Sweet summertime! This month, weāre gearing up to throw a kidās bash for Canopy clients and the greater community, shining a light on one extraordinary volunteer and celebrating the partnerships that allow us to better serve our community. Dive in to learn more about the impact weāre making together:Ā
š«§Save the Date for Kidās Fest | We want to celebrate all of the children Canopy serves and what better way to do it than at AtwoodFest (July 27-28)! Keep scrolling for all of the details!
š Volunteer Spotlight | Read about CASA Volunteer Andrea Christofferson who we honored with an award for her service to a family she supported long after the case formally closed.
š«°š¼ Grant Gratitude | Discover how two pivotal grants - one empowering staff through continued education and the other fueling general operations - are set to transform Canopy Centerās support of the community.Ā
šøLights, Camera, Action | Pictures from our Stand Up & Sing event are here!Ā
š² This Monthās Best Social Posts | We see you and we would love you to like, comment and share (pretty please?)! Your engagement helps others find us, allows us to serve more children and families AND secure important funding! Ā
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Save the Date for Kidās Fest |
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Did someone say bubble tent?
We are thrilled to partner with the Lauer Realty Group to put on Kidās Fest at the 10th anniversary of Madisonās AtwoodFest - an annual neighborhood music festival (cue the confetti cannons)! Young festival-goers can enjoy bounce houses, decorate kindness rocks to treasure or hide around the Atwood neighborhood and be entertained (cool off) in our bubble tent.Ā
This event is free and open to everyone (we would love to see our Canopy kids and families there). Atwood Avenue will be closed from Montyās Blue Plate Diner to Tex Tubbs and host music stages at each end with Kidās Fest, MakerMarket, Community Art Project and tons of food and craft vendors between. We hope youāll help us spread the word and join us for a weekend of music and fun!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Andrea Christofferson |
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Last month, you read about Heather Loomis - an outstanding volunteer with our Parent to Child Program. This month, weād like to tell you about Andrea Christofferson. Andrea was celebrated for her exemplary service and unwavering dedication to Canopy Center during our Stand Up & Sing for Kids event in May (did you see the pictures?). Andrea has been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer since 2021. Andrea was nominated by CASA Case Coordinator Lindy Agate. Lindy shared this touching story with her nomination:Ā
In September 2021, Andrea was assigned to an eight-year-old whose family had hit an all-time low. Both parents struggled with substance abuse, and although they attempted to turn their lives around, the child's mother tragically passed away from an overdose before she could make a full recovery. The family struggled financially and the father faced pending criminal charges. In the midst of this turmoil, Andrea stepped in, offering unofficial grief counseling to the child and finding meaningful ways to honor his mother's memory, such as watching old family videos together. Andrea went above and beyond, providing transportation for the father to attend parole meetings, get groceries, and go to medical appointments.Ā
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Her assistance was crucial in helping the father avoid parole violations, and the case concluded in June 2022.
That same month, Andrea took on a second case, which presented a different set of challenges. She was assigned to a 12-year-old who was initially resistant to engaging with CASA and other service providers. Undeterred, Andrea consistently showed up, even when the child refused to leave her room. Andrea remained committed to the case through three changes in social workers, four different foster home placements, and three school transitions. When the child was placed in a residential care facility two hours away, Andrea made monthly visits and sent weekly letters. After a year of steadfast dedication, the child began to open up to Andrea and started participating in support services.
Even after her first case concluded, Andrea maintained her connection with the child and his father. As recently as last Christmas, she facilitated a donor connection to ensure the child received Christmas presents.Ā
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Subtitle: The child sent Andrea this picture depicting himself with his father and Andrea, with his mother above them (an angel).Ā
Andrea's second case exemplifies the profound impact CASA can have and demonstrates how dedicating time and effort to a child in need can improve outcomes. Thank you, Andrea.Ā
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You may have seen on social media - but Canopy Center received two major grants and we couldnāt wait to share all of the details with you. Drum roll, pleaseā¦ the first grant award came from:Ā
Only in Wisconsin Giving (New Glarus Brewing):
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Only in Wisconsin Giving awarded us a grant to support staff development. With these funds, our Oasis therapists will receive training in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). TF-CBT is an evidence based treatment model for children and youth (3-18 years old) with post-traumatic stress and mood disorders resulting from sexual and other forms of abuse - which makes it particularly applicable to the service we provide.Ā
This grant will also allow CASA staff to attend the National CASA Conference and will retroactively pay for their participation in the Together for Children Conference (check out our post on that here). It also helped with costs for our Parent to Child Staff to attend the Supervised Visitation Network Annual Conference (in case you missed it - Emmy sent this touching video, following the conference).Ā
Staff development is critical to our ability to:Ā
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- Provide quality, trauma-informed service
- Effectively and appropriately train the volunteers and interns that are instrumental to our ability to serve so many families and keep waitlists to a minimum
- Work toward our mission to strengthen families and support children, teens and adults impacted by trauma and adversity
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We had a lovely afternoon at New Glarus Brewing, chatting with Ciaran and Only in Wisconsin Giving Staff about our work and learned a few things about how the infamous Spotted Cow is made, too! š If youāve (somehow) never been to New Glarus Brewing, itās a must see! The grounds are beautiful, the operation is impressive, and weāve heard the beer is pretty good, too.
Otto Bremer Trust (OBT)
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OBT awarded Canopy Center $50,000 to sustain and increase awareness for our victim-serving programs and services. These funds will cover expenses not covered by federal funding or county grants such as personnel salaries, rent, construction costs (more on that coming soon!), utilities, professional cleaning, technology upgrades and support and office supplies!Ā
This type of unrestricted funding is so important as it provides the flexibility to allocate resources where they are needed most, adapt to changing circumstances, respond to unexpected opportunities and help ensure the sustainability and stability of the organization.Ā
Thank you, OBT. We are so, so grateful. OBT is doing big things, created in 1944 by business and community leader Otto Bremer, it is committed to supporting an enhanced quality of life for residents of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Since its founding, OBT has invested more than $1 billion in its regionās people, places, and opportunities.
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This Month's Best Social Posts |
Do you follow Canopy Center on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn? If not, weād love your support. Every like, comment and share helps spread awareness of Canopy in the community!Ā
Here's what got the most attention this month:Ā
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Be a part of the important work Canopy Center does in the community.
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