The National Foster Care Prayer Vigil will be held May 20th through the 27th. This week- long event provides an opportunity to join in prayer with thousands around the country on behalf of the children in our nation’s foster care system, workers, families (foster and birth) and the church’s response to the foster care crisis.

The vigil was originally established through The Cry of the Orphan campaign which is supported by Hope for Orphans, Show Hope, and Focus on the Family ministries. In 2006, these ministries organized a large prayer vigil for foster children in Little Rock, Arkansas. Over the past six years, more and more groups and individuals have organized their own vigils in areas across the United States.

For more information, to register your vigil or locate a vigil nearest you, please visit http://www.cryoftheorphan.org/Overview.aspx.

The Bridge Family Resource center has posted new information about five programs focused on helping foster and adopted youth achieve their higher education goals. Each program has specific requirements, deadlines, and application processes. For more information about these educational opportunities or how to utilize these programs, please visit our website’s resource section.

On April 9^th, 2012, the National Children’s Bureau celebrated 100 years of service. The Children’s Bureau was the first national agency specifically dedicated to the protection and welfare of children. The focus and methods of the Children’s Bureau have evolved with society and culture. However, even after 100 years of service, the same values that informed the Bureau’s earliest efforts continue to guide the Children’s Bureau in the twenty first century.

In honor of the Bureau’s centennial, an e-brochure has been launched featuring information about the Bureau’s history and legacy of leadership. The Story of the Children’s Bureau is available at https://cb100.acf.hhs.gov/cb_ebrochure.

On April 2nd, 2012 the website StopBullying.gov was re-launched. The new site emphasizes action steps individuals can take to prevent and stop bullying in their schools and communities. It also features easy to use tools and resources for community leaders, young people and families, including:

• How to recognize the warning signs and when to take action
• Tips to prevent bullying before it starts
• How to implement strategies for intervention
• Ways to share your community’s resources, policies or strategies to prevent and address bullying
• Information on bullying laws in your state

The hope is that the new site will help individuals share ideas and start discussions about the role they can play in preventing bullying in their community.

Patrons can show support on their own website with the StopBullying.gov widgets and badges. Additionally, they are able to subscribe to email updates to find out about new content on the site. Individuals can also follow StopBullying.gov on Twitter or Facebook for more information on how to take action.

Finally, the site would like to encourage users to look for the yellow box at the bottom of most pages. This is the new user feedback tool, which can be used to indicate whether the page was useful or not. Ideas for how to improve the site can also be submitted using this tool. For more information please visit www.StopBullying.gov.

According to a study conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) 1 in 88 children have been identified as having an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the United States. The same study found that ASDs are five times more common in boys than in girls. With the impact of ASDs having such scope the CDC considers ASDs to be an important public health risk.

Due to the CDC’s concern they have launched the “Learn the Signs, Act Early” campaign which includes resource materials about developmental milestones, warning signs, and tips about how to address a family’s concerns. The program aims to educate in order to improve the early identification of children with ASDs. Earlier detection means children and their families can get the services and support they need as early as possible. All research-based materials are free and accessible at www.cdc.gov/ActEarly.

The CDC welcomes the opportunity to provide regional webinars and trainings about how to use the materials in creative ways. If you are interested in learning more you can email Camille Smith personally at CSmith@cdc.gov.

Additionally, you can co-brand all the materials with your contact information or that of your community providers. CDC can help co-brand the products with your information or individual logo. To request this personalization please email ActEarly@cdc.gov.

May is quickly approaching, and in May we celebrate National Foster Care Month. The Foster Care and Adoptive Association of Oklahoma will be hosting Foster Care Day at the Capitol on Monday, May 14. Come and tour the Capitol by doing your very own scavenger hunt. Booths from Oklahoma agencies and services for foster families will be available. Come and see your local legislatures and supporters. There will also be guest speakers who will soon be announced. Registration begins at 9am. See you there! Be sure to check out our website: www.fcao.org for updates and more events to come. For questions please contact fcaoboard@gmail.com

Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy and his wife, Lauren, have adopted several children. They would like to see more families consider adoption.

This year, during the Super Bowl’s half-time, families have the opportunity to learn more about adoption and the orphan crisis. Tony Dungy said “The big win on Super Sunday would be to raise awareness about the millions of children who need a family. I would love to see thousands of local community groups and circles of friends gathering together to stop and consider how they can help,”

To participate, families can go on-line to www.adoptionjourney.org/dungyhalftime and watch a 3-minute video featuring Tony and Lauren Dungy and then also participate in a family discussion on the video. Lifesong is providing a complimentary Video Halftime Kit for all participants. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to learn and share about adoption and to begin discussing the possibility of adoption with their loved ones.

http://adoptionjourney.org also provides additional adoption resources for those interested in learning more about adoption and how they can assist families interested in adoption.

We encourage you to watch and share this video on Superbowl Sunday and beyond!

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. To promote healthy children and strong families, communities and individuals across Oklahoma are invited to participate in the fourth annual “Building a Blue Ribbon Tree for Kids.” The blue ribbon is the international sign for child abuse prevention. It serves as a reminder that all individuals have a responsibility in helping to protect children.

The Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) ACTION Committee would like all participants to have the Blue Ribbon Trees up and on display before April begins or any time during the month of Aprils. Trees can be registered with the official Tree Registry by sending in the registration form and no more than two photographs. Tree photos received by Tuesday, March 27, 2012 will be featured during CAP Day at the Capitol on April 3, 2012 and also featured in the 2012 CAP Month Scrapbook. Tree photos might also be displayed on the ‘Child Abuse Prevention Awareness’ website and Facebook.

To submit a tree, individuals can mail, fax, or e-mail the completed form and tree photographs to Sherie Trice, M.S., CCPS, CBCAP Grant Coordinator. Entries can be mailed to Family Support and Prevention Service, OSDH 1000 NE 10th St., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73117-1299. To fax an entry, please send the form to 405-271-1011. To email an entry, please email SherieT@health.ok.gov.

The Child Abuse Prevention Awareness site also offers ideas on building a blue ribbon tree with preschool aged children or grade school aged children. Children can also color their own Blue Ribbon Tree. More information on the 2012 Child Abuse Prevention Awareness, including the Blue Ribbon Tree Packet, Blue Ribbon Tree Photo Release, and Blue Ribbon Tree Postcard, please visit the Child Abuse Prevention Awareness site.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services recently developed several new online training courses to help Bridge Resource Families for fostering and adoption access the information they need.

Resource families will be able to access these courses on the web at http://www.okbridgefamilies.com/training/online/ any time and generally take about 1 hour to complete. Resource Families may also request a DVD copy of the online training courses from their local county office. Upon completion and assessment of the online training courses, Resource Families will be eligible to receive one hour of yearly in-service training credits per training.

The newly available training videos include: A Resource Parent’s Guide to Their Contract and Handbook, Trauma Informed Care: An Introduction for Bridge Resource Parents, Legal Processes for Bridge Resource Parents, Visits: A Guide for Bridge Resource Parents, and Psychotropic Medications. These trainings provide valuable information about the work you do on a daily basis and are good for new resource parents or those needing a refresher.

The Office of Child Abuse Prevention is now accepting nominations for the 2012 ITF Awards. The ITF Awards recognize individuals who demonstrate commitment and dedication to the prevention of child abuse. The awards include 2012 Outstanding Elected Official Award, the 2012 Marion Jacewitz Award, the 2012 Mary Ellen Wilson Award, and the 2012 Outstanding Child Abuse Prevention Program Award.

The 2012 Outstanding Elected Official Award is presented to an elected official for their service on behalf of children and families in Oklahoma. The official should be a person who strives to enhance the quality of life for children of all ages and their families either in the individual’s neighborhood, community, or across the state.

The 2012 Marion Jacewitz Award is presented to an individual Oklahoman who made significant contributions to the prevention of child abuse on a statewide level. To be considered for this award, an individual must participate in at least one creative and innovative child abuse prevention program, have demonstrated leadership in promoting the prevention of child abuse statewide, have demonstrated commitment to improving the quality of life for children and their families, and have also been involved in the field of of child abuse prevention for at least two years.

The 2012 Mary Ellen Wilson Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated commitment and dedication to child abuse prevention activities in his/her community. To be considered for this award, an individual must participate in at least one creative and innovative child abuse prevention program, have demonstrated leadership in promoting the prevention of child abuse in his/her community, have demonstrated commitment to improving the quality of life for children and their families, and have also been involved in the child of child abuse prevention for at least two years.

The 2012 Outstanding Child Abuse Prevention Program Award is presented to a community program that focuses on child abuse prevention. To be considered for this award, the program will be considered based on its comprehensiveness, innovative program design, flexibility of services, success in relationship within the community, and providing services for at least two years.

The nominations must be received by Wednesday, February 22, 2012. The individual or organization making the nomination must ensure the nomination is no more than five single-sided 8 ½ x 11” pages. This includes the letter and supporting materials. The name and contact information of the nominating person or organization should be included. Each nomination must be entered in only one category. The nomination can be mailed or emailed as an attachment.

The nomination forms for all awards can be viewed and printed here.

To mail the nomination, please send all required information to Sherie Trice, CBCAP Grant Coordinator; Family Support and Prevention Service; Family Health Services/Oklahoma State Department of Health; 1000 NE 10th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1299. To email the nomination, please send all required information to sheriet@health.ok.gov.

The voting for the ITF Award winners will be held at the ITF meeting on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 10:00am. The ITF Award will be presented in a special ceremony during the annual Child Abuse Prevention Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, April 3, 2012.