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Help Erase the Wait with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod & the Islands

March 16, 2023

It takes a community coming together to create a world where children live free from abuse. In fact, when we look at some of the major protective factors for children to prevent or easily recover from adverse childhood experiences, “connectedness” is at the top of the list. Nationally and locally, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America offers supportive mentoring to nurture the potential of children, builds healthy social connectedness, and provides additional support for children to thrive.

Our community partner, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod and the Islands (BBBSCI), works with under-resourced families to offer their children transformational, one-to-one professionally supported relationships with caring adult mentors. Children’s Cove and BBBSCI share the vision of a community where children are free of abuse, have a voice that is heard, and where they enjoy healthy, safe, and empowered lives. Our collaborative approach allows Children’s Cove to provide free training for BBBSCI staff and volunteers on early recognition of trauma and how to respond to concerns of abuse. In turn, we provide referrals to BBBSCI for safe and supportive mentors for the children we serve.

BBBSCI wants our youth to achieve their full potential, which contributes to healthier families, better schools, brighter futures, and stronger communities.

However, BBBSCI has an enormous challenge ahead of them. The need for supportive mentors to children who are at-risk and need assistance outpaces the number of volunteers currently available. BBBSCI needs volunteer mentors for children in our community, and some children have waited more than a year for an appropriate match.

Executive Director JR Mell of BBBSCI talks about the way in which they match volunteer mentors to youth. “This isn’t a one size fits all solution. We take so much into consideration when matching ‘Bigs’ with ‘Littles.’ We ensure that each volunteer has a rigorous screening process for safety, we have extensive questionnaires for both prospective ‘Bigs’ and ‘Littles’ waiting for a mentor to identify interests, hobbies, personalities and more. We want to make sure that when we make a match, it is a match that sticks.”

This month, BBBSCI has launched a new “Erase the Wait” campaign to recruit 72 adult volunteer mentors on Cape Cod during the month of March. With 72 youth waiting for a ‘Big,’ they are excited to recruit and raise awareness on the need for more mentors to step up and become ‘Bigs.’ BBBSCI has already held two major events to recruit potential volunteer-mentors, and has another event coming up.

On March 31^st at the Hog Island Brewery in Orleans, the agency aims to provide a venue for people to join them, learn about mentorships, answer questions and meet current volunteer mentors. There is no cost to attend the event. The event starts at 4:30pm with light appetizers and a cash bar, with one drink per guest provide by BBBSCI. There will be door prizes and major gifts from Nauset Marine. At 6:00pm a live band will take the stage which should make it a good night for all. Bring your friends and join BBBSCI for a great night on the Lower Cape!

Mell adds, “we hope you’ll join us for a great night at Hog Island Brewery to learn more about the BBBSCI program, meet our Big 3 Leadership Committee and learn more about how you can get involved with our mission.”

If you are interested in volunteering to become a ‘Big,’ or want to learn more, join BBBSCI in Orleans on March 31^st by registering on Eventbrite here. You can also find our more information on their Facebook Page or by calling 508-827-8170.

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Courageous Conversations with Independence House

February 16, 2023

Children’s Cove partners with numerous organizations across Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard to support survivors of child sexual abuse and their non-offending family members to provide a comprehensive trauma informed response. These collaborations help us make strides toward creating a community free from abuse, where children have a voice that is heard, and where they live healthy, safe, and empowered lives.

One of the organizations we work closely with is Independence House, which is the Sexual and Domestic Violence Agency for Cape Cod. Beginning this month, they will engage in a new campaign titled Courageous Conversations.

Chris Morin, Director of Prevention, Education and Outreach at Independence House offers why this upcoming campaign is so critical:

The stigma and challenges associated with talking about sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation are a large part of why crimes against children, teens and adults continue to be a public health crisis across our communities. Children’s Cove encourages any member of our community to participate in these Courageous Conversations.

To learn more about our partners at Independence House, visit their website.

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Teen TASK Force relaunched at Monomoy Regional High School

December 20, 2022

Over the last 25 years, the staff at Children’s Cove discovered that often the first person a high-school aged youth talks to after experiencing sexual abuse or assault was a peer. Our youth are hearing these disclosures every day with little information or preparation on how to help. This is not a part of school health classes, and if it is discussed, it is done so in a very general way that does not resonate with students.

Because of this, the Children’s Cove Teen TASK Force was developed to directly engage with high-school age youth to learn how to better communicate information about these critical issues, provide education and awareness of the challenges facing them, and develop skills as peer leaders to know how to respond to disclosures. We started this program at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School in 2016.

Our six-month program takes place at a local high school, often working specifically with the guidance department to recruit members in the sophomore class to participate. The program provides once monthly two-hour sessions from December to May hosted and presented by Children’s Cove staff and its multidisciplinary team. Our goal is to teach the students about our comprehensive response child sexual abuse and crimes against children.

Our partner agencies in the Teen TASK Force include the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office, the Barnstable County Sheriff’s office, domestic violence services, local law enforcement, internet crimes investigators and victim witness advocates. This year we had an addition of an incredible positive and engaging community male figure, Jonathan “JT” Thompson of JT’s Chronicles. Each session carries an open, non-harmful dialogue on the realities of our work, and we engage with the students to help them see how the information pertains to them.

Due to the impacts of Covid-19, the Teen TASK Force Program took a hiatus in the 2021 and 2022. However, this year, we are relaunching the program with a special focus on working with young men at Monomoy Regional High School.  These issues are a difficult subject for anyone, however, it has been a challenge over the years to engage young men in discussions about consent, sexual abuse and assault, and the stigma of male sexual abuse survivors asking for help. By discussing these issues in a safe, comfortable, and engaging way, we are looking to these young leaders to help us Take a Stand for Kids.

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Above and Beyond for Children

November 11th, 2022

On October 27^th, Children’s Cove staff, friends, and community partners gathered to celebrate 25 years of hope and healing.  At the event, expansion plans for programs, services and our facility were unveiled, a new medical suite was announced and dedicated to the family of Phillip Rollins, a founding member of Children’s Cove, and the Cape and Islands Legislative Delegation received the Above and Beyond for Children award.

Each year, the Children’s Cove team awards deserving individuals or agencies with the Above and Beyond for Children Award. This award is given to individuals who show dedication and commitment to protect children on the Cape & Islands.

For many years, numerous key partners have joined us in the goal of creating a community free from abuse, supporting survivors of child sexual abuse, and sharing in the work Children’s Cove does as the leading support for child victims of crime on the Cape & Islands. Thankfully, some of our greatest supporters have been our bi-partisan legislators who represent our region.

This group of committed elected officials have fought hard over many years to bring stable funding to Children’s Cove, and this year their goal was reached as stable funding was secured outside of earmarks for all Massachusetts child advocacy centers to support programs and services.

The Cape & Islands Legislative Delegation have also fought for expanded hours and coverage for the PediSANE program and are currently working to recruit SANE nurses so victims can be seen in-person at our hospitals. They are on the forefront of the mental health crisis in our area by helping to create better access to behavioral health services.

Therefore, for their collective work dedicated to protecting children on the Cape and Islands and their steadfast efforts to always support the work at Children’s Cove, the Above and Beyond for Children Award was presented to each member of the Cape and Islands Legislative Delegation. Those individuals who have served, and been recognized are:

• Representative Kip Diggs
• Representative Dylan Fernandes
• Representative Sarah Peake
• Representative David Vieira
• Representative Tim Whelan
• Representative Steven Xiarhos
• Senator Julian Cyr
• Senator Susan Moran

Thank you for your tireless efforts supporting children in our community and working with us to create a community free from abuse.

25th Anniversary Celebration – October 27th, 2022

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Family Table Collaborative: Cape Cod’s Community Kitchen

October 25, 2022

At Children’s Cove, we often meet families during a tumultuous challenge in their lives. For some families, supporting a child after a traumatic sexual assault can be daunting. One of the essential elements in the healing process for children and families is tangible support in times of need. While the need can vary from family to family, over the last few years, there has been an increase in requests for access to healthy and nutritious food.

In 2020, during the initial onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Family Table Collaborative (FTC), a new Yarmouth-based non-profit organization, was established to address food and nutritional insecurity throughout Cape Cod. Co-founders Jeni Wheeler and Harry Henry envisioned FTC as a rapid response program to address the immediate needs of families and seniors struggling with food insecurity.

Working out of borrowed kitchens, and with a host of community partners, FTC started distributing healthy prepared meals directly to individuals and families during the pandemic. However, they recognized that nutritional security on Cape Cod is a full-time, year-round crisis. Since then, FTC has prepared and distributed more than 95,000 nutritious and delicious meals, soups, and other food items in addition to over 25,000 lbs. of fresh produce into our community.

The mission of FTC is to end hunger and improve nutritional security on Cape Cod by breaking down the barriers of access to both prepared meals and nutritional education. FTC is able to distribute delicious, nutritious, prepared meals directly to individuals and families across Cape Cod through their partnerships with the local farms, the fishing industry, and their newest Community Partner, Whole Foods Market, which delivers one hundred cases of food to FTC weekly.

FTC established its headquarters in 2021 at the former Riverway Lobster House property, which now serves as its base of operations. In addition to its mission, FTC also has the goal to become a self-sustaining non-profit that will become a nutritional hub of Cape Cod.

With the support of an army of volunteers, local businesses, grassroot fundraising and charitable donations, FTC has never missed a planned meal distribution. With each delivery, or directly at the Riverway, the FTC provides a warm, welcoming, comfortable, and supportive environment which is felt deeply by those who have benefited from their support. It’s hard for those who are already having a difficult time to ask for more, but at the Family Table Collaborative, everyone has a seat at their table – no questions asked. They are willing to meet each person where they are at and recognize that healthier humans make healthier communities. We appreciate the work they do for our community, and the support they have provided the families we both serve.

To learn more about the Family Table Collaborative, please visit their website here.

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State Budget Legislation Brings Stable Funding to Massachusetts Child Advocacy Centers

September 22, 2022

Children’s Cove is one of twelve Child Advocacy Centers that exist through the Commonwealth. It is also a department of Barnstable County, which provides compassionate, efficient, critical child abuse intervention services in a child-friendly facility.

Having access to stable funding is tremendously important to the work we do. In this past legislative session, which ended a few weeks ago, language passed in the state budget which directed the consolidation of child advocacy center funding streams into one source that would be jointly administered by Massachusetts Children’s Alliance (MACA), in partnership with the MA Department of Public Health (DPH).

This is a permanent change that will stabilize funding for all 12 Child Advocacy Centers throughout the Commonwealth from this year going forward. This is an amazing accomplishment and one that has taken years of hard work and advocacy to achieve. The Cape Cod and Islands Legislative Delegation worked closely with Children’s Cove and MACA every step of the way to make this goal a reality. Because of this change, Children’s Cove will receive a $200,000 grant annually from the State of Massachusetts.

Because of their support, Children’s Cove will be able to provide hope and healing to child victims of abuse and their families throughout Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. This funding allows Children’s Cove to reinforce and expand our evidence-based programs, network of community partnerships, educational outreach, and awareness efforts. We will be able to continue empowering survivors, promoting healthy outcomes, and helping to mitigate the stigma of child abuse.

Our legislators support of Children’s Cove goes far beyond securing stable funding, it directly contributes to the work we do to try and heal some of our most vulnerable and important community members.

We would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to the Cape Cod and Islands Legislative Delegation for their tireless work to make this stable grant funding available, and for helping us attain our vision “to create a community where children are free of abuse, have a voice that is heard, and where they enjoy healthy, safe, and empowered lives” on the Cape and Islands.

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