May 2014

Volume 4 Issue 3
May 2014
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Statistics
(Jan.-April)
Children Served:
1,854
Hours of Free Care:
11,190
Children on Waiting List
for Ark’s Care:
992
Free Meals Served:
4,675
Clothing Items
Distributed:
424
“ark Crisis Day”
Was Awesome
Evansville Mayor Lloyd
Winnecke proclaimed May 20th as
“Ark Crisis Child Care Center Day”
in Evansville in a ceremony at Ark.
Ark guest, donors, board
members and children also cut
A note from the Executive Director:
You can protect children from abuse
What would you do if...
...you knew a little girl whose
mom chose meth over her and
took off in the middle of the
night...
...you heard about a boy who
was molested by his mother’s
boyfriend while his mom was at
work...
...you learned that a baby didn’t
have her diaper changed at
home because her mom didn’t
have any money for diapers...
...you saw a toddler with a cigarette burn on his tummy...
These children are real, and
their stories are heart-breaking.
But there is hope.
the ribbon on the new classroom
to mark its official opening. The
building expansion doubled the
infant care program and increased
the capacity of Ark by 40%.
The project was made possible
by grants from The Women’s Fund
of Vanderburgh County, Alcoa,
“Ark Crisis Day” - May 20, 2014
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You can change their lives
for the better, right now, with
your gift to Ark Crisis Child
Care Center.
Your generous gift goes
immediately to work, helping
children find comfort, safety,
kindness and love despite their
family turmoil and fears.
Through Ark, you can make
a difference in the lives of
precious children who have
survived scary situations and
endured nightmarish realities.
Your gift means children will
have full bellies, someone to
kiss their boo-boos, and teachers who are specially trained to
identify and report abuse and
neglect.
Every gift is appreciated...and
will do real good.
It shouldn’t hurt to be a
child. But sometimes it does.
Children are not always
treated with love and kindness.
That’s when Ark Crisis Child
Care Center matters most. You
can help Ark protect children
from abuse and neglect. Will
you?
Angie Richards Cooley
City of Evansville Endowment
Fund, Old National Bank, Welborn
Baptist Foundation, VCSO Wallis
Christmas Foundation and Toyota
Motor Manufacturing Indiana as
well as many private donors and
in-kind sponsors.
Angie Richards Cooley
[email protected]
Wish List
Tissues
Postage Stamps
Size 2-6 Diapers
Diaper Wipes
Paper Towels
Washable Paint
Printer Paper
Construction Paper
415 Lincoln Avenue, Evansville, Indiana 47713 | (812) 423-9425 | www.arkcrisis.org
Fairy Tale Dreams Come True
Board of
Directors
Sherri Alley - President
Darren Spainhoward Vice President
Geoff Gentil & Joe Miller Treasurer
Emily Millsap - Secretary
James Godbold
Annie Groves
Brad Peter
Beth Sweeney
Jennifer Wilder
Ronda Espenlaub
Josh Hodge
Lisa Gray
Miranda Pieszchalski
Wayne Hurlock
Cliff Whitehead
Joyce Molinet
Monica Edwards
Tom Bailey
Michael Freeman
Julie Bennett
Michele Schellenberg
“My daughter is still talking about it.”
“We can’t wait for next year.”
“When all of the children were singing “Let it Go”
with Elsa (from Frozen), I had tears in my eyes. It
was so magical.”
More than 265 people enjoyed Ark’s 2nd
annual Fairy Tale Ball, presented by Cold Stone
Creamery and Rocky Mountain Chocolate
Factory. Children and families enjoyed dinner at
Evansville Country Club, followed by dancing,
crafts, face painting, story time and photos with
their favorite fairy tale characters.
All proceeds support the crisis care program
at Ark. Many of Ark’s children also attended
the Fairy Tale Ball, thanks to many of you who
became “Fairy Godparents”. Fairy Godparents
provided tickets, clothing, transportation and
professional hair and makeup. Without your
support, most of Ark’s children would not have
been able to attend the ball.
Josh Hodge, a member of Ark’s Board of
Directors, wrote a note of thanks to all of this
year’s Fairy Godparents.
Thanks to your generosity, along with many
others in the community, more than 100 Ark
children and their families lived out their dreams of
spending an evening with their favorite characters
from movies and books. This was a night when
the children were able to live in a fairytale world,
even if it was just for a short time.
Many of the children attended this event
because of your willingness to help. You have
allowed children to live out a fantasy that
many of them never though possible. If you
attended the event yourself, you witnessed
the magic first-hand and saw the true joy each in
child’s eyes.
As a board member for Ark, I see the many
hardships that the children attending the center
have to endure regularly. This one night was a
chance for them to escape the harsh reality of
the poverty, homelessness or abuse and neglect
many of them have experienced. Seeing the
excitement in the room and hearing the children
rave about the experience will stick in my heart
forever.
As a father myself, I know the joy it brings me
to see my children smile. While I do not know
the names of all the children that attended the
Fairy Tale Ball, I will remember their smiles,
seeing them jump for joy, hearing their screams
of excitement, watching them tug their parents
around the dance floor to make sure there was
time to dance with each character and their wideeyed looks as each child lived out their dreams.
You are an integral part in making the lives of
these children better. They may not understand
now the impact you had on their life, but down the
road they will understand that someone they did
not know cared enough to help them live out a
dream.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for
making a difference in the life of a child.
SAVE THE DATEs
August 21, 2014
Keep the Ark Afloat Dinner & Auction
5:30-9:00pm, Evansville Country Club
November 8, 2014
Stomp Out Child Abuse: Boot Extravaganza
Date to be announced.
Check out Ark’s interactive website & Facebook page!
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You can sign up for the e-newletter, join Ark’s mailing list, make donations, find out about employment
volunteer opportunities, learn about upcoming events and find information about Ark’s services.