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Programs in Area Three

Our goal: Develop good parents and reduce child abuse and neglect. To meet this goal, the Capital Area United Way awarded $303,617 in grant funds to 13 programs.

What we fund: Parenting skills training, prenatal and postnatal instruction and support and mental health and substance treatment.

The impact: Parents learn to set rules, provide praise and discipline, communicate effectively, and nurture and problem solve with their children; babies are born healthy and thrive after birth; parents are sober and able to handle stress and other mental health issues.

Funded Programs in Area Three:

Family Literacy, offered by the Capital Area Literacy Coalition, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way and will provide free services to strengthen families by improving the literacy and language skills of parents/guardians and their knowledge of techniques to aid their children's development and education. The program offers free assessments in literacy and English as a Second Language, one-to-one tutoring and workshops to equip them with sound literacy techniques to help their children. For more information on this or any other program at Capital Area Literacy Coalition, call (517) 485-4949 or visit them on-line.

Ballentine Stepping Stones, offered by St. Vincent Catholic Charities is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way, providing support and services to 16 single, homeless mothers at any one time, with the intended result of strengthening parental functioning that will insure that children's needs are met and that permanent housing is obtained upon successful completion of the program. The program provides 16 affordable units of transitional housing and an on-site management services that will help mothers who would otherwise be unable afford such services. For more information on this or any other program at St. Vincent Catholic Charities, call (517) 323-4734 or visit them on-line.

Parent Aide Program, offered by St. Vincent Catholic Charities is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way. The program helps at-risk families, referred by Children Protective Services, to improve parenting skills. Trained homemakers assist parents with tasks such as budgeting, cleaning, medical care, and basic care of children. Parent Aide Caseworkers act as role models and offer support and instruction to families, helping them remain together in a safe and nuturing environment. For more information on this or any other program at St. Vincent Catholic Charities, call (517) 323-4734 or visit them on-line.

Family Mental Health Clinic, offered by St. Vincent Catholic Charities, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way. The program provides skills training to parents of children with behavioral, emotional, interpersonal and school problems. The program also provides individual, marital, family, child play and group therapy. For more information on this or any other program at Catholic Social Services of Lansing/St. Vincent Home, call (517) 887-8580 or visit them on-line.

Family Growth Center Parent Education/Support, offered by Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS), is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way to provide positive and nurturing age-appropriate discipline skills for parents (i.e., appropriate expectations, empathy, and alternatives to corporal punishment). Parents will be taught good role model skills, how to deal with stress, and knowledge about effective parenting to better the home and child-parent relationship. For more information on this or any other program at Child Abuse Prevention Services, call (517) 484-8444.

Post Adoption Support Services, offered by Child & Family Services, Capital Area, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way to provide preventative and stabilizing support services to families who have adopted special-needs children. The program emphasizes activities that increase the skills and improve the functioning of adoptive parents as well as reduce the number of special-needs adoptions that deteriorate to the point of disruption and family breakdown. For more information on this or any other program at Child & Family Services, Capital Area, call (517) 882-4000.

Parent & Family Counseling, offered by Child & Family Services, Capital Area, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way. The counseling services will minimize the stressors contributing to a problem or crisis, strengthen family relationships, build parenting assets, and help achieve stable and healthy living conditions for children. The program also provides short-term mental health counseling services to tri-county parents and children with an emphasis on serving families with limited financial resources. For more information on this or any other program at Child & Family Services, Capital Area, call (517) 882-4000.

Angel House, offered by Child & Family Services, Capital Area, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way to provide a safe environment for abused children, crisis intervention and counseling, and healing support group for children, parents and family members. This program also provides victim advocacy and case management services to anyone affected by physical or sexual abuse. For more information on this or any other program at Child & Family Services, call (517) 882-4000.

Parent Partners, offered by Clinton County Family Resource Center, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way to increase effective parenting skills and promoting positive family relationships among troubled families. The program also offers quarterly workshops on anger management, stress management, parenting with love and logic, and school success. For more information on this or any other program at the Clinton County Family Resource Center, call (989) 224-1173.

Family Circle, offered by Cristo Rey Community Center, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way, providing 12-week parenting classes at six different schools targeting elementary aged children and their parents. The classes will teach mothers and fathers skills for better family communication, discipline, firm and consistent rule making and other parenting skills. For more information on this or any other program at Cristo Rey Community Center, call (517) 372-4700 or visit them on-line.

Prenatal and Parenting Classes, offered by Expectant Parents Organization, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way to provide quality, compassionate, accessible and cost effective prenatal and parenting education, which promotes the physical and emotional well-being of families. The program also ensures that preparation during pregnancy, for birth and for early parenting is available to all low-income parents in the tri-county area. For more information on this or any other program at Expectant Parents Organization, call (517) 337-7365 or visit them on-line.

Legal Services for Low Income Parents, offered by Legal Services of South Central Michigan, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way. The program insures that low-income parents or guardians receive necessary legal information, advice and self-help assistance to prevent or cure a legal problem or crisis, thereby strengthening family relationships and helping to achieve healthy and stable environments for children. For more information on this or any other program at Legal Aid of Central Michigan call (517) 394-2985 or visit them on-line.

Comprehensive Substance Abuse Services, offered by National Council on Alcoholism/Lansing Regional Area, is receiving grant funding through Capital Area United Way to offer a full continuum of substance abuse programs that includes outpatient and intensive outpatient treatment and residential treatment through Glass House for women and Holden House for men. The program also provides parenting education and education on the impact of substance abuse on the family system, in all of its programs. For more information on this or any other program at National Council on Alcoholism/ Lansing Regional Area, call (517) 887-0226 or visit them on-line.

* Grant totals may include donor designations.

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