The Parenting Cottage

As the rush to begin the holiday season of Thanksgiving, Xmas and New Year's, begins please take a moment and give yourself the "gift" of doing good for others and your community. December 3rd is "Giving Tuesday", a nationally recognized efforts for one day each year where individuals, businesses and corporations stop and support the work of non-profits in the community who are providing the essential and needed services in the community that "for-profit" businesses cannot. Together the "gift of good" benefits all of us.

Monday, Nov. 11 is Veteran's Day. It's a time for us to remember and thank those who have served our nation and all of us. If you know a veteran--take the time to reach out and to thank them for the sacrifices both they and their families made to serve. The Parenting Cottage is thankful every day for the veterans who serve in our organization.

What is Giving Tuesday? Since 2012, in the U.S. and around the world, people show their gratitude on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving by donating to the causes and organizations that mean the most to them.?This generosity movement unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities.?Every act of generosity counts and everyone can be a part of contributing towards building a better community.

he Parenting Cottage is a non-profit organization serving children and families for over 40 years. Know what a non-profit is? It's an organization that performs a service in the community that doesn't get paid in the same way a for-profit business does. None of the families served by the Parenting Cottage ever pay for any of our unique services--that's to ensure that everyone regardless of their economic situation can access services. How do we keep the doors open then? We do that by being a United Way agency--where a portion of our revenue is provided, We do that by receiving support from family and other foundations who believe in our mission and most importantly we do our work because of individuals....those individuals believe it's important to have a Parenting Cottage in our community supporting families and cherishing the children. 97 cents out of every $1 donated goes directly to services for children and families. If you are looking for a organization to support during this upcoming season of giving--please consider the Parenting Cottage. It's easy to give... in person, by check or electronic giving through our website at www.parentingcottage.org Thank you for considering the Parenting Cottage.

Are you a State employee? Please consider the Cottage as your charity of choice--but hurry the campaign is ending soon.

Know what the best safety measure you can do for your child is? Put them in a car seat that is age and weight appropriate and that is installed correctly. Statistics reveal 70% of parents install their car seat incorrectly. Get professional help from a certified car seat technician. Take advantage of these free car seat check events coming up.

This long weekend ahead you may celebrate with family and friends but exactly what is Labor Day? Labor Day started long ago to celebrate and recognize the contributions and accomplishments of all the American workers. Their efforts allows us to live our lives more comfortably. For instance, as you pickup groceries for this weekend--have you thought about the amount of work done by many different workers to have that fresh produce or meat be available for you to grill out and enjoy. Other workers will keep you and your family safe this weekend such as police, fire, nurses and doctors working in hospitals. Take a moment this weekend to teach your children about Labor Day and it's true meaning. Let's all be more grateful more than just one weekend a year.

Don't forget to stop by the Civic Center on Saturday, August 3rd for the BIGGEST Back to School Bash ever. We are one of the sponsoring organizations, we are all setup and ready to go--come by and see us.

A personal invitation! If you are a family expecting a baby or with a child age 5 and under, the Parenting Cottage has a variety of supportive programs for parents. OPEN HOUSE WEEK is July 22-29 from 10 AM - 2 PM each day. Educators will be available to talk with parents and give parents information on all of the programs at the Cottage. All of the services are FREE for families. Mark your calendar and drop by. Serving families for over 40 years.

4th of July can be a time of family and fun but also needs to include some awareness of safety around fireworks. Our friends at UMC have some surprising facts around fireworks safety plus what to do should there be an injury.