Happy Holidays!
It’s December and you know what that means…. The 28th Annual CAFB Christmas Home Tour is just two weeks away! We are so excited to have four fantastic homes on the tour this year, each special and all very different. Every home is beautifully decorated and there’s cookies and appetizers and drinks along the way to make sure that all 2000+ guests enjoy their visits. I always think each year that it can’t get any better and yet every year, it just keeps getting better and better. Thank you to all the volunteers that will make this year our best! Thanks to the Home Tour Committee chaired by Lisa Moore and the development staff, homeowners and decorators, cookie bakers, traffic helpers, musicians and entertainers, House Captains, wreath makers, hundreds of volunteer hostesses and hosts and sponsors who will bring joy to the community while raising critical funding for children who have been abused and neglected. Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor the Fred and Mabel Parks Foundation and to all our sponsors who will make this possible.
Our hallways are filling with toys so that every child can have a special holiday! Thank you to all of you who donated toys and gifts, who will deliver these to your children and to those who “adopted” families and are filling their wish lists. We appreciate everything you are doing.
Wishing you all the best for a happy, restful, safe and joyous holiday and the many blessings of the season. Thank you for all you have done in 2019 for the children and for Child Advocates of Fort Bend so that we can achieve our vision of serving every child who has been abused and neglected and needs our help. We are looking forward to a great 2020 when we move back into our brand-new building!
For the Children’s Sake,
Ruthanne Mefford
CEO, Child Advocates of Fort Bend
Progress Meter: The Campaign For The Children’s Sake
Project Manager Darrell Roth of RMG talks about the project and why they got involved.
Watch the video!
Click the link and scroll down our Capital Campaign page to view the video.
Do You Have A Hard Time Shopping For Someone On Your Holiday List?
We’ve got an idea to help you with your holiday shopping and end of the year giving…
Make a $500 or $1,000 gift to the For The Children’s Sake Campaign and help pave the way to healing for a child.
Purchase your paver by December 31st and we will install an engraved paver with your name or message on it. Don’t miss the chance to be a part of this important project for our community’s most vulnerable children. If you have already made a $500 or $1,000 gift, we thank you and will be in touch to confirm your paver details. For more information contact Dana Mersiovsky at dmersiovsky@cafb.org.
Thank You Montessori House for Children!
Thank you to Montessori House for Children for donating hygiene bags for children participating in the WINGS/NEST events. The bags are filled with great hygiene tools. The Montessori House students made a unique story card for each bag! If you would like to have your school group, youth organization or church give back to children we serve please contact Irene Wisner for more information at iwisner@cafb.org.
See Who Just Joined Our Team!
Please help us in welcoming Heather Cody as our new MDT Coordinator. Heather will join Sasha in our Multi-Disciplinary Team Enhancement Program where she will be reviewing statewide intakes of child abuse and working closely with CPS and Law Enforcement to facilitate the coordination of investigations and Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) services.
Heather’s love for working with children and interacting with families, along with her interest in working for CPS and possibly opening a daycare one day led her to study Child & Family Development at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches where she received her BS in 2010. Armed with that degree, she headed to CPS where she spent 2 years working in Family Based Safety Services and 4 years as an Investigator. “I started working for CPS because I always wanted to help the kids and families in need in my community,” stated Cody.
During her time at CPS, Heather worked in the sexual abuse unit that was housed in our building. “I really enjoyed working in that environment and working with the team at the Children’s Advocacy Center. I loved how all of the different partners work together in order to help children in Fort Bend and I wanted to continue to be a part of the process of bringing the children in for services and helping children and their families.”
We are excited to welcome Heather and know that she will be a great addition to our team!
Celebrating National Adoption Day!
We had a great turnout for our National Adoption Day celebration on November 22nd where we finalized adoptions for 19 children. “Our staff work with representatives from Texas Department of Family Protective Services, Fort Bend Bar Association, Fort Bend County Child Welfare Board, Fort Bend County Attorney’s Office, Fort Bend Behavioral Health Services, Fort Bend Lawyers Care, the Fort Bend Court Team for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers, H.E.B., Bikers Against Child Abuse and the Rosenberg Exchange to put on this event and it gets bigger and better every year,” stated Metoyer Martin, chair of the event. This year’s theme was “Oh, The Places You’ll Go”. The courtrooms were decorated and everyone from staff to participants dressed with the theme in mind!
Reunification of families is always the goal but when that is just not possible, adoption really is the best option. When that is the case, Natalia Lavallies’ artwork sums it up best – You don’t have to be the same color as your family, the only thing that matters is that you have one!
Donations Needed
Winter is here and we need blankets, hats, gloves, mittens and socks for the children and families. We also need help in filling the teenager chest with items for teens who come to our center. Items needed include teen books, adult coloring books, jewelry, playing cards, makeup and earbuds. If you can help, please contact Melissa Johnson at 281-344-5168 or mjohnson@cafb.org.
Volunteers Needed
We need volunteers to help decorate an awareness tree at Shady Oak Primary School on December 4th and to help staff a table and cheer on Fort Bend County Employees at their Jingle Bell Jog Fun Run on December 7th. (They are collecting toys for us at this event!)
Educating Our Community
Thank you to Ridgemont ELC for having us out to speak to Pre-K through 1st grade in November. We are so thankful for our strong partnership with area schools. If you would like us to come out to a school in your community, please contact Lindsey Castellanos at lcastellanos@cafb.org. We are always interested in reaching new schools!
Sharing Our Mission On The Run!
Thank you to Crime Victim Response Team for inviting us out to their “Back to the DA Fun Run” in November. Several of our staff members participated in the run and shared our mission with the community!
N.E.S.T. Updates
If you currently have a N.E.S.T. CASA case (school-aged children ages 6-13) please review our new Activity Calendar at https://www.cafb.org/volunteer/current-volunteers/resources/! You will also find resources available for you to utilize on your home visits, such as our sensory bags and links for suggested monthly activities! This website is a secure site, so if you would like to access it, please contact April Shaver at Ashaver@cafb.org for your password!
Also, the Holiday Break is just around the corner and so is our N.E.S.T. Incentive Party! Please contact your student’s teacher for feedback about their progress this semester. If your CASA child has made progress please reach out to your Advocacy Specialist for an Evaluation Form or supporting feedback. Our Incentive Party will be on Friday December 6th from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. at Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center! This event is coordinated to celebrate our student’s academic achievements with a pizza party and an awards ceremony!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – Christmas Home Tour!
Save the date for December 13th and 14th and make plans to visit the four gorgeous homes being showcased on this year’s tour. Every one of these amazing homes have been remodeled and/or expanded. Your $30 ticket allows you entry into each home once during the Tour. Featured homes are in Alkire Lake, Sugar Creek, Sweetwater and Sienna Plantation.
Since the tour began, more than $1.8 million has been raised in unrestricted funding for services for children in Fort Bend County. In fact, this event is one of our largest fundraisers – both in terms of money raised and the number of people involved. Over 2,000 guests will tour the homes, including the 800 volunteers that take their time to participate as hosts, entertainers or cookie bakers.
How can you help?
- Sponsor – There are numerous opportunities left with perks, including an invitation to our Sponsor Party on December 8.
- Purchase Home Tour Tickets
- Buy Wreath Raffle Tickets -Choose the wreath you hope to win. Ticket prices are 1 for $10, 3 for $25, and 5 for $40
Volunteers, Entertainers and Cookie Bakers
- Volunteer – Share your time as a 2-3 hour host in one of the homes. Bring a friend too!
- Participate as an Entertainer
- Bake Cookies
Like + Comment + Share information about the tour on your social media accounts to help us spread the word
Have questions?
Visit our website or contact Lisa at lmoore@cafb.org.
Mark your calendar!
December 13 + 14, 2019 Christmas Home Tour
Friday 10am – 4pm and 6pm – 9pm; Saturday 10am – 4pm
Mark your calendar and watch for details. . .
December 20, 2019 Office Closed – Staff Holiday
December 24 – 25, 2019 Office Closed
December 31, 2019 Office Closed
