We are excited to share some wonderful news! Voices of Courage has welcomed a new facility dog to our team. Meet Coco!
A facility dog can play an important role in supporting children during some of their most difficult days. With a calming presence and unconditional comfort, Coco helps reduce anxiety, built trust and create a sense of safety as children share their stories and begin the path toward healing.
Coco is more than just a dog. Her job is another tool in breaking the cycle of abuse and giving children the care and compassion they deserve. We are grateful for any support that can help us continue to make innovative, healing-centered services like this possible.
Adding Coco to our team reflects our commitment to hope and healing for the children and families we serve. Sometimes, a soft paw and a listening ear can make all the difference in helping a child feel safe, heard and supported.
We hope you will join us in welcoming Coco to the team!
You can help us support Coco’s needs by scanning the QR code.
Coco has a few physical issues that cause her to need very specific food, supplements and medical care.
By donating, you can help her continue to serve children at Voices of Courage!
What's Happening Soon
Our next event is happening Thursday night, October 30 at the Eagles Lodge. We are hosting a fun night of music bingo with a little Halloween theme thrown in. We will also have some 2000’s Pop music and some Taylor Swift music thrown in as well.
Prizes, our progressive raffle and costumes encouraged! After all, it’s Halloween Eve!
So come on out to the Eagles Lodge on Thursday, October 30, located at 2004 North Belt Highway in St. Joseph. Doors open at 6PM.
In the Know
Voices of Courage has partnerned with Missouri Western State University’s Department of Social Work to provide their Masters Degree students the opportunity to receive practical experience, practicums or clinical education experiences.
Together, we are piloting a program wherein the MWSU Masters of Social Work students will receive supervised clinical practice experience via volunteer family members of Voices of Courage clients.
Those family members (caregivers) should expect to receive 2-3 sessions of
From the Executive Director
I was listening to a podcast recently where I was reminded that not everyone has all the child abuse prevention information at the ready. Shocking, right? Those of us who have been doing this a long time can rattle them off the top of our heads, but most people cannot because they haven’t had to.
We want you to have access to the information you need as a parent or caregiver, or anyone invested in keeping children safe. We hope you find our website helpful in this way because our mission is child safety. We know that prevention is the key.
I have written an article for our website aimed at parents and caregivers titled Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Younger Children. I hope you find it helpful. As always, contact us at Voices of Courage if you would like more information.
Food for Thought
There is a quote that states “Trauma comes back as a reaction, not a memory” (Bessel Van Der Kolk). Some might say this isn’t true because trauma memories are a real thing.
But, the point of the quote is to highlight what happens to the brain when experiencing trauma. Trauma can cause a malfunction to the brain. Some say it can cause an actual brain injury. Then, maybe the memories won’t be stored like other types of memories.
For more information on how your body stores trauma, here is an article with links to multiple resources. Please be sure to seek help if you are experiencing symptoms related to trauma you have experienced.