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Dear Friend of COCA,
In hindsight, Tiffany’s low grades shouldn’t have been such a mystery. In hindsight, it seems so obvious why she was absent 11 days just two months into the school year. In hindsight, the reasons for this girl sitting alone with her head down were plain as day. In hindsight, it’s easy to realize how learning would take a back seat to survival. With her young mind consumed by anxiety and fear from the ridicule she would face at school, Tiffany’s brain left little capacity for learning. After implementing COCA’s bullying prevention strategy however, Tiffany’s teachers saw her absentee rate go from 11 days in the Fall, to 1 day in the Spring. They saw her GPA spike from 1.29 to 3.00. Most importantly, they noticed Tiffany connecting with peers, anxiously raising her hand in class and doing something they hadn’t seen from this girl since the school year began; they noticed her smile.
The bullying prevention program is but one component of COCA’s school-based Personal Safety Program, yet a powerful example of the positive impact we have on children. COCA provides a variety of child abuse and peer abuse prevention programs to schools through teacher/staff trainings, workshops for parents and educational classroom presentations to children. Children learn abuse prevention, personal safety and Internet safety strategies, and have the chance to disclose current or previous abuse, bullying and related problems. A comprehensive approach utilizing videos, interactive discussions, role-playing and extension activities for children in grades Pre-K-12 catches abuse on the front-end, preventing incidences before they can have irreversible, heinous effects on the self-worth of a child. Your support will replace hindsight with prevention, potentially saving the life of a child.
Of the 16,000 + children COCA served in 2008, 858 disclosed information requiring adult intervention.
• 36 children disclosed previous or current physical abuse;
• 32 children disclosed previous or current sexual abuse;
• 19 children disclosed witnessing domestic violence;
• 597 children disclosed previous or current bullying incidents; and
• 32 disclosures resulted in reports made to county Children’s Services for follow-up.
Our goal is to reach 600-1,000 classrooms each year. We can realize this goal and positively impact the lives of thousands, but not without YOUR HELP! These are undoubtedly stressful times for everyone in our country, and COCA realizes that the effects of this economy have no socioeconomic boundaries. What you may not realize however, is that this economy has dire consequences for children. Economic stress felt at home is tragically driving a rise in child abuse and domestic violence. With families confronting the financial strife caused by this economic crisis, social service agencies are reporting a significant increase in cases of child abuse and domestic violence. The correlation between financial stress and these growing numbers shows itself quite clearly through increased calls to hotlines, emergency room visits and utilization of already crowded community agencies and shelters.
The consequences of this abuse will leave children with deep-rooted pain and damage long after the media’s talk of economic turmoil turns to that of bull markets, national prosperity and a restored vision of retirement dreams and employment stability. Please help us continue the year-round work we have done since 1978 and ensure that children are not victimized by peers, parents or those in their life who should provide comfort and security.
COCA wishes you and your family perseverance in these trying times and thanks you for supporting our mission and preserving our community’s most cherished resource.
Sincerely,
Kelly Mahan
President / Board of Trustees
Eve S. Pearl
Executive Director
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