Our 4th annual fundraiser – Get Moving 4 Kids – for child abuse prevention was a success!  Our original goal was $1200 but we raised $2,710 for our featured prevention program Healthy Families.  We could not have done it without help from many wonderful volunteers. These volunteers helped us with fundraising and some joined us at the Prairie Fire Spring Race series on 05.05.13 – thank you to Tina, Darcy, Mia, Courtney, Tasha, and Brook!    Following the race, we had a post race gathering to thank our volunteers as well as draw for prizes.  It was a memorable day.  Of course we could not forget to thank the 80 people who made donations to our fundraiser! THANK YOU!

Future Plans

We’ve dabbled in a little bit of this and that. We’ve held silent auctions, bakes sales, raffle drawings, held fitness challenges, had diaper drives, and ran races all in an effort to reach our fundraising goal. In our short 4 years, we’ve done quite a bit and raised $13,710 in cash and tangible goods.   But when we began, it was with the premise that we wanted to run miles for kids to raise awareness and  money for child abuse prevention.  Our premise still has not changed.  This fundraiser, we headed back to the direction where we began – focusing a fundraiser around a race. It is our desire to remain true to our original plan and bring people together and raise awareness through running (or walking) races.

Bye Bye This and That

The vision has always been to create a race with a focus on child abuse prevention.   We cannot get there if we keep mixing our events with a little of  this and that. In other words, we want our own race! So bye bye to drawings, raffles, bake sales, and all the other this and that we’ve done.  We’ve had fun but it’s time to focus solely on our ultimate goal of creating an actual race dedicated for child abuse prevention. First stop – our first virtual 5K race. Keep following us as we begin the to plan for this event.

Virtual races are popular and a great way to raise money for a cause. It is our goal to make this virtual race a low-cost and family-friendly event for people everywhere. In order to help make this event happen, we need individuals, businesses, or organizations who would be willing be a sponsor so that we may purchase t-shirts and medals for the participants as well as the cost for printing flyers. We are not a 501(c) organization so the donation would not be tax deductible. However, in return for sponsorship, we would be willing to promote the individual, organization or business on social media, webpage and/or on the t-shirts. Plus, the individual, business or organization would know they were a part of helping with child abuse prevention efforts.

Proceeds from this event will benefit a featured child abuse prevention program.  If you are interested in being a part of this event, please leave a comment below or email us at info@miles4kids.org

(2) Xenon hair cuts – Denise Murray

$20 Olive Garden Gift Certificate – Courtney Patterson and Mia Manfredi

$50 Redrock Canyon Gift Certificate – Courtney Patterson and Mia Manfredi

$30 Walgreen Gift Card – Courtney Patterson and Mia Manfredi

Intrust Bank – (2) Ringling Brother’s Circus – Rachel Kraus

(1) Old Chicago Large Pizza – Holly Pham

(2) Tanganika Pass – Shane Winsor

(2) Wichita Art Museum – Candace Haworth

(2) Wichita Wild Football Tickets – Gabriella Arellano

(2) Botanica Passes  - Dr. Kerri Weeks

(1) Old Chicago Large Pizza – Valorie Windholz

(2) Wichita Art Museum Passes – Courtney Patterson and Mia Manfredi

$25 Posh Gift Certificate – Sandi Allison

$50 Food for Friends – Tasha Parker

1 hr Massage Envy Certificate – Stell Manfredi

Posh Gift Basket – Tina Peck

UrBeats by Dr. Dre – Kelly Hayes

Nook E-reader – Courtney Patterson and Mia Manfredi

and the winner of the grand prize – the Kindle Fire – Tina Peck

Congratulations to all the winners and  thank you to our little volunteer who drew all the winning tickets for us!

So, what are you waiting for, click the “donate” button!

Child abuse happens everywhere. That is why it is very important for everyone to take a part in preventing abuse before it occurs. Listed below are some ways that you as an individual, organization or corporation can play a part in preventing child abuse.

An Individual Can:

• Write to your elected officials about the importance of preventing child abuse and neglect.
• Purchase a Pinwheel for Prevention for $1 each through the Kansas Children’s Service League.
• Talk about prevention in your community.
• Purchase a Lapel Pin or Wristband and wear to support child abuse prevention efforts.
• Order free Protective Factors Bookmarks and distribute through churches, hobby groups, etc.
• Offer support to a family with young children or limited resources.
• Be supportive to a parent who appears to be struggling with an unruly child at the grocery store.
• Participate in the statewide ‘Wear Blue Day’ on Friday, April 19th.
• Attend events taking place in your community.
• Support prevention efforts by  contributing a donation to KCSL’s prevention programs.  Donations are being collected at Dillon’s grocery stores or online.
• Follow PCAKansas on Facebook and Twitter.

Community Organizations Can:

• Join or organize Child Abuse Prevention Month activities in your community.
• Host a family friendly event at the zoo or park to encourage families to have fun and spend time together.
• Invite your elected officials to attend an event during April. This is a great opportunity to showcase your work in preventing child abuse and neglect.
• Purchase Pinwheels and organize your own Pinwheels for Prevention event or plant a garden.
• Enter your best pictures of pinwheels in the Pinwheel Contest. Upload photos to the PCAKansas Facebook page or email to pinwheels@kcsl.org.
• Incorporate child abuse prevention and the Strengthening Families Protective Factors into your everyday work.
• Order free Protective Factors Bookmarks and distribute to employees and clients.
• Discuss child abuse prevention at your conferences and meetings
• Distribute information to employees about child abuse prevention and the Protective Factors.
• Encourage your organization/ co-workers to participate in the statewide ‘Wear Blue Day’ on Friday, April 19th.
• Follow PCAKansas on Facebook and Twitter.

Corporations Can:

• Contribute your company’s expertise to help us advance this campaign.
• Print messages on your bags, advertisements or insert bill-stuffers to bring attention to child abuse prevention.
• Order free Protective Factors Bookmarks and distribute to employees, vendors and customers.
• Distribute information to employees about child abuse prevention and the Protective Factors Invite your employees to show their support by purchasing and displaying pinwheels.
• Create a pinwheel garden on your company’s premises.
• Sell paper pinwheels at checkout or other special pinwheel-themed items in your stores.
• Donate, help purchase advertising, or sponsor pinwheel activities, to get the word out.
• Plan a ‘Pay to Wear Blue’ casual day on Friday, April 19th to raise funds to support child abuse prevention activities.
• Turn fountains blue for the month of April.
• Discuss child abuse prevention at your conferences and meetings

Parent Helpline: 1-800-CHILDREN

Shining in the sun, the pinwheel represents Prevent Child Abuse America’s efforts to change the way our nation thinks about prevention.  The focus is on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur.  Nearly 900,000 pinwheels have been displayed since April 2008. Join us by bringing Pinwheels for Prevention to your community and plant your own pinwheel garden each April to support of child abuse prevention.

More about Prevent Child Abuse America

Prevent Child Abuse America
Founded in Chicago in 1972, Prevent Child Abuse America is the nation’s leading organization working solely to prevent the abuse and neglect or our nation’s children. Through its chapters in 47 states and its voluntary home visitation services provided by Healthy Families America® in more than 400 communities nationwide, Prevent Child Abuse America helps provide healthy, stable and nurturing experiences for more than 100,000 families every year. For more information, please visit www.preventchildabuse.org and www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org.

Join us at the Prairie Fire Race Series as we run/walk for a cause to raise $1200 for child abuse prevention!  If you are unable to join us at the race, here are other ways you can assist us with our fundraising efforts:

1) Run / Walk with us virtually on 05.05.13 where ever you live

2) Volunteer by helping us obtain donations from family, friends, and co-workers by selling tickets for our general drawing.

3) Sponsoring our event by making a general (yellow donate button on right side of page)

Remember – all children should be raised in healthy, nurturing homes, free from abuse and neglect. By supporting our event, we are all doing our part to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to grow and develop.  All proceeds raised from this event will benefit Kansas Children’s Service League’s Healthy Families Program.

Register here for free by clicking here to let us know you want to Get Moving 4 Kids on 05.05.13!  

Run/Walk | Raise Money | Support Prevention 

EVENT DESCRIPTION:   A fundraising event to raise $1200 for child abuse prevention programs. On 05.05.13, wear blue and run/walk with Miles4Kids at the Prairie Fire Race Series or  join us virtually where ever you live. All proceeds raised from this fundraiser will benefit Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) child abuse prevention  program - Healthy Families of Sedgwick County. 

DATE:    05.05.13

TIME:     7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

PLACE:   We will meet as a team before the first race at the Prairie Fire Race Start line for group photos!

COST:    Get Moving 4 Kids registration is FREE* however donations are gladly accepted.  (*Prairie Fire Race is subject to registration fees)

REGISTRATION:   Click here to let us know if will be participating with us at the Prairie Fire Race or Virtually!  Once you register, we will send you information on how you can successfully reach your fundraising goal.  Don’t forget, if you will be running/walking with us at the Prairie Fire Race, you need to register for their race separately.

Together, we are making every mile count for prevention to keep children safe and families strong!

The pinwheel represents Prevent Child Abuse America’s efforts to change the way our nation thinks about prevention, focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur.

Prevent Child Abuse America
Founded in Chicago in 1972, Prevent Child Abuse America is the nation’s leading organization working solely to prevent the abuse and neglect or our nation’s children. Through its chapters in 47 states and its voluntary home visitation services provided by Healthy Families America® in more than 400 communities nationwide, Prevent Child Abuse America helps provide healthy, stable and nurturing experiences for more than 100,000 families every year. For more information, please visit www.preventchildabuse.org and www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org.

Nearly 900,000 pinwheels have been displayed since April 2008. Join us by bringing Pinwheels for Prevention to your community!      ~information  for this blog post was obtained from the Prevent Child Abuse America website