Author: eritchie

The June Issue of our Project Protect E-Newsletter is out now. This month, we’re highlighting the many ways that Family Services and its partners are working to keep individuals, families, and our community safe and healthy. Plus, you’ll find information about our 34th Annual Green & Gold Gala, our summer parenting workshops, recent radio appearances, and much more.

View the full newsletter at https://conta.cc/3MpJaWx.

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(Green Bay, Wis.) – Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin and Green Bay Packers Give Back are excited to announce the 34th Annual Green & Gold Gala will be held on Friday, September 16. 2022 at the Lambeau Field Atrium. The event is Family Services’ biggest fundraiser of the year and is typically attended by nearly 800 guests.

“I’m betting that every one of us can say that our lives or the lives of someone we love has been affected by grief, trauma, or emotional or mental health struggles in some way,” said Cara Gosse, Family Services’ Vice President of Philanthropy and Communication. “The Green & Gold Gala is Family Services’ most important fundraising event of the year, bringing businesses and community members together to support those of us who are struggling or who need someone to believe in them. This event allows us to come together to fulfill that purpose.”

The Green & Gold Gala will begin at 5 p.m. with a reception on the 4th floor of the Atrium, where guests will mix and mingle with Green Bay Packers alumni. A sit-down dinner, silent auction, live auction, raffle, and program about Family Services will follow. The evening will also feature live music by the band Hip Pocket and a live, on-stage conversation with Green Bay Packers alumni. Members of the live panel discussion will be announced later this summer. Past panel guests have included Jerry Kramer, Cherry Starr and Bart Starr Jr., and members of the Super Bowl XXXI championship team.

Those wishing to attend the Green & Gold Gala can register now at www.greengoldgala.com. Individual tickets are priced at $300 per person. Business tables of eight are sold at the sponsorship level starting at $3,000 and feature exclusive benefits. All MVP level sponsors and above will enjoy having a Packers alumnus seated at their table at dinner.

Members of the public are also invited to take part in the Green & Gold Gala’s online silent auction. Registration to bid on items is free on www.greengoldgala.com. Bidding will open the week prior and will close at 7:30 p.m. the night of the event. Past silent auction items have included autographed Packers memorabilia, unique experiences both locally and abroad, health and wellness packages, golf packages, home décor, children’s toys, and much more.

All proceeds from the Green & Gold Gala support Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin. For more information, please visit www.greengoldgala.com.

(Green Bay, Wis.) – Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin is proud to announce the recipients of the 2022 Excellence in Advocacy Award. The award is presented annually in April to community professionals who respond to victims of sexual assault and/or child maltreatment in Northeast Wisconsin. Recipients must demonstrate dedication, leadership, and action to have a positive effect on survivors and their families as they heal and move forward.

Out of the nearly 30 nominations that were submitted, this year’s chosen recipients are Marinette County Victim/Witness Coordinator Mary Falkenberg and Green Bay Police Detective John Peters.

“I am thrilled to recognize John and Mary as our Excellence in Advocacy Award winners,” said Lois Mischler, President and CEO of Family Services. “Our communities are safer and systems of reporting these crimes are more survivor focused because of their incredible work and the partnerships they provide.”

Falkenberg has more than 30 years of experience assisting victims of sexual assault. She is the only victim/witness coordinator in Marinette County and has worked closely with the Sexual Assault Center of Family Services to make sure that victims get the support they need. Those who nominated Falkenberg describe her as “a force of support,” and “a rich resource who leads with more than just policy and procedure, but with such heart and compassion.” Colleagues also noted Falkenberg’s continued commitment to her work during a personal health battle with cancer, stating, “even when [Mary] was going through chemo, her dedication to victims still held strong.”

Detective Peters will be honored specifically for his work on Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC). For nearly 10 years, Peters has dedicated himself to the investigation of child exploitation and child pornography online while also taking the time to educate children, teens and parents about the dangers that exist. Colleagues and community partners noted in their nominations that Peters is “someone who treats each case as if the child was his own.” They also noted the impact of his work, stating “If not for the arrest of these offenders, they would no doubt continue to seek images of exploited children.”

Both Falkenberg and Peters will be honored during a private reception with fellow nominees, community partners, friends and family members in May.

(Green Bay, Wis.) – Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin installed its annual “Pinwheels for Prevention” display in April for Child Abuse Prevention Month. The display serves as a reminder of the critical importance of making our communities a better, safer place for children.

The pinwheel is a national symbol of Child Abuse Prevention. It represents the joys of childhood and promotes the awareness that all children deserve to be safe and well. Approximately 115 pinwheels are displayed outside Willow Tree Cornerstone Child Advocacy Center, 503 S. Monroe Ave., in Green Bay – each representing a child helped at Willow Tree so far in 2022 due to allegations of sexual or physical abuse, neglect or other maltreatment.

“Each child who comes to Willow Tree is unique and different in their own special way,’’ said Kristie Sickel, Willow Tree program supervisor and child forensic interviewer. “Willow Tree Cornerstone Child Advocacy Center strives to Protect, Heal and Care for every child who comes through our doors, as they move towards a better tomorrow.”

In a typical year, roughly 5,000 suspected cases of child abuse are reported in Brown County alone. Family Services say the first step to preventing child abuse and neglect is by making sure that parents and caregivers have the resources and support they need to safely care for their children.

“The Welcome Baby Program is a program of prevention,” said Julie Ferral, manager of the Healthy Families Program and Welcome Baby Program at Family Services. “All parents receive a Welcome Baby visit either prenatally or at the hospital at the time of their child’s birth with information about community resources, which include home visitation programs that can support them in their parenting journey.”

Ferral says the agency is always looking for additional partners in the community to help connect them with new and expectant parents. For more information about partnering with Family Services on child abuse prevention through its children and families programs, please contact Julie Ferral at [email protected]. For information about Prevention Education that is geared toward children and parents, contact Becca Wilbershide at [email protected].

(Green Bay, Wis.) – The Sexual Assault Center of Family Services is partnering with four county courthouses and numerous local businesses to “Paint the Town Teal” all April long, in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Teal is the color of Sexual Assault Awareness.

Starting April 1, 2022, the courthouses in Brown, Door, Oconto, and Marinette Counties will each display a 3-foot tall, teal wooden ribbon on the courthouse grounds. The ribbons will serve as a reminder of the free and confidential support that the Sexual Assault Center of Family Services provides in each of the four counties.

A number of local businesses will also display teal chalk ribbons in their windows and shop fronts, including Luna Café in Bellevue and De Pere, El Bistro Taco in Ashwaubenon, and The Shoppe on Main in Oconto. The Jim Kress Marinette Museum in Sturgeon Bay will also be lit up teal the evening of April 1, 2022. Several coffee shops and other businesses will help to raise awareness with teal coffee sleeves and teal specialty drinks.

Sexual Assault Center advocates say these partnerships are critical to showing survivors that the community cares and help is available.

“The initiative is for people in positions of power to use platforms to create safe spaces,” said Chelsey Steffens, victim advocate with the Sexual Assault Center. “When we have a community willing to use their circle of influence to support a cause that we know affects a large amount of the general public, we discourage violence and uplift hope.”

Last year, the Sexual Assault Center of Family Services served 1,189 survivors in Brown, Door, Oconto and Marinette Counties. Nearly half were children under the age of 18. Services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bilingual staff are also available to provide culturally specific services to survivors in the Hispanic and Southeast Asian communities. You can find the hotline number for each county served by the Sexual Assault Center at www.familyservicesnew.org/sexual-assault-center.

“Many survivors do not tell anyone about the abuse, and 75% of incidents go unreported to law enforcement,” said Holli Fisher, Sexual Assault Center Program Manager. “It’s essential that survivors know they can receive confidential, non-judgmental support from trained advocates to develop a plan for safety, empowering them as they heal from their trauma.”

For more information about the “Paint the Town Teal” effort or to join as a partner, contact Chelsey Steffens at [email protected].

(Green Bay, Wis) – The Sexual Assault Center of Family Services is excited to announce the final results of its fundraising efforts during Give BIG Green Bay 2022!

During the 24 hours that Give BIG was held, 256 donors gave directly to the Sexual Assault Center to raise $67,965. In addition to those donations, the center will also receive an additional $11,522 in matching funds from Green Bay Packers Give Back and other matching contributors in the community. That’s a total of $79,039 raised to support free, confidential services for survivors of sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse and sex trafficking in Northeast Wisconsin!

Sexual Assault Center staff say the level of support received during Give BIG Green Bay caught the attention of survivors they serve.

“We are extremely grateful for not only the amount that was raised for the Sexual Assault Center, but for the number of people in our community who chose to support us,” said Holli Fisher, Sexual Assault Center Program Manager. “One survivor went onto our Give BIG page and seeing the number of donors who cared about sexual violence helped her to not feel so alone.”

The Sexual Assault Center set an original goal to raise $60,000 during the event. The amount represented half of what is expected to be cut from the center’s funding through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) later this year.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity to be more than half way to our goal of the $120,000 needed to keep our services whole later this year when we will experience a 15% cut to our largest grant,” said Tana Koss, Vice President of Programming.

Koss says there are two major reasons why filling the anticipated gap is so critical.

“We already operate the leanest team possible to meet the needs of our communities 24/7 in terms of crisis response. There are no cuts that can be made without leaving large gaps in critical services. And secondly, we have already been informed that the following year we will experience an additional 15% cut in this same funding. We need the community’s support and involvement to ensure we can continue to provide 24/7 response to our community members who have experienced sexual abuse or assault.”

The Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, in partnership with Green Bay Packers Give Back, selects 45 nonprofits to take part in Give BIG Green Bay each year, to help unite the community around causes and issues to make a real difference. Its 2022 effort raised a grand total of $2.4 million with over 4,300 donors contributing to their favorite nonprofits.

Anyone can support the Sexual Assault Center of Family Services at any time. To volunteer as an advocate or make a donation, please visit www.familyservicesnew.org/get-involved.

(Green Bay, Wis) – The Sexual Assault Center of Family Services is proud to announce the results of its Smartphone & Tablet Recycling Drive held Feb. 23-24, 2022 in conjunction with Give BIG Green Bay.

Dozens of community members took action to help keep kids safe online by dropping off their old, unused devices. A total of 16 tablets, 111 smartphones and a handful of other devices were recycled to ensure that children and teens would not be able to use them to gain unsupervised access to social media and other apps. Such access can put kids at risk of being targeted for child exploitation or abuse by predators online.

“We are incredibly grateful that so many from our community took the effort to discard unused electronics in the home,” said Holli Fisher, Program Manager for the Sexual Assault Center. “This will reduce the chance that kids will be exposed to potential perpetrators online.”

The idea for the drive came in part from the Sexual Assault Center staff and their work with victims of online abuse, harassment and human trafficking. But also, from one staff member’s personal experience as a parent whose child was found to be using an unmonitored device to access the internet.

Fisher says removing old devices from the home that can still connect to Wi-Fi is a simple step that any adult can take, at any time, to reduce child exploitation.

For more resources on the steps you can take to promote internet safety and prevent child exploitation online, please check out the following links:

• How Human Traffickers are Reaching Kids Online
• Internet Safety in the Age of Virtual Learning
• Common Sense Media (Online Resources for Parents)
• Internet Matters (Online Resources for Parents)

(Green Bay, Wis) – Give BIG Green Bay is just a couple of days away. The 24-hour online giving day put on by the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and Green Bay Packers Give Back starts at noon on Feb. 23 and ends at noon on Feb. 24.

Family Services and its Sexual Assault Center staff have been working hard behind the scenes to create an exciting and inspiring experience for members of the community to engage with our work and help support the survivors we serve.

Together, we aim to raise $60,000 for the Sexual Assault Center to keep its services thriving. But, it’s going to take all of us working together on behalf of those who have experienced sexual assault, abuse or human trafficking to meet our goal.

Whether you choose to donate, share our cause with others, or simply tune in to learn more about our work, it would mean the world to us and our clients to have your support!

You can support us and the other great participating nonprofits at www.givebiggreenbay.org. Thanks to a grant from Green Bay Packers Give Back, every donation made will go even further!

If you haven’t already, please like and follow the Sexual Assault Center on Facebook and Instagram for motivating and inspiring challenges throughout the day, as well as live updates about everything that’s happening.

The Sexual Assault Center will also be hosting a Smartphone & Tablet Recycling in conjunction with its Give BIG campaign, during regular business hours. The drive is aimed at removing old devices from homes to help prevent children and teens from gaining unsupervised access to the internet and social media. Click here to learn more about the drive and our drop-off sites.

(Green Bay, Wis) – The Sexual Assault Center of Family Services is inviting parents, caregivers and other community members to drop off their old smartphones, tablets and other handheld devices, Feb. 23-24 to have them recycled for free.

The event is aimed at preventing children and teens from gaining unsupervised access to the internet and is being held in conjunction with the center’s Give BIG Green Bay campaign. Many of the old devices in our junk drawers can still connect to Wi-Fi. With that, kids and teens can use them to gain unsupervised access to social media and messaging apps. This can put them at risk of predators online.

“My hope is that this drive will raise awareness of a simple step parents can take to further ensure their child’s safety,” said Tana Koss, Vice President of programming at Family Services.

Koss says the idea for the drive came in part from the Sexual Assault Center staff and their work with victims of online abuse, harassment and human trafficking. But also, from her own experience as a parent whose child was found to be using an unmonitored device to access the internet.

Holli Fisher, who manages the Sexual Assault Center, says awareness of the issue is key.

“Parents and caregivers play a critical role in protecting kids online. As soon as a child starts using a phone, mobile device or computer, it’s time to talk to them about online behavior and safety.”

Those wishing to drop off their old devices can place them in the collection box in the lobby of Family Services at 300 Crooks St, Green Bay, from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24. Additional drop-off sites include Ashwaubenon Public Safety, Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Pulaski Police Department.

Accepted devices include iPods, smartphones, tablets and handheld gaming devices. Laptops or larger will not be accepted.

The Sexual Assault Center of Family Services is one of 45 nonprofits selected to participate in Give BIG Green Bay. Those who wish to support their cause and others are encourage to go online and make a donation from noon to noon, Feb. 23-24 at www.givebiggreenbay.org.

To view full detail about the device drive or to help spread the word, download the event flyers in English and Spanish.