“I always get to where I am going by walking away from where I have been.” Winnie the Pooh

April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month
Camp HOPE America
Camp Hope America is the first evidence-based, trauma informed, healing-centered camping and mentoring program in the United States to focus on children and teens exposed to domestic violence. Their mission is to give youth a brighter future by creating pathways to hope and healing. They praise campers for the person that they are becoming; seeing their character for who they are and not what they have accomplished. From the organization’s beginning, the goal has been to create a year-round program where youth can feel safe, seen, heard, encouraged, and cared for. Camp HOPE America is composed of a week of camp, supported by year-round activities. Their efforts include mentorship, technical assistance, curriculum, training funding assistance, hope and fun. Camp HOPE America is affiliated with Family Justice Center Alliance, domesticshelters.org and Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention. They are a 2024 recipient of a Mackenzie Scott donation of $2 million. There are camps around the country including Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California. Phone Toll-Free: (888) 511-3522 Email: camphope@allianceforhope.com

Royal Family Kids Camp
Royal Family Kids’ Camps, Inc. (RFKC) is a network of camps, children’s clubs, and child mentoring for abused, abandoned, and neglected children in the foster care system. RFK was founded in 1985 and offers training and resources for local churches to sponsor a five-day summer camp for children in foster care, ages 6 – 12. The summer camp maintains a ratio of one volunteer counselor for every two children. Adult role models encourage positive experiences through a plethora of activities, including swimming, fishing, boating, jewelry-making, and woodworking. The highlight of the summer camp is the giant birthday party with cake and gifts for all campers. The group operates 159 camps in the United States and around the world, and has about 6,000 adult volunteers.
RFKC Values include building dignity, courage, safety, transformation, and belonging. 2025 summer camps will be held locally in Poulsbo, Bremerton, Issaquah and Burlington. Please go to the website: forthechildren.org for registration forms and more information.

Choosing Homelessness
For some women becoming homeless to escape an abusive husband is the better choice of two extremely difficult situations. When there are children involved, the stakes become higher again. What may feel like jeopardizing your child’s welfare on the one hand may be outweighed by the effects of an abusive parent on the other. Considering always the safety of the situation, an important step is connecting with a Domestic Violence organization. The understanding and support a DV organization offers is invaluable. Also, DV organizations offer many excellent resources including shelter space which is another good option. There are, however, scenarios when escaping an abusive home that are often detrimental to a child. Couch surfing, tent living, and living in a car can be dangerous or have otherwise long-term negative effects on a child. A heart-breaking choice, either way. LK

The Effects of Homelessness on Children
“Homelessness can have a tremendous impact on children, from their education, physical and mental health, sense of safety, and overall development. Children experiencing homelessness frequently need to worry about where they will live, their pets, their belongings, and other family members. In addition, homeless children are less likely to have adequate access to medical and dental care, and may be affected by a variety of health challenges due to inadequate nutrition and access to food, education interruptions, trauma, and disruption in family dynamics.
In terms of academic achievement, students experiencing homelessness are more than twice as likely to be chronically absent than non-homeless students, with greater rates among Black and Native American or Alaska Native students. They are also more likely to change schools multiple times and to be suspended—especially students of color.
Further, research shows that students reporting homelessness have higher rates of victimization, including increased odds of being sexually and physically victimized, and bullied. Student homelessness correlates with other problems, even when controlling for other risks. They experience significantly greater odds of suicidality, substance abuse, alcohol abuse, risky sexual behavior, and poor grades in school.” APA Publication date: May, 2024

The Fight against Missing and Exploited Children
“100 Million images and videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) in 2023! That was a 19% increase from the previous year. This is a stunning indictment of the insatiable demand for this abusive imagery that is circulating on the internet, some even live-streamed.” [And a stunning indictment of the abuse being committed against children.] Hope Inspire Love offers Online Safety & Human Trafficking seminars for parents, guardians, school administrators, churches, and others interested in learning more about the evil actions that perpetrators are using to groom children for exploitation. They also facilitate their Flourish Curriculum for middle school and high school teens, educating them about the warning signs and tactics used by perpetrators. The Flourish Curriculum focuses on how children and teens can protect themselves and their peers, how to have and understand healthy boundaries, and how to have safe relationships – all from a prevention perspective to better protect themselves from becoming victims in the first place. Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), 2023 and HOPEINSPIRELOVE.org

Mark your calendars!
Missions Fest 2025 will be October 10 & 11 at Highlands Community Church, Renton, WA. There are always many local mission organizations and missionary organizations from all over the world. The theme this year is For Such A Time As This. There are always excellent speakers, booths, breakout sessions, music, and good food! We are already planning our booth and new hand-outs! More information to come and would love to meet you there!

Scripture Verse
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged. Col 3:21 NIV

Happy Easter!