Helping Hearts & Helping Hands

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of the children at CH!

CH Kids Are Ready for School!

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Color Me Mine with Holland & Knight

Children's Harbor would like to give a big Thank You to Marty Alexander, a CH board member, Tammy Knight, Jana Loring, and Danielle Price for leading up this drive and making it so successful! We are truly grateful to have such generous individuals who work diligently to help us serve a very needy population here in South Florida.

To top off this extremely successful drive, Marty and Tammy, along with some of the other Holland and Knight staff, treated our children to a fun day at Color Me Mine on Sunday, July 11th in Davie. The children spent the day channeling their artistic abilities by painting ceramic figurines, salad plates, vases, and bowls. Everyone, including the adults, had an amazing time. The day was full of paint, messes, giggles, and smiling faces.

Thank you again, Holland & Knight for everything you have done for Children's Harbor!

Virginia Anita Lo Cascio

August 31, 1937 - June 17, 2010

Virginia Lo Cascio gave a special gift to the children at Children’s Harbor. A last wish of Ms. Lo Cascio’s was to have her family and friends donate to the agency in lieu of sending flowers. Through Virginia’s compassionate gesture, more than $800 was raised to support outings and activities for abused and neglected children.

Her daughter, Lisa, told us that Virginia dedicated her life to helping others.  She was a nurse interventionist and primarily helped people that were addicted to drugs and alcohol and were HIV positive.  It has been said that she was a friend to anyone lucky enough to grace her presence. Though they never met Virginia, Children’s Harbor is truly blessed to have had the support of such an amazing woman.

Cooling off with a Pool Party

Special thanks to Scott & Karen Rassler and their family for opening their home to our children and house families for a fabulous pool party!  What a way to cool off during the hot summer days!  The kids had fun splashing in the pool and enjoying a delicious lunch at a party hosted by such a warm and caring family.  Grandma Ellie & Grandpa Stan even stopped by the Campus the following week to bring our families delicious home made chicken soup!  We are so grateful to have the wonderful support of such a special family!

Fun & Games with Best Buy

A team of Best Buy associates came bearing gifts of XBox and Wii's and games to go with the systems to provide a fun filled escape for the Children's Harbor kids! 

Dumpster Clean & Volunteers Help with Campus Clean Up

On Saturday, July 17th, volunteers graciously spent their morning helping our House Families clean up our garages.  Special thanks to Dumpster King for donating dumpster service for the weekend!  We couldn't do it without you!

Summer Fun for Children's Harbor Kids!

  We’re getting ready for a fun-filled summer!  CH children will enjoy activities at Camp Sagemont at the Sagemont School and Sheinberg Family Summer Camp  2010 at the Sheinberg Family YMCA of Weston.

 Brent Goldman, Sagemont School President, is happy to have a chance to help in giving our children a positive experience this summer.  Camp Sagemont offers something special for all campers.  Their main camp provides a variety of activities that include arts & crafts, cheerleading, computers, cooking, dance, drama, field trips, karate, music, science, special events, sports, swimming, a video arcade, and more.  Camp Sagemont also offers specialty camps in Sports, Art, Travel, CIT, and Science.  The Sagemont School is a respected college preparatory school located in Weston.  For more information on Camp Sagemont click here.

 At the Sheinberg Family Summer Camp, CH campers will participate in sports, games, crafts and other activities, as well as learn water safety while cooling off at the Aquatics Center.  The CH children’s participation in camp is just one more example of the generous partnership between Children’s Harbor and the Sheinberg Family YMCA.  Joanna Sheinberg recognizes the generosity of the community and the Outreach office of the YMCA who have helped to make this camp experience possible for the CH kids.

 The YMCA Summer Camp programs are designed to nurture personal growth and teach the character values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility while developing self-confidence, sportsmanship, physical skills and friendships that will last a lifetime.  The Discovery & Quest Camp will include weekly themes, including Construction Zone, CSI, Wacky Water Week, Lights Camera Action and Pro Sports.  For more information on the Sheinberg Family YMCA of Weston click here.

Happy Birthdays at Children's Harbor

Birthdays are extra special each month at Children's Harbor thanks to the generosity of a volunteer group who call themselves Kakes 4 Kids!  Kakes 4 Kids strive to help foster children understand that their birth was the start of a precious new life. Each child at Children's  gets to blow out the candles on their very own personalized birthday cake while celebrating with their CH Families & friends and  Kakes 4 Kids volunteers.  Not only are the caker beautifully custom decorated for each birthday honoree, but they also taste absolutely delicious.  Click here for more informaton on Kakes 4 Kids.

Kiwanis Club of Pembroke Pines Provides Days of Fun for CH Kids!

CH kids enjoy fabulous outings and campus activities on behalf of the Kiwanis Club of Pembroke Pines.  In December 2009, the group approached Children's Harbor about forming a longstanding partnership to help our families and children.  Activities range from giving the House parents a night off by preparing dinners and coordinating activities for the kids, field trips to the Zoo, and cooling off at the Pines Aquatic Center.  They have also enlisted the support of the West Broward and Pines Charter Key Clubs.  We are so grateful to have this partnership with the Kiwanis Club - you have put smiles on many faces here at Children's Harbor!!

Keller Williams Realty Partners SW Spend Red Day at Children's Harbor!

More than 70 Agents, staff, family members & friends from the Keller Williams Realty Partners SW office celebrated RED Day at Children's Harbor on May 12, 2010.  RED (Renew, Energize and Donate) Day is a Keller Williams Realty service initiative dedicated to improving their local communities.

The result was freshly painted houses, a newly mulched playground, painted planters, and a beautiful new peace garden.  The group also treated the families and staff to a delicious barbecue dinner! 

Special thanks to all of the Keller Willams folks who spent the day beautifying our campus.

For more pictures click here.

Sagemont Students Lend a Helping Hand

Our campus shined a little brighter after the 5th graders from Sagemont School spent the morning of May 21st organizing our donation garages, picking up the grounds and watering our plants and trees. Other groups of students cooked delicious pasta dinners for our families, giving the house parents a much needed break.  Still others helped out with copying and sorting in our Family Intervention office. 

Thank you Sagemont teachers, parents and students who all worked so diligently to help the families and children at Children's Harbor!

more pictures

Running for Children's Harbor!

Sagemont School 5th grader, Taylor Schear, has a reason to celebrate.  The 11-year old successfully completed the 7-mile Bridge Run in Marathon, with her mother Julie.  As a dedicated friend to the CH children, she dedicated fundraising efforts in support of her run to the Agency.  Her efforts raised approximately $600!  Congratulations Taylor on your successful run & fundraising efforts!  You are a true friend of Children's Harbor!

A Royal Visit

 Children's Harbor was honored to welcome Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Charlotte Brandin, Executive Director of the World Childhood Foundation to our Campus last month.  Consistent with the focus of Childhood USA, the Foundation supports CH’s residential maternity program, helping to provide a loving home for pregnant and parenting foster teens.

The children were thrilled by the opportunity to meet a real Princess.  They asked several questions of Her Royal Highness, including “Do you live in a castle?”.  The visit will be an experience that they will never forget.

The World Childhood Foundation was founded in 1999 by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden.  The Foundation works to protect children from ongoing abuse by emphasizing prevention efforts to reduce the risk of future abuse; provide intervention strategies to stop ongoing abuse; and, promote education opportunities to teach methods and skills to promote an abuse-free life.