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They came, they listened, they got connected…

More than 100 attend Community Partnership for Children 2005 Summit

By Sarah Inman - BCUW Community Impact Manager

The University of Wisconsin – Green Bay was the host site for a landmark summit November 18, 2005. More than 100 people attended the event, including human services providers, business and church representatives, students and elected officials. Participants were invited to help make an impact on local children in need by joining the Community Partnership for Children, which is designed to establish a coordinated system of family support services in Brown County.

Summit attendees watched presentations by community leaders that detailed the vision of the Community Partnership. Attendees also took the opportunity to network and learn more about area programs. Some were surprised to learn the following Brown County statistics:

• In the 2004-2005 academic year, 600 students in the Green Bay School District were homeless (Source: Green BayPress-Gazette)
• In 2003-2004, there were 2,930 reports of child abuse and neglect (Source: State of Brown County’s Children report 2004)
• The teen pregnancy rate is one of the highest in Wisconsin (Source: State of Wisconsin Births to Teens report 2004)
• Nearly one-third of poor families are food insecure (Source: State of Brown County’s Children report 2004)

Most people want to take action when they hear these statistics, but feel powerless to help. Fortunately, the Community Partnership for Children provides an opportunity for everyone to get involved and make a difference.

The Community Partnership’s goals are to:

• Meet with new parents at the four Brown County hospitals to identify families’ needs and strengths

• Coordinate current services , link families to them and identify gaps in services

• Find ways to fill current gaps in services through funding, community support and partnership building

By accomplishing these goals, Brown County families will be connected to the right place for help or information from the start. We will make the most efficient use of available resources by fostering communication, collaboration and coordination among service providers and we will have a mechanism for tracking community needs and gaps in services. Over the long term, this will mean a significant increase in the number of children who thrive because they have been nurtured and supported at the earliest possible age.

The Brown County United Way’s Children & Families Impact Council is the central coordinating group behind the Community Partnership for Children. Summit sponsors included the Brown County United Way, Start Smart/The Early Childhood Council, Family Services and UWGB. The feedback from attendees has been positive and encouraging. Future summits will occur at approximate six-month intervals, each building on the one before it.

For more information, send an e-mail to: sarah@browncountyunitedway.org. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this event a big success!

Special thanks to CPC Summit host:

View summit photos

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