Prevent Child Abuse New York's Blog

Walk for Children: Sample Email to Sponsors

As a participant in the 2011 Walk for Children, you play a key role in the success of the event! Please help us reach our goal of $30,000!

If you haven't already, please take a moment to create and personalize a fundraising page at FirstGiving.com. This is a simple and easy way to raise money and show your sponsors why preventing child abuse is important to you.

Below is a sample e-mail that you can send to anyone you think might sponsor you.

Dear Friend,

I am participating in the 2011 Walk for Children to benefit Prevent Child Abuse New York (PCANY) on October 15 at Washington Park in Albany. The Walk for Children is an event for the whole family that features games, activities, prizes, food, refreshments and a short walk around the park to honor the leaders of tomorrow - our kids.

Widely considered the state's go-to organization for information, activities and resources related to preventing child abuse and neglect, PCANY provides training, education and referral services to nearly 100,000 people each year. Countless more benefit from their legislative advocacy efforts, which have successfully established and sustained proven child abuse prevention programs for at-risk children and families.

PCANY has enjoyed many successes, but too few children benefit from them. The unfortunate reality is that so few resources have been dedicated to prevention programs that they are available to only the tiniest fraction of those who need them.

That's where you come in. I have created an online fundraising page to make it as easy as possible for you to contribute to my efforts. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to this very worthy cause.

Please visit [insert link to your page] to make a secure online donation.

Thank you in advance for your generous support!

Your friend,

[Insert Your Name]

Child abuse and neglect prevention is the most critical issue we can address for the long-term prosperity of our state and nation. Thank you for stepping up to make a difference in your community! Learn more about the event on our web site, including information about registration, organizing your own team, creating a personal fundraising page, fundraising tips, and volunteering.

Walk for Children: Let's Celebrate the Leaders of Tomorrow!

In an unpredictable world one thing is for sure: Today's kids are tomorrow's leaders. Child abuse prevention is the most urgent issue we can address for the long-term prosperity of our state and nation. I hope you'll join us at the Walk for Children on October 15 to celebrate the leaders of tomorrow and help create a world where all children are loved, nurtured and protected.

It's been a challenging year for PCANY and all signs point to another difficult year ahead. The success of the Walk for Children is more important than ever. We're depending on you to spread the word and raise money.

Please help us reach our goal of $30,000! Fundraising is a challenging, but rewarding activity. We're thankful for supporters like you as we push toward our goal. Here are some tips to help you achieve your personal fundraising goals:

Create a FirstGiving.com Page
Use FirstGiving.com to create a customized fundraising page. Tell your story with a photo, compelling message or video. Then simply email the page to your prospective sponsors. Your page is your place to show your friends, family and colleagues exactly why you're supporting Prevent Child Abuse New York.

Try Face-to-Face, Too
There's no denying the power of the internet to raise money, but people will find it harder to say no to you (or ignore you) if you ask them to donate in person. This also gives you the opportunity to immediately answer questions and explain why preventing child abuse is important to you.

Know Where the Money Goes
People want to know how their money will be spent and that it will be put to good use. Funds raised in the walk will support our 24-hour Parent Helpline and Kids Can't Wait, our legislative and policy advocacy program. You can read more about our work on our web site.

Aim High
Ask for more than you expect to get. If you think someone will donate $25, ask for $50. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Follow Up
Stay in contact with the people you ask to sponsor you. If they don't commit right away, follow up and remind them how important this is to you.

Give Thanks
Send thank you notes or emails to your sponsors. After the event, send photos of you and your team at the Walk. Be sure to let your sponsors know they are making a difference.

Walk for Children At-a-Glance:

Where:
Washington Park Lake House

When:
Saturday, October 15
Registration & Kids' Activities 10 a.m.
Walk 11 a.m.
Rain or Shine

At the Walk:
Children's games, activities, crafts, music, food, refreshments, prizes and a short walk through the park in honor of the leaders of tomorrow - our kids! Proceeds from the Walk support our Parent Helpline and Kids Can't Wait, our legislative advocacy program.

More information:
Learn more about the event on our web site, including information about registration, organizing your own team, creating a personal fundraising page, fundraising tips, and volunteering.

Already busy on October 15?
That's OK! You can still support the Walk for Children by making a donation or raising money with a fundraising page on FirstGiving.com.

Spotlight on Advocating for Child Abuse Prevention

As summer comes to an official close and we prepare for the difficult advocacy season ahead, we'd like to share the recent successes and future direction of our Kids Can't Wait advocacy campaign.

Our advocacy took on a fast and furious pace in 2011 when the governor’s budget proposal eliminated funding for the Healthy Families New York home visiting program, the NYS Children and Family Trust Fund, kinship care services and a number of other prevention programs.

Three months of intense work and a steady drumbeat of messages and legislative visits with colleagues, advocates and supporters led to success for Healthy Families New York, which was fully restored to last year’s funding level of $23.3 million. Thousands of at-risk infants and toddlers will continue to receive these critical, life changing home visiting services. Funding for the Children and Family Trust Fund, kinship care services and other prevention programs was also restored, but unfortunately only at 50 percent of last year’s level.

This year also saw successful passage of a law that makes Family Assessment Response (FAR) in child protective services permanent and expands this alternative response to any county that chooses to use it. FAR focuses on engaging and assisting families, providing child protective services with flexibility to provide immediate assessment and services for some cases that are reported to the Hotline. The traditional investigative track is required for reports where a child’s safety is of serious concern.

As the Governor’s 2012-13 Executive Budget is being prepared and during the 2012 Legislative Session, we will continue our work to maintain and expand funding for evidence-based home visiting, as well as other child abuse prevention programs. We are now preparing our 2012 Legislative Agenda, issues and bills we support or oppose in order to better protect children. Among the items we’re examining: the Child Victim Act, which would extend the statute of limitations for prosecution of sex offenses against children and provide a one year “window” for civil action against an offender; a possible amendment to Family Assessment Response legislation regarding access to child protective records; how allegations of child abuse within an education setting are reported and investigated; and a recently introduced Protect Our Children Act, which would make numerous changes to criminal law in cases of seriously abused and endangered children.

Step Up to Prevent Child Abuse at the Walk for Children

As a supporter of Prevent Child Abuse New York, you know the Walk for Children isn't just a fundraiser. It's an event for the whole family that features kid's games, activities, crafts, music, food, refreshments, prizes and a short walk through the park in honor of the leaders of tomorrow - our kids.

The 2011 Walk for Children is just four weeks from Saturday! This is the perfect time to shift your efforts to recruit team members and raise sponsorship money into high gear. Recruiting walkers and raising money is hard work, but you can do it! Remember, you're making a difference for a cause you believe in. You'll find many helpful tips in our Fundraising Handbook and Team Leader Handbook (both documents are PDFs).

Please remember to register and create a personalized fundraising page at FirstGiving.com. This is a simple, easy and effective way to raise sponsorship money.

Walk for Children At-a-Glance:

Where:
Washington Park Lake House

When:
Saturday, October 15
Registration & Kids' Activities 10 a.m.
Walk 11 a.m.
Rain or Shine

At the Walk:
Children's games, activities, crafts, music, food, refreshments, prizes and a short walk through the park in honor of the leaders of tomorrow - our kids! Proceeds from the Walk support our Parent Helpline and Kids Can't Wait, our legislative advocacy program.

More information:
Learn more about the event on our web site, including information about registration, organizing your own team, creating a personal fundraising page, fundraising tips, and volunteering.

Already busy on October 15?
That's OK! You can still support the Walk for Children by making a donation or raising money with a fundraising page on FirstGiving.com.

 

Stand Up for Kids and Others Organize for Walk for Children

What do youth homelessness and child abuse have in common? Everything, according to Lil, executive director of New York’s chapter of StandUp For Kids, a national organization committed to helping homeless and street kids.

“So many kids are on the street because of abuse,” said Lil. (Stand Up for Kids doesn’t publish last names in order to protect the safety of the kids they serve.) “They either leave because it gets bad or parents just throw them away. Abuse is the main cause.”

Lil and a team from Stand Up for Kids plan to travel to Albany from New York City to take part in the Walk for Children on October 15. “Participating in the walk is important because our mission is to end the cycle of youth homelessness, and we can’t do that without ending the root of the problem,” said Lil.

Like many of our walkers, Lil shares our hope to end child abuse. Our walkers know we all have a role to play in stopping abuse before it starts. They turn their passion into action, make a difference for a cause that’s important to them, and inspire others to take action, too. “We want to get the word out abuse and abuse prevention: Raise awareness, raise money, raise empathy and educate. Prevention is better than cure.”

The Walk for Children is Saturday, October 15, at Washington Park in Albany. The event includes free food and refreshments, prizes, kids’ games, arts and crafts, Halloween activities, a bounce house and safety demonstrations. Registration starts at 10 a.m. and the walk kicks off at 11.

For information about registration and volunteer opportunities, please call 518-445-1273 or visit the Walk for Children Albany page of our web site.

Walk for Children, Albany! October 15, 2011

Step up to prevent child abuse at our annual fundraiser! The Walk for Children is an event for the whole family, featuring children's games, activities, arts, crafts, and a walk through the park in honor of the leaders of tomorrow—our kids. Registration and kids' activities open at 10 a.m. at Albany's Washington Park Lake House. The walk kicks off at 11 a.m., winds through the park, and ends back at the Lake House for a celebration of food and prizes. Please visit our web site for information about registration, fundraising and volunteering.

Strong Roots Last a Lifetime Professional Development Conference Series: Dates and Locations Throughout New York State

These one-day conferences focused on parenting education are for anyone who works with children, parents, and families, whatever their profession or field may be. Workshops include: Normal Child Development: Birth Through Age Three, Communicating with Finesse, Parenting Styles, and Working With Parents in Groups. Presenters are experienced parenting educators and authorities on the topics of their workshops. Dates and locations include:

• September 21, Sinclairville
• October 5, Oceanside
• October 14, Manhattan
• October 26, Watertown
• November 2, Albany

For more information about these events, please visit the New York State Parenting Education Partnership's web site.

PCANY Joins the Movement for America's Children

Prevent Child Abuse New York has joined the National Movement for America’s Children, a fast-growing grassroots initiative of organizations and people, who are collaborating on a comprehensive national strategy to ensure that all of our children have healthy, nurturing homes, schools, neighborhoods and communities. Movement leaders will go to Washington in November to introduce this strategy and promote its implementation across the country. In the meantime, they’re gathering public input from across the nation.

The Movement for America’s Children is spearheaded by Prevent Child Abuse America, whose CEO Jim Hmurovich will travel to our state in October, to listen to New Yorkers’ ideas about a nationwide strategy for every child. He’ll be at the Walk for Children on October 15 in Albany’s Washington Park; Union College later that day for Sigma Delta Tau’s gala luncheon; and SUNY Albany School of Social Work on Monday afternoon October 17. All events (except Sigma Delta Tau’s luncheon) are open to all. Additional details will be announced in Prevent Child Abuse New York’s e-news and on our web site.

Founding Partners of the National Movement for America’s Children include Zero to Three, American Humane Association, National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, Voices for America’s Children, Children’s Leadership Council, CLASP, Child Welfare League of America, National Healthy Start Association, The Washington Children’s Foundation, General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and the National Exchange Club Foundation.