Missouri Children's Trust Fund

Making a Difference 'One Child at a Time'

DiAnne Mueller has devoted her life to helping others and since 1994 she has been making a difference for children and their families as executive director of the St. Louis Crisis Nursery.  The Crisis Nursery, with four locations in and around St. Louis and a fifth location opening soon in nearby Wentzville, is committed to preventing child abuse and neglect by providing respite care and shelter to children whose families are faced with a crisis or emergency.  Parents can voluntarily bring their children to any of the nursery sites for a variety of reasons ranging from overwhelming parental stress, domestic violence, a parent medical emergency, and other situations that jeopardize the safety and well being of a child. The Crisis Nursery receives support from many in the community as well as foundations including the Children's Trust Fund.  See the complete feature article as it appears in the April 2008 edition of St. Louis Woman Magazine and read how DiAnne continues to make a difference one child at a time.

Blue Ribbon Month Message Encouraged Throughout the Year

Kiener Plaza Fountain in downtown St. Louis turns blue to recognize April as child abuse and neglect prevention month.

April is National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention month and marks the time when Missouri KidsFirst (MKF), the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) and other child advocates reaffirm their dedication to putting kids and families first.  Planned activities throughout the state united many organizations and people behind a Stong Families, Safe Kids effort that must be carried out all year long.

“Everyone must share in the responsibility to protect our children." said Jay Wood, Missouri KidsFirst executive director.  “Child abuse and neglect are community issues.  Parents, educators, public officials, faith-based and local organizations all play an important role to strengthen families and help children reach their full potential.”

In most cases, isolation, stress and unrealistic expectations of children serve as the underlying causes behind child abuse.  Engaged and supportive communities can be successful in preventing many abusive situations by offering and sustaining home visitation programs, parent education, mentoring opportunities, crisis intervention and other evidenced-based practices.

“We know that the abuse and neglect of children negatively impacts brain development, can cause long-term health issues, and destroys the ability to establish healthy relationships,” said Kirk Schreiber, CTF executive director.  “Our focus must be to change behavior by supporting prevention efforts that offer ways for families and children to lead productive and safe lives. Certainly, the cost of prevention is less costly than treating the effects of abuse that can so often last a lifetime."

Anderson Recognized for Child Abuse Prevention Efforts

Photo Caption:  Skip McGuire, STAT investigator; Rodney Jones, STAT Investigator; Gus Kolilis, STAT executive director; Det. Andy Anderson; Sheriff Dwayne Carey, Boone County Sheriff's Department; Kirk Schreiber, CTF executive director

For 20 years, Boone County Detective Andy Anderson has been working to protect children and prevent crimes against them. The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF), Missouri’s foundation for child abuse prevention, recently recognized Anderson’s efforts with the presentation of the 2008 Richard P. Easter Award.

“Andy truly has a passion for investigating these cases involving child victims,” said Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey, who nominated Anderson for this award.  “He is extremely knowledgeable and very well trained in this area.  Our department is very fortunate to have Andy.”

CTF Executive Director Kirk Schreiber presented the award to Anderson among his peers, including Sheriff Carey, during a ceremony on Friday, April 18 at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department in Columbia.  Gus Kolilis, Rodney Jones and Skip McGuire represented the State Technical Assistance Team (STAT) to remark about Det. Anderson's career and accomplishments related to child protection.

Anderson played an instrumental role in creating the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force by securing the Internet Cyber Crime Grant, and he currently serves as coordinator of the task force.  In this capacity, Anderson conducts Internet crimes investigations related to children in addition to providing public education regarding Internet safety and prevention against predators.

Internet Sleuth-Photo and caption published by the Columbia Daily Tribune
Det. Andy Anderson's speech for Victim's Rights on 4-17-08

Governor Signs Proclamation for Prevention

Governor Matt Blunt recently presented a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month in Missouri.  He and First Lady Melanie Blunt were joined by representatives from several child serving agencies: Donna Puckett, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS); Susan Stoltz, State Technical Assistance Team (STAT); Maurine Hill, STAT; Denise Brown, STAT; Paula Neese, Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS); Dottie Mullikin, Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH); Rodney Jones, STAT; Gus Kolilis, STAT; Kirk Schreiber, Children's Trust Fund (CTF); Doris Hallford, DSS; Gov. Matt Blunt; First Lady Melanie Blunt; Bill Dent, DSS; Vivian Murphy, Missouri Juvenile Justice Association (MJJA); Shelly Lock, Practical Parenting Partnerships (PPP); Jay Wood, Missouri KidsFirst (MKF); Dahna Willis, Kids Hope United; Peggy Krokstrom, CTF Board; Rep. Rick Stream, District 94; Patrice Mugg, CTF Board; Jennifer Toalson, MKF; Alicia Whitson, CTF; and Steve Bruce, Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS) 

Senator Bond Celebrates CTF's 25th Anniversary

U.S. Senator Christopher 'Kit' Bond recently congratulated the Missouri Children's Trust Fund (CTF) for twenty-five years of service and leadership in helping Missouri's children and families and preventing child abuse and neglect.

A news conference hosted by St. Louis Children's Hospital brought together healthcare professionals, community leaders, CTF Board members and child advocates to highlight April as child abuse and neglect prevention month.   

“It will take all of us, the Trust Fund, hospitals, service providers and elected officials working together to continue to make progress,” said Bond.  “I am proud of our legacy, and I look forward to continuing our strong partnership for children,” Bond stated.

As a former Governor of Missouri, Senator Bond helped create CTF in 1983 by signing the original legistation into law to establish the organization.  Over the past 25 years, CTF, as Missouri's foundation for child abuse prevention, has awarded more than $35 million in child abuse prevention grants to community-based organizations throughout the state.  Among others, the grants help to develop effective and innovative home visitation programs for at-risk families, mentoring programs for teen mothers, safe crib programs, and respite care programs for families in crisis.  CTF also provides public education and awareness campaigns that address Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) prevention, safe sleep environments, positive parenting, the prevention of emotional abuse and neglect, and children being safe in or around vehicles.

CTF Board members and staff pictured with Sen. Bond:  Patrice Mugg, Peggy Krokstrom, Lynne Cooper, Nuzhat Nisar M.D., Dena Ladd, Sen. Bond, Paula Cunningham, Kirk Schreiber and Nanci Bobrow, Ph.D. 

April 18 Designated as 'Go Blue Day'

April has been designated as Child Abuse Neglect Prevention Month both nationally and in Missouri.  To recognize this special month, Friday, April 18, has been designated as Go Blue Day.  Missouri KidsFirst and the Children's Trust Fund, along with many prevention organizations across the state, encourage you to wear something blue on this day to show your support for Missouri’s kids and share with others about the importance of prevention.  Blue is the official color of child abuse and neglect prevention.

Related: Go Blue Day flyer
            Blue Ribbons For Kids

New Study Shows 1 in 50 Infants Abused or Neglected

A new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) shows that about 1 in 50 U.S. infants are victims of nonfatal child abuse or neglect in a year.  The study, believed to be the first to focus on infants, found nearly a third of those who had been abused or neglected were one week old or younger when the abuse or neglect occurred.  Researchers, drawing upon a national database of cases verified by protective service agencies in 45 states, counted more than 91,000 infant victims of abuse and neglect in a 12-month period.
[Full story-CNN Health online]
[Pain Processing in Brain Affected by History of Abuse - ABC News, April 4, 2008]

American Humane Association Releases New Publication

A new publication entitled A Common Bond: Maltreated Children and Animals in the Home- Guidelines for Practice and Policy is now available from The American Humane Association (AHA) . The free publication is intended as a resource for professionals working in the fields of child protective services and animal welfare.  Oftentimes child abuse, animal abuse and family violence co-occur.  This booklet provides a framework where individuals and agencies can work together to protect both children and their pets. A Common Bond is published by AHA in cooperation with The Humane Society of the United States, the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, and ACTION for Child Protection.  For a free printed copy of the booklet, send an email to info@americanhumane.org with "Common Bond" in the subject line or click here to view and print a pdf version.

Check-Off Child Abuse in Missouri

If you receive a refund on your Missouri taxes, please consider donating a portion of that refund to the Children's Trust Fund (CTF) through the tax check-off program.  A small donaton from you could make a big difference for Missouri's kids.  This program was created in 1983 as the original source of funding for CTF.  CTF depends on your donations and contributions to provide prevention programming in Missouri that help build strong, healthy families and keep children safe.  Just look for the handprints on your Missouri tax form and indicate the amount you would like to give, or for more information, contact your accountant.  Together we CAN check-off child abuse.  Thank you.

View or print CTF Tax Flyer 2008.pdf
Play CTF Tax Radio Ad.mp3
Play CTF Tax Radio Ad Pawprints.mp3

April is Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Month

It is the responsibility of each individual to prevent child abuse and neglect.  As a result, April is annually designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month. This year’s theme, Strong Families-Safe Kids, recognizes that the most important thing we can do to prevent child abuse is to support families. Prevention efforts are the best hope for eliminating child abuse in Missouri.

Missouri KidsFirst, in partnership with the Children’s Trust Fund, has developed a web-based child abuse prevention packet for individuals and communities to modify and use to support local child abuse prevention efforts. This packet is designed to help improve the safety and well being of children by offering parenting tips and ways to discuss how to bring communities together to prevent the abuse and neglect of Missouri’s children.  The toolkit may also be accessed by clicking the April is Child Abuse Prevention Month button on the CTF homepage.

If your agency is conducting events related to Child Abuse Prevention Month, and you would like to include them in the calendar of events, please complete the Activities Registration Form and return to Missouri KidsFirst.

Thank you for all you do to prevent child abuse!  Please share this message with your partners.