Spot-Light Organization of the Month
June's Spot-Light Organization:
Messiah Church Preschool
Messiah Church Preschool is a community outreach of Messiah Lutheran
Church. Begun in 1966, our preschool has touched the lives of hundreds
of children for over forty years. At Messiah Church we feel that every
child is gift from God and that a quality Pre-K experience provides a
firm foundation for a successful academic life firmly rooted in
Christian values. Our goals are three-fold:
- To provide a safe Christian environment for children.
- To promote individual growth for the whole child; spiritual, intellectual, emotional, physical, and social.
- To provide a well-planned curriculum that will incorporate literacy, music, art, and play
Messiah
Preschool is offered to three year olds on Tuesdays and Thursdays from
9:00-11:00 or 12:30-2:30 and four year olds on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays from 9:00-11:30 or 12:30-3:00. Visit www.messiahchurch.com for more information.
May's Spot-Light Organization:
Olbrich Gardens
Spend
some time together with your family and children experiencing the
wonders of nature at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison. Explore
16 acres of outdoor specialty gardens together, including a sunken
garden with an eighty-foot reflecting pool and a perennial garden
with a meandering stream. Climb the two-story, stone rose tower in
the Rose Garden and overlook the entire Gardens and Lake Monona. The
exotic Thai Pavilion and Garden, the only one in the continental
U.S., will make you feel like you’re really in Thailand. The
outdoor gardens are open daily and always free!
The
year-round tropical Bolz Conservatory, is a sunny 50-foot-high glass
pyramid with towering palms, blooming orchids, waterfalls, and wooden
bridges. Look for birds and watch the koi fish swim.
An
accessible tram travels the outdoor gardens on weekends spring and
fall, and daily during summer, for people who need assistance getting
around the gardens. A unique gift shop features books, children’s
nature toys, and garden-related gifts. Playground and picnic areas
right next door! Olbrich is Travel Green Wisconsin certified.
Events
include:
Olbrich’s
Blooming Butterflies, July 9 – August 15, 2009
See
live butterflies inside the Bolz Conservatory and take the Butterfly
Passport walk in the outdoor gardens.
Summer
Concerts, Tuesdays at 7 p.m., June 2 – July 28, 2009
Bring
a lawn chair and a picnic – the only time picnics are allowed
inside the gardens.
Classes
and workshops for families throughout the year
Hours
Outdoor
Gardens: April-Sept, 8 am-8 pm; Oct 9 am-6 pm; Nov-Mar, 9 am-4 pm.
Bolz
Conservatory & Growing Gifts Shop: 10am-4pm daily and until 5pm
on Sundays.
Olbrich
Botanical Gardens
3330
Atwood Avenue, Madison, WI 53704
608-246-4550
Check
www.olbrich.org
for more information.
April's Spot-Light Organization:
The Family Resource Center
The Family
Resource Center located at 205 Deer Valley Road, is part of a network
of family resource centers throughout the state dedicated to
providing education and resources that parents need to build healthy
family relationships.
These centers
are cooperative efforts in which many community agencies work
together to provide families with the support they seek to raise
their children in the healthiest way possible. The center is for all
parents who need information to make healthy decisions for their
families. All families are welcome to participate in our programs,
and all programs and services are offered free of charge with on-site
child care.
Among the
programs we offer are:
Play and Learn:
Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:30 AM
Drop-in
Playtime: Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30 AM.
Women’s
Support Group: The Third Thursday of the month from 5:30 to 6:30 PM.
Parent
Education in Spanish (La Movida Radio 1480 AM) Wednesdays at 10:00-11
AM.
Parenting
Workshops: Call for complete listing at (608) 278-8167
The Center’s
lending library has bi-lingual books (English-Spanish) and toys that
families can take home; and in-home Parent Education for a limited
number of families with children new born to 5 years. Our warm-line
provides a link to expert, non-emergency parenting advice on the
day-to-days trials of child rearing.
Several
enriching volunteer experiences working with children and families
are available at the Family Resource Center. We welcome you to share
your time and expertise with us.
Family Resource
Center
205 Deer Valley Road, # 1
Madison, WI 53713
(608)
278-8167
March's Spot-Light Organization:
Canopy Center
As
parents, we discover our way through by trial and error, with help
and support from friends and family. But what to do when friends and
family aren’t available, can’t help, or don’t understand? Enter
the Canopy Center. “When parenting is hard, we’ll give you a soft
place to land.”
Created in 1977 by a young
mother, Canopy Center has more than 30 years experience strengthening
family units. The Parent Stressline
(608-241-2221) is often the first contact
point. The line, staffed by trained volunteers and professional
counselors, is available daily from 6:00 a.m. until midnight. It is a
place for parents and caregivers to find a confidential listening ear
and learn about community resources. With today’s extended
families scattered around the globe, providing a place where parents
and caregivers can just talk and find support can, and does, make all
the difference.
In addition to the
stressline, Canopy Center’s services include therapy groups that
offer children, teens, and families a safe, stable, nurturing place
to recover from abuse and change patterns. The Oasis
program offers help and healing for incest and child sexual abuse
victims, ages 5 to 18 years. Young people meet with others their own
age and learn to process their feelings and have fun again. Separate
groups are available for non-offending parents and caregivers and
adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Professional therapists
meet weekly with children, teens, and adults and draw participants
out of the isolation that so often accompanies abuse.
The Families
United Network program uses a guided
self-help model to support parents and teach new coping skills. Both
English- and Spanish-speaking groups are available. Professional
therapists lead the sessions and teach skills that encourage children
and parents to grow to their fullest potential. Child and teen groups
are activity-based; parents participate in group discussions. Most
participants come voluntarily, seeking help with children with
special needs, feelings of isolation, or simply a way to parent
differently than they were parented. Call 608-241-4888 for more
information about the Oasis and Families United Program.
Volunteers with the Canopy
Center staff the stressline, co-facilitate therapy groups, provide
childcare, and help with kitchen, office, and administrative tasks.
Volunteers find their own lives enhanced, as they gain experience in
group and family dynamics; develop listening, communication, and
facilitating skills; and participate in the healing process.
Canopy Center is a
nonprofit organization. If you would like to contribute, but cannot
commit volunteer time, consider a donation or pick up a bag of
Comeback Coffee, fair
trade coffee that supports the teen programs.
The Canopy Center Healing
and Family Support Services are located at 2120 Fordem Avenue, Suite
110, in Madison, Wisconsin. Visit them on the web at www.canopycenter.org.