Alexander, former executive director of the Dolphin House and a current Trustee for El Pomar Foundation, is presenting notifications of the awards to these two organizations.
Montrose City Council proclaims the year 2012 as
“Off Limits to Child Abuse”
On the evening of January 17 the Montrose City Council issued a proclamation declaring 2012 as “Off Limits to Child Abuse” for children living in Montrose. The Delta City Council made the same proclamation for children living in that community. On the morning of the 17th the Montrose County Board of County Commissioners declared Montrose County to be “Off Limits to Child Abuse” as well.
All of these proclamations were in response to a new Child Abuse Prevention Education Initiative that began in July 2011. The multi-agency Child Abuse Prevention Education (CAPE) Task Force, which was organized and continues to be coordinated by the Dolphin House Child Advocacy Center, has worked hard during the last six months to establish goals for training professionals and educating parents, caregivers and children in ways children can be kept safe from abuse—specifically sexual assaults.
The CAPE Task Force includes agency leadership from both Delta and Montrose who represent law enforcement, Child Protective Services, Hilltop, the mental health and medical communities, Voices for Children, the school districts, the Child Advocacy Center, and four professionals from the communities.
Initial training of 105 professionals was held in September 2011. The Health & Human Services Empowering Dads program and the Dolphin House Child Advocacy Center brought Feather Berkower, author of the “Off Limits” book and trainer for parents and professionals to Montrose to provide this training.
After that initial training, the Task Force put together its own training materials that are relevant to what we face on the West Slope so we can continue to train professionals about warning signs of abuse, Colorado’s mandatory reporting laws, and ways they can help educate parents and caregivers that will allow them to keep their children safe from sexual abuse. The goal of the Task Force is to train all professionals who have regular contact with children—including school teachers and staff, daycare providers, church staff and clergy, and leaders in scouting and other extra-curricular activities for children. On February 8 the trainings in schools will begin with teachers and staff in the Olathe elementary, middle and high schools. They anticipate being able to provide this training for teachers and staff in the additional Montrose County and Delta County schools during 2012, and hope this training will be a yearly training for teachers and staff prior to each school year’s beginning.
In March and May 2012, training for professionals from daycare centers, churches, and community children’s programs will take place. Again, the Task Force anticipates providing ongoing training to these agencies as staff turnover occurs and others are hired.
Members from the Task Force have also put together an educational presentation that will be used specifically with parents and caregivers. These educational presentations will begin in 2012 and be ongoing in years ahead. They will focus primarily on parents and caregivers of children between the ages of 2 and 11.
Task Force members are also working on educational ideas for children between 2 and 11 years of age. We hope to have a program available for children by the end of 2012.
Dolphin House “Paperboy”
For over a year now the Dolphin House has been blessed by having a very special “paperboy” who stepped to the plate to assist us with our office paper needs!
After learning about the Dolphin House, Marvin Oliver, a retired railroad man, made a commitment to keep us supplied with all of our office paper products. Marvin told us that whenever we need paper products we are to call him. And if copy paper is on sale at Office Depot, we are assured that he will show up at our door with a special delivery!
In the past year, our “paperboy” has saved the Dolphin House over $300! What a great blessing he is to the Dolphin House and to all of the child abuse victims that we serve!
Thank you, Marvin!
