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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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Community Partner Spotlight: Behavioral Health Providers

May 24th, 2022

At Children’s Cove we know how important immediate clinical assistance and community support is to children and non-offending families following a traumatic event. Our Trauma Informed Provider Network works with our Mental Health Coordinator Kristine Monteiro, and Family Services Coordinator, Kathy Fayerberg, to provide behavioral health services to the children and families we support.

During Mental Health Awareness Month, we want to acknowledge and highlight some critical behavioral health service providers on Cape Cod and the Islands.  We work with them or refer survivors and their families to them to promote healthy outcomes and help mitigate the stigma of child abuse.

• Child & Family Services
• Justice Resource Institute
• Gosnold, Inc
• Independence House
• NAMI Cape Cod & the Islands
• Nantucket Behavioral Health TASK Force
• Falmouth Human Services
• Outer Cape Health Services
• Cape Cod Healthcare Centers for Behavioral Health
• Bay Cove
• Northeast Health Services (Hyannis)
• Family Continuity (Hyannis, Nantucket)
• Mass Mentor (Sevita Health)
• Italian Home for Children
• Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Island Counseling Center and Connect to End Violence
• A Safe Place Nantucket
• Fairwinds Nantucket
• Nantucket Cottage Hospital Behavioral Health

Thank you to these critical community partners and their team members who serve the children and families of our region.

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A Community Free From Abuse

April 18th, 2022

At Children’s Cove, we are some of the hundreds of professionals across Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard serving the vulnerable in our community. During Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it is critical to raise the visibility of the services available to our community.

If you are in or know of any child or person in an unsafe situation, there is a community of professionals who have made it their mission to help. Please reach out as everyone should live in a community free of abuse.

• Independence House, Inc., Hyannis  800.439.6507
• A Safe Place, Inc., Nantucket  508.228.2111
• CONNECT to End Violence, Martha’s Vineyard  508.696.7233
• Safe Harbor: Aquinnah Wampanoag Women’s Center, Aquinnah  508.955.9164
• DCF Child-At-Risk HOTLINE, Hyannis  800.792.5200

If you are not sure who to call, or where to seek support, click here. 

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Community Partners – Good Grief Cape Cod

March 18th, 2022

A few years ago, while attending the Cape Cod Mom’s Parent Resource Fair, we met a lot of incredible community organizations. The range of support services for children and families on Cape Cod and the Islands is incredible. One of those organizations, Good Grief Cape Cod, has become a close and valued partner.

Good Grief Cape Cod’s mission is to promote positive change as to how our society responds to grief. The agency offers community engagement opportunities, shares information, provides educational workshops and support systems that help children and families cope with death. Good Grief Cape Cod believes in and has research which supports their belief that children of all ages grieve. Good Grief was founded and is operated by Amy Wyman, a music therapist with a dual degree in Early Childhood Education and Child Life from Wheelock College as well as a Master’s in Expressive Art Therapies with a specialization in Music Therapy from Lesley University.

As organizations we support individuals who have experienced something traumatic. People find it difficult to discuss physical and sexual abuse as well as other crimes against children. It is not common for people to discuss the impacts of death, dying and loss. All of these issues affect children and are important conversations for healthy and supportive responses to children in need of care. Our friends at Good Grief Cape Cod help children and families process and learn how to discuss loss and grief.

Good Grief Cape Cod has a variety of community engagement services that include holding grief response workshops, donating hand-made stuffed bears to grieving families, offering retreats, hosting “meals that heal” for families who have recently experienced a loss, and providing individualized therapeutic response for children and families. The agency recognizes that death, loss, and grief impacts everyone in a variety of ways depending upon their age, faith, culture, and community. Supporting a child, family or any other individual who has experienced loss requires a special and authentic response.

At Children’s Cove, we have learned that loss is not only related to the death of a loved one. Grief is experienced by the loss of pets, the separation from friends, loved ones and relationships, or the removal of a parent figure due to arrest or incarceration.

Last year Jacob Stapledon, our Community Engagement and Education Coordinator appeared on the Cape Cod Mom’s Parent Pod  with Good Grief Cape Cod’s Amy Wyman and they discussed with host Amy Leonardi that when Covid-19 shut down the world, the lack of connection to others was a shared, and also individual, loss.

We need to talk about topics that scare us. By confronting these fears, by being transparent, open, and raw, we can help children heal. The incredible work done at Good Grief Cape Cod to assist grieving families and children cope with death is a vital resource for our region.

To learn more, visit their website, or call Amy Wyman at 774.392.8150

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