April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month at BCCS. BCCS Lancaster will be hosting several events in an effort to raise awareness about child abuse and child abuse resources in Delaware.

April 5th – Child Abuse Awareness Kickoff!
BCCS Counselors will be in the lobby and dispensing areas, handing out resources for parents and kids, such as bookmarks, ribbons, and tattoos. Counselors will also provide clients with a schedule outlining the different activities that will take place throughout the month.

April 12th, 9 AM to Noon - Release for Recovery
BCCS Outreach Department will be hosting a "Release for Recovery" Day. Come in and pamper yourself. Paint your nails, give yourself a facial. Bring the kids and pamper them as well. All items will be provided by BCCS.

April 19th, 9 AM to 1 PM - Get Informed!
We will have educators from different agencies in Delaware come and present information on child abuse and how kids are affected. Please see a schedule.

April 26th, 10 AM to 1 PM - Children's Celebration: A blue ribbon day for kids
Luncheon sponsored by BCCS along with arts and crafts activities for clients and their children. We will have volunteers from various local agencies to assist.

Take the Step Up Pledge to End Underage Drinking

Take the Step Up Pledge to end underage drinking in Delaware!

Click here to “like” the Step Up Facebook page to take the pledge. Then, ask your friends to do the same.

The Step Up Pledge is a statewide movement in Delaware acknowledging parents, adults, and children who support a parent's involvement in preventing underage drinking.

The “Step Up” campaign urges parents – and all adults – to stop facilitating or ignoring youth alcohol consumption and to take responsibility for their role in underage drinking. The campaign presents parents with steps they can take to have an active role in preventing underage drinking.

Visit the Step Up Website at http://www.parentsstepup.org/ for information on teen drinking including statistics, warning signs, tools, and solutions.

The 2nd Annual BCCS Giving Tree

BCCS hosted our 2nd Annual Giving Tree Monday December 20, 2010, bringing gifts and holiday cheer to families in need. All BCCS clients with children were invited to the Outreach Center to choose a gift for their child and wrap it. Holiday music, food, and an impromptu sing-along led by Brandywine’s own Rochelle Booker made for a very festive atmosphere!

Parents and grandparents lined up starting at 9 AM for a chance to choose from a roomful of toys for all ages. Many were in the process of starting a new life, free of drug addiction or mental illness. One guest expressed his gratitude to simply enjoy the holiday with his son, stay home, and “just do the best I can.”

The Giving Tree would not have been possible without our generous donors. We especially wish to thank our partners, Widener University School of Law, and Bryn Mawr College, who held toy drives on campus. Students took tags from the Giving Tree and bought toys matching the age and gender of the child. In addition to collecting toys, Widener Law held a raffle under the leadership of student Sara Alsaleh, which raised an amazing $662!

We are so grateful to all of you for your generosity and support of our clients at the holidays. You made it a wonderful day of gift-giving. At BCCS, we work to give Delawareans the best chance at meaningful, long-term recovery. Your support helps them to overcome mental illness and substance abuse, to restore themselves, and to give back to a society that gave to them.

You can see all the holiday magic of the Giving Tree in our photo album and in the video below.

In the words of a grandmother of two, “I wish everybody in the universe a blessed and safe holiday!” Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from BCCS!

Free Drug Prevention Seminar for Parents June 30

Your kid might NEVER DO DRUGS. Get educated, JUST IN CASE.

"Turned On By An Easy Score" is a free seminar for parents on talking to your children about street drugs. This powerful, exciting, and informative event will take place Wednesday June 30 from 6pm-7:30pm, at the Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center.

It includes:

• How to talk to your kids about drugs
• Warning signs of adolescent drug use
• Prescription drug abuse
• New drugs/new paraphernalia
• Growing trends/arrest patterns
• Common drug mixtures
• How these drugs are obtained
• Why these drugs are used

Turned On By An Easy Score couples current, eye-opening information with theatrical performances by Theatrical Fusion Theater Company. Learn how you can take a stand against drug use and abuse. Learn to recognize signs and symptoms of drug use in a loved one, or anyone else, for that matter. For the community as a whole, and especially for parents to talk to your children (of all ages) about the dangers and consequences of drug and alcohol use.

Download a flyer here!

This program is presented by BCI in collaboration with the Wilmington Consortium and Theatrical Fusion. Registration appreciated but not required to 656-3224 or dara.boger[at]hilltoplnc[dot]org.