CHLOE, Inc. ... Articles, Updates, and Valuable information
Strategy
Narrative for 2012 -2017
In order to effectively achieve our
mission to empower young single moms to
become self-sufficient, resilient and adaptable; preventing and breaking cycles
of poverty through education and safe haven in our community, we look to
the next 5 years with strategic intent.
The strategies to accomplish this aspirational vision are outlined in
the following narrative:
We will develop a solid basis of
funders in most types of funding sources utilizing the philosophy of
Transformational Giving as guided by Mission Increase Foundation. We will develop solid financial plans that
are regularly updated and monitored closely.
Salaries for lead staff will be implemented (2012) and increase
incrementally to competitive standards. (2014) Regular fundraising will be managed by the
internal fundraising skills of our Development Director; we will occasionally
access external fundraising expertise. We will develop sustainable
revenue-generating through micr-oenterprise intended to generate 51% of our
operational budget. (2015) In
order to hedge against market instabilities work will begin to build an
endowment.
We will acquire a physical structure well-tailored to our
current and anticipated future needs. We
will secure office space to accommodate day to day business, planning and
meeting needs. (2012) We
will acquire a home adequate to house 5-6 young single mothers and their
children, staff and office space. (2013) The facility is to be known as Chloe’s Place
will be fully staffed and in operational in 2014.
Information technology is important in the work of CHLOE,
Inc. We will maintain fax and phone
facilities accessible to the entire staff.
We will purchase additional solid hardware and software as the needs
increase. We will improve our website so
that it is easily maintained, containing basic information about our
organization and specific programs as well as up-to-date information on latest
developments.
(2012) We will have an electronic database and
management reporting system for tracking clients, staff volunteers, program
outcomes and financial information.
(2012)
The current interim Board of Directors will recruit 3-5
inspiringly energetic members who are well connected to our community and are
committed to our success, vision and mission. (2012) This Board will be
diverse in fields of practice and ethnicity.
Our Board of Directors will have regular purposeful meetings that are
well planned and attended. Our Advisory
Council will expand to include a diverse and capable contingency of community
leaders, entrepreneurs, and practitioners. Our organizational chart will be
updated and made clear throughout the changes as a result of our growth and
expanded services.
We will recruit and maintain an inspiringly energetic
Leadership Team and Staff that show constant and visible commitment to our work
and excite others around the vision of CHLOE, Inc. We will recruit and employ highly capable and
committed persons from diverse background with a broad range of skills to
complete the staffing roster. (2013) Our staff will be eager to learn,
develop, and assume responsibility. We
will be intentional in providing relevant and frequent training, job rotation,
feedback and consistent performance evaluation.
Our management will consistently invest in general staff development and
targeted development for key employees and positions. We will reliably recruit capable volunteers
that bring complementary skills and that are highly committed to successful
fulfillment of our mission and vision.
We will actively seek to engage college student interns in our
work. We will equip volunteers with
skills needed to function in core roles with little supervision. Staff and volunteers, though ethnically,
generationally, and educationally diverse will benefit from a common set of
beliefs and values that are widely shared within this organization. Volunteers and staff will be provided with a
sense of identity and clear direction for behavior.
Programs and services of CHLOE, Inc are well-defined and
fully aligned with our mission. With
expansion, goals and programs will be clearly aligned to one another and
overall strategy with synergies across programs.
We will dependably encourage a pipeline of new ideas. We will consistently assess gaps in existing
programs to meet recipient needs and adjust as needed. We will efficiently and effectively create
new and truly innovative programs to meet the needs of potential service
recipients.
- Advocacy for single moms [weekly connection to
encourage progress toward self-sufficiency] [expand geographic boundaries with Advocate Clusters around
the area]
- Advocacy and child birth preparation for
pregnant teens (2012) Parenting Classes (2012)
- Life Skill Classes (2012)
- Community Classes (Shaken Baby Syndrome
Prevention) (expand to include child
care workshops, childbirth preparation)
- Residential Program (young single moms and their
children) (2014)
- Residency Options for Pregnant teens (network of
host families) (2013)
The following resources were essential in the process of
this strategy design:
a) Mission Impact Mission Impact Breakthrough
Strategies for Nonprofits by Robert M. Sheehan, Jr., PhD
b) Venture Philanthropy Partners... 'McKinsey Capacity
Tool ;
SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME (SBS)
(Non Accidental Abusive
Head Trauma)
A couple of years ago I
served on an Ohio Department of Health Work Group that was charged with the
task of developing educational materials regarding SBS. The resulting mandated materials are
available on the ODH Web site. This task
was assigned in response to implementing Claire’s
Law for Shaken Baby prevention. (Claire Fishpaw is the victim of SBS inflicted in
2000) I sat with doctors, nurses,
educators and other professionals who know the tragic outcomes of such abuse. Claire’s
dad attended some of the meetings; his daughter faces life long disability from
the shaking she endured by her child care provider. The accounts were gut wrenching, the task
daunting, and the effort intense.
Recently a precious 22
month old baby girl died. She lived with
her mom (21) and mom’s boyfriend (19) just 12 minutes from my home. Her mom, young, single, working.... left her
in the boyfriend’s care while she went to work. He is charged with murder. The mom and extended family are heart
broken. A totally preventable injury has
claimed yet another life.
RESEARCH:
Unlike other forms of inflicted head trauma,
abusive head trauma results from injuries caused by someone vigorously shaking
a child. Because the anatomy of infants puts them at particular risk for injury
from this kind of action, the vast majority of victims are infants younger than
1 year old. The average age of victims is between 3 and 8 months, although
these injuries are occasionally seen in children up to 4 years old.
The
perpetrators in these cases are most often parents or caregivers. Common
triggers are frustration or stress when the child is crying. Unfortunately, the
shaking may have the desired effect: although at first the baby cries more, he
or she may stop crying as the brain is damaged.
Approximately 60% of identified victims of
shaking injury are male, and children of families who live at or below the
poverty level are at an increased risk for these injuries as well as any type
of child abuse. It is estimated that the perpetrators in 65% to 90% of cases
are males — usually either the baby's father or the mother's boyfriend, often
someone in his early twenties.
When someone forcefully shakes a baby, the
child's head rotates about the neck uncontrollably because infants' neck
muscles aren't well developed and provide little support for their heads. This
violent movement pitches the infant's brain back and forth within the skull,
sometimes rupturing blood vessels and nerves throughout the brain and tearing
the brain tissue. The brain may strike the inside of the skull, causing
bruising and bleeding to the brain.
The damage can be even greater when a
shaking episode ends with an impact (hitting a wall or a crib mattress, for
example), because the forces of acceleration and deceleration associated with
an impact are so strong. After the shaking, swelling in the brain can cause
enormous pressure within the skull, compressing blood vessels and increasing
overall injury to its delicate structure.
Some experts estimate that 1,300 children experience severe or fatal
head trauma from child abuse each year.
For
children who survive the trauma of being shaken there is likely life long disability:
Developmental delays:
Speech delays
Growth delay
High rates of ongoing seizure disorders
Loss of Function:
Mobility Problems
Feeding difficulties
CHLOE STRATEGIES
1. Education is the key strategy for reducing
the number of children killed or injured by Shaken Baby Syndrome.
CHLOE offers Parenting Classes
specifically designed for young moms.
This comprehensive course:
~ Addresses the
issue directly... lecture, printed material, video, prop demonstration
~Addresses
selection of child care providers and offer guidelines and appropriate safe
guard
~Addresses
soothing, comforting measures for a fussy baby/chil
~Addresses stress relief measures for parents/child care
provider
~Addresses
appropriate developmental behaviors for infants and children
~Develops skills
to raise self awareness and understanding
~Builds
confidence in a nurturing parenting role
~Offers hands
on parenting skills development
~Encourages appropriate,
nurturing infant/child interaction
~Offers guidelines
for parenting interactions and discipline measures.
2. CHLOE
serves the greater community with Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention resources
~ Shaken Baby
Simulation Doll has been purchased to share in
~Prevention training at local
schools, community fairs, and social service agencies
~ Volunteers are
being trained to represent CHLOE in community events to offer prevention
strategies.
References:
1. www.Don’t Shake. org
