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Here are some of the highlights of this year’s event. Also visit the Caper page under the “How to Help” tab to learn more.

This year marks the silver anniversary of our annual Caper, and we are pulling out all of the stops! We will once again feature local food and desserts from various Louisville restaurants, nearly 300 items up for silent auction, a live auction, entertainment, prizes and more! Past auction items have included vacations, priceless sports memorabilia, entertainment packages, collectables and a whole lot more!

Make plans to join us for dinner and an evening of fun after the UofL game as we celebrate 25 years of Louisville tradition!

Of the food to be served, this year’s Caper will feature dishes from Rocky’s, Buckhead’s, Cabot Cheese Company, Chili’s, McAlister’s, McDonald’s, Little Caesar’s and Comfy Cow.

Tickets are now on sale. $20 in advance, $25 at the door
To purchase tickets and for more information call 502-893-3900.

University of Louisville Athletics has partnered with F&CP since the very first Caper. Go Cards!

Dan Fox Editorial – Underwired Magazine Dec 2011

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7241979/rick-reilly-penn-state-scandal

To view a written story and the video segment, click on the link below:

http://www.wave3.com/story/16048425/kentucky-and-indiana-laws-clearer-on-reporting-child-abuse

Family and Children’s Place and Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana are grant recipients

Louisville, KY – November 9, 2011 – The Humana Foundation is proud to announce “topping off” grants for two local Metro United Way agencies. The Family and Children’s Place and Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana organizations are the recipients of these 2011 grants. “Topping-off” grants provide the final dollars needed to reach a campaign’s fundraising goal by a determined date.

The Humana Foundation will contribute the final $500,000 to Family and Children’s Place, and the final $100,000 to Boys and Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, if the organizations raise the remaining balance to complete their respective campaigns by year-end. In committing these funds, Humana hopes to encourage other donors to support these worthwhile organizations.

“We all know these are tough times for children and families in our community with demand for social services increasing every day,” said Mike McCallister, Humana’s chairman and chief executive officer, and chairman of the Humana Foundation. “Humana wants to be part of community solutions that connect those in need with helpful services from outstanding organizations, such as Family and Children’s Place and Boys & Girls Clubs. We urge others to join us in supporting these critical campaigns.”

Both organizations are excited about the support and its potential to create momentum for reaching their campaign goals.

“This incredible gesture sends a clear message that providing services for children touched by abuse is of the utmost importance,” said Family and Children’s Place President Dan Fox. “We applaud the Humana Foundation for their commitment to Building Brighter Futures for Kentuckiana children and families. The generosity of this grant is inspiring, and we are confident that our community will follow Humana’s example.”

Jennifer Helgeson, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, said,

“Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana appreciates the continued partnership with Humana and is thrilled to receive a $100,000 “topping-off” grant from the Humana Foundation.  We touch the lives of many youth on a daily basis by offering them a safe haven after school and in the summer.  Our Clubs also provide our members with academic assistance, mentoring, and character building experiences while giving them the encouragement and tools needed to reach their full potential.”

“These extraordinary grants demonstrate once again the deep and abiding commitment of the Humana Foundation to the well-being of our community’s most precious resource – our children,” said Joe Tolan, President and CEO, Metro United Way. “We are thankful and grateful to the Humana Foundation for once again providing philanthropic leadership and, in so doing, offering hope for a brighter future for so many of our young people and their families.  This is great news!”

Here are some distinguishing factors about the grants and recipients:

Family and Children’s Place

• The Humana Foundation will donate the last $500,000 of the Family and Children’s Place’s capital campaign to complete its new Child Advocacy Center, if the agency raises the remaining $1 million of its campaign goal before December 31, 2011.
• The Child Advocacy Center is envisioned as Louisville’s first comprehensive site to help young victims of abuse or violence.
• The mission of the Family and Children’s Place is to strengthen community through healing trauma of abuse, violence and neglect and promoting safe, healthy, and stable families though research based services.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana
  • The Humana Foundation will provide the last $100,000 of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana’s call-to-action campaign to raise $500,000 before year-end to serve children affected by the closing of the Salvation Army’s Boys and Girls Clubs.
  • As of November 8, 2011, $193,430 has been raised toward the goal.
  • The Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana offers its members a safe, convenient, and affordable place to spend time after school and during school breaks. It helps youth advance in three primary areas: academic success, healthy lifestyles, and good character and citizenship.

About The Humana Foundation

The Humana Foundation was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., one of the nation’s leading health-benefits companies. Located in Louisville, Ky., the site of Humana’s corporate headquarters, the Foundation’s mission is to support charitable activities that promote healthy lives and healthy communities. The Foundation’s key priorities for funding are childhood health and education, health literacy, and active lifestyles and wellness. For more information, visit www.humanafoundation.org.

Read article published in Business First by following this link:

http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2011/11/14/humana-foundation-pledges-grants.html

To Download full press release, click the link below:

Press Release – Humana Foundation Announces Topping-Off Grants

Instincts, for many of us, drive us to demand justice and to join in the condemnation of the people responsible. This instinct is not wrong – on the contrary, it is quite human. We do not, however, want the race to punish overshadow the race to heal these children. Regardless of the collective anger we may feel as a result of the actions – or more importantly the inactions – of certain Penn State staff, our primary objective should be to see to it that all child victims receive proper counseling and treatment. We must work diligently to restore the sense of innocence and self worth in those that may have been trapped in the most heinous of circumstances, through no fault of their own.

We at Family and Children’s Place know all to well how prevalent sexual abuse is within our community. Nationally, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by the age of eighteen. Such numbers may come as a shock, in part because as a society we have not come to terms with the magnitude of the issue.  This particular case should not be viewed as an isolated occurrence. Studies would indicate that what has been reported at Penn State is, unfortunately, a classic case of sexual abuse. More often than not an abuser has multiple victims. In the vast majority of the cases the person responsible is someone close to the victim and his/her family. Most troubling, it is not uncommon that third parties make an effort to protect and even conceal those responsible. Our Child Advocacy Center sees over 1,100 new cases of child sexual abuse each year, representing a small fraction of victims in the area that need our help. The effort is collaborative, involving police, Child Protective Services, the Commonwealth Attorney, medical services and mental health experts. The need for such comprehensive programming to prevent abuse, stop abuse, and help children and families recover is greater than ever. State and federal governments, however, continue to cut funding for programs that are critical to the safety and the health of our children.  Providing proper resources for healing and treatment – resources these children deserve – is not a luxury, but a necessity that every community should be equipped with.

The news, social media outlets, even the coffee shop conversations have submitted for consideration what a black eye this is for those involved and the institution.  The principal tragedy, far and above, is the abused children. We cannot and should not equate the significance of dismantling a revered athletic program to the crime that allegedly took place. There is no comparison. Any attempt to do so could encourage victims to feel somehow responsible, adding to the unspeakable trauma these children may already be experiencing. Without proper intervention and treatment, like those offered at Family and Children’s Place, the guilt and shame associated with sexual abuse can have devastating results as the child enters adolescence and adulthood; higher risk of depression, substance abuse and suicide, more likely to commit violent crimes and even become abusers themselves.

What has to change to end child sexual abuse, or at least put a major dent in it? First, our dialogue must match the scope of the problem. Choosing not to talk about it and not making it a central focus in matters related to family and children is no longer acceptable. To be clear, sexual abuse is not comfortable or pleasant to talk about. The discomfort, however, pails in comparison to the trauma experienced by millions of victims – fed by our silence and inaction. The children are often too scared or too traumatized to speak. We must be willing to lend our voices on their behalf.  It is the responsibility of adults to protect children, not the responsibility of children to protect themselves.

I challenge Kentuckiana to make a commitment that we will stand together and strive to end child sexual abuse. We can work to ensure our community does everything possible to prevent these tragedies from occurring. We can also provide proper intervention and treatment services should sexual abuse take place. We can help those traumatized by sexual abuse begin to heal. Join in this conversation to make the protection of our children a priority.

If you would like to learn more about how you can help prevent and stop abuse, visit our website at www.familyandchildrensplace.org to learn about the Darkness to Light program, a national training initiative teaches people to recognize the signs of child sexual abuse and work to prevent it. Upcoming training sessions will be posted as they are scheduled, and we encourage you to take part. If you are aware of abuse currently taking place, do not wait. Contact the Louisville Child Abuse Hotline at 595-4550.

Guests enjoyed a complimentary breakfast while receiving a first hand look at Family and Children’s Place services. The program included remarks from the organization’s leadership, a video presentation and a keynote address from Imperium Health CEO Gary Thompson. Thompson, a long-time volunteer and advocate of Family and Children’s Place, opened up about the abuse he endured as a child.

“The pure, innocent, loving spirit of a child – a spirit that lives within every child,” Thompson said during his remarks. “That is what this conversation is really about.

We have the opportunity to preserve that spirit by preventing this kind of abuse. We have the ability to protect that spirit by stopping the abuse when it occurs. We have the ability to restore that spirit by helping these children recover.”

Wednesday morning’s event also included the unveiling of plans for the new Child Advocacy Center, set to break ground this winter. The center, to be located at the corner of 5^th and Kentucky, will provide comprehensive services to child victims of sexual abuse and their families and will house offices for the Crimes Against Children Unit, Child Protective Services, Commonwealth Attorney and physicians.

“The turnout this year and the generosity of our guests truly is a testament to how vital these services are to Kentuckiana families,” Fox commented. “The new Child Advocacy Center is not a luxury, but rather a necessity that every community should have. We are not to the top of the mountain yet. There is still money to be raised to support more victims and their families.”

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011310240066

This year marks the silver anniversary of our annual Caper, and we are pulling out all of the stops! We will once again feature local food and desserts from various Louisville restaurants, nearly 300 items up for silent auction, a live auction, entertainment, prizes and more! Past auction items have included vacations, priceless sports memorabilia, entertainment packages, collectables and a whole lot more!

Make plans to join us for dinner and an evening of fun after the UofL game as we celebrate 25 years of
Louisville tradition!

For info call 502.893.3900 or
visit www.familyandchildrensplace.org