News You Can Use (And Where To Find It)

Note: View the digital version to activate hyperlinks – www.parmaobserver.com/read/news

RAISING AWARENESS:  Human Trafficking/Abuse:
O  From The Collaborative to End Human Trafficking:
      >>  Go hereto read details related to the recent human trafficking crackdown identified as “Operation Buyer’s Remorse”.
      >>  Learn more and view  “Let The Oppressed Go Free” a large, traveling sculpture displayed now through March on Public Square.
      >>  Go hereto learn more about the Mobile Response & Stabilization Services (MRSS) now being offered by Bellefaire JCB free to families in Cuyahoga County w/children ages 2 to 20. Among other things, if needed,  it can provide in-person crisis assistance at your home within 60 minutes.
  
O  From Cleveland Rape Crisis Center ... Focus of the 2023 Annual SART (Sexual Assult Response Team) Conference will be on SEXTORTION. Topics include how to identify it, talking to youth about sextortion, its prosecution, and more. WHEN: 9 am – 3:30 pm, Friday, Nov. 17th; WHERE: Virtual. Cost: $30 which includes 5 CEUs for social workers and counselors. Go here for details and to register.

LOCAL EVENTS AND OPPORTUNITIES:
O  From Ohio House District 14 Representative Sean Brennan - Monthly Newsletter... or website.

O  Grant Sources for Nonprofits...Here is another set of five grantors identified & vetted by the MyCom network.  

These funders support organizations, programs, and projects that connect kids to careers:  > The Hearst Foundations  > Nord Family Foundation  > Prudential Emerging Visionaries  > U.S. Bank Foundation's Community Possible Grant Program  > Diana Davis Spencer Foundation.  If you’re affiliated with a family/youth-serving organization visit these funders’ sites to see if your program/service fits their mission. 

O  From Parma City Schools:
      >>  The Superintendent will be hosting quarterly Town Hall meetings this year. The first took place on Tuesday, October 17th. Click here to view.
      >>  Students of Normandy’s Sword and Shield Restaurant are ready to serve you! Treat yourself or your family to a delicious homemade meal. Orders will be available for pick up Thursday, November 16th from 3:00-6:00 pm at Normandy High School. We accept cash or checks for your order. Check it out & submit an order here.
      >>  PCSD offers a combined total of 17 different Career Technical Education programs at Normandy & Valley Forge High School. Open Houses for students in Gr. 5 – 11 & their parents have been scheduled as follows: Normandy, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 9, and at Valley Forge, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., Thursday, Nov.16. Click here to view the flyer.

     >>  Ballot Issue 12 is not a tax increase nor a new tax. Voting YES indicates approval for this renewal and has no impact on your current level of property tax.

O  From Ohio Dept of Education (ODE).:
      >>  Effective Oct. 3, 2023, Ohio law requires all athletic coaches to complete a student mental health training course approved by the Ohio Dept of Mental Health and Addiction Svcs. The new training requirement will help coaches recognize risk factors, signs of suicidal ideation, and symptoms of common mental health disorders and learn strategies to support youth experiencing mental health concerns. Learn more here.
      >>  If you’re in a position to assist families with Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment / renewal, the U.S. Department of Education and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have developed a two-page checklist for schools, districts, and community leaders to help families navigate this process.
      >>  The U.S. Department of Education is preparing an updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will launch in December vs October. Go hereto learn what’s going on & more about the program and its value to your child’s education.

     
O  From Parma Council of PTAs:
      >>  Their Annual Holiday Poinsettia Sale is underway now thru November 17th. Plant pick-up should take place on or about Nov. 29th at Valley Forge H.S. Watch for more information coming soon.
      >>  Total membership has seen a steady increase over the past 3 years reaching close to 1,800 women and MEN. You do not have to have a child attending a District school & and you can join the PTA of any or all PCSD units.  Clicking on this LINK TREE provides immediate access to all individual school PTAs as well as Parma Early Childhood, First Step Preschool, and A.C.E.S. Center For Education PTAs. Get involved; make a difference.
      >>  Plan now to attend PCPTA Night at the Cleveland Monsters Hockey Game the evening of Saturday, February 10, 2024. Go here to learn more & to purchase tickets.

O  From Help Me Grow NE Ohio ... Will be hosting a free COMMUNITY BABY SHOWER on Saturday, Nov. 4th, from 11 am -1 pm, at the Parma-Snow Library. There will be games, give-aways, and food but you must be REGISTERED to attend.
 
O  From SW Community Based Services (SWCBS) ...   Interact w/representatives from Cuyahoga County’s Dept of Children & Family Services (DCFS); learn more about services they have available & share your concerns about safety & child/family well-being. Attend the “Safe Children – Safe Families Community Conversation & Resource Forum “ from 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Thursday, November 9th at The Gardens, 6871 Ames Rd in Parma. Download the attached flyer for additional details.

O  From Greater Cleveland Food Bank ... Check out their Food Locator Tool. Use it to enter your address & find food distributions near you.

O  From University Settlement & Hunger Network ... Check out this < 2-minute trailer for “Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story.”  After catching a glimpse of the billions of dollars of good food that is tossed each year in North America, the filmmakers pledged to quit grocery shopping and survive only on discarded food. What they find is truly shocking. The movie can be viewed here. It’s a YouTube video w/ads but they’re not intrusive & it’s free. This is really interesting stuff and worth your time.

O  From Search Institute:
      >>  Discovering the power of mentoring relationships – Young people need positive relationships with adults to thrive, and mentors are especially important for supporting growth and development as young people work toward life goals. Learn more here.
      >>  Thriving through sports - Whether you are an athletic director, coach, or even a volunteer with a youth-serving organization, you have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with young athletes both on and off the field. Find out more here.
      >>  I came across this thought by someone in the Out-Of-School programming space. It says it all:
 “Every kid is just one caring adult away from being a success story.”

O  From IOBY (In Our Back Yard)...From their website: “...gives local leaders the ability to CROWDFUND the resources they need to build real lasting change from (and for) their communities...”. If your organization is having difficulty funding a new program/service/project, etc., IOBY might be the answer. Sign up here for their free webinar: “Year End Giving: How to Raise Funds with an Impactful Campaign!” at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, Nov. 1st  Join the experts at IOBY to learn how to raise donations during the year-end giving season!  Click on the link above to visit their main website or here to see what IOBY is doing in Greater Cleveland.

O  From Connecting For Kids:
      >>  SAVE THE DATE:  Will be hosting a free, Learning Disability Provider Showcase. WHEN: 6 pm – 8 pm, Wed,  Nov. 29th. WHERE: Westlake Porter Public Library.  The event offers parents the opportunity to meet with more than 40 area providers offering tutoring and other learning disability services, including Academic Programs,  Alternative Schools,  Education Advocates and attorneys,  Tutors, etc. Go here for additional details a/o to register. Vendors interested in participating are asked to contact Connecting for Kids Community Relations Manager, Joellen Podoll, at joellenpodoll@connectingforkids.org
      >>  Trying to find resources or help for your child...are you at your wit’s end? Go here to set up a free, 30-minute appointment with a C4K Family Resource Specialist.
      >>  Their Dyslexia Resource Guide is now available. Become familiar w/common symptoms, learn ways to help a child w/the condition, and find resources & answers to common questions.
      >>  C4K posts all of the latest fliers and webinar information it receives from local and national providers on the CFK Flier Connection page on Facebook – click the link to join. Visit their website to learn more about what this local organization has to offer.
  
O  From Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL):
      >>  Kids Café: A collaboration w/the Cleve Food Bank provides free meals for children 18 & under after school, Mon. through Fri., during the school year. Parma Hts & the Powers Branch: 3:30 – 4:30; Parma-Snow: 3:15 – 4:15.
      >>  CCPL’s System-Wide Fall Program Guide can now be downloaded as an e-book /PDF document. Go here to download.
      >>  Click on the attachment to view the list of FALL programming available at the Powers Branch.
      >>  Baby Club ... Boost your baby's brain through play: Learn more & register here for a 5-week club for caregivers and children ages birth to 2 years old. Learn helpful tips and research-backed practices you can use to boost your baby’s brain through play and connect with other families. Siblings welcome! The program is sponsored by Ohio's 529 Plan, CollegeAdvantage
      >>  Go here to view when specific Branches will be hosting a Cleveland Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry. Locally, Parma-Snow mobile pantry will take place from 3:30 – 5:00, Tuesday, Nov. 7th.  Note that the Parma Hts Food Pantry is taking a winter break & should resume around April.
      >>  Use your CCPL library card (or get one here) to take advantage of just some of these more unique services/programs available at your library.
            > WiFi Access & Computer Classes
            > Learn how you can become a CCPL Volunteer and the programming opportunities available.
            > One-on-one tech help is available from the Digital Navigator service.
            > Learn how to hold a conversation in over 70 languages
            > Digital Newsstand - Enjoy digital versions of your favorite news publications and magazines
            > Take your pick from thousands of streaming movies & TV shows from Hoopla, Kanopy & Overdrive
            > Design something & use the 3D printing capabilities of the Parma-Snow Innovation Center            
            > Learn more about Library2You, their homebound delivery service
            > Passport services are now available.
            > Check out programs for preschool & school-aged youth. Scroll down for Teacher resources.
            > Cuyahoga Works: Job and Career Services, ESOL, GED, Citizenship classes
            > Sign up to receive the Library's weekly e-Newsletter
    ­­­        > Click here to visit CCPL’s, Home Page