April is National Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month – while you are out and about in Nevada County you may notice our town painted in blue with Pinwheels for Prevention gardens along with blue flags and banners throughout our community. The Pinwheels for Prevention gardens in Nevada County are to honor children and youth who have endured abuse and neglect in Nevada County along with honoring all children and youth and preventing child abuse and neglect in our community.

What are Child Abuse and Neglect?

Child abuse and neglect includes all types of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caregiver, or another person in a custodial role (e.g., a religious leader, a coach, or a teacher) or any person that results in harm, the potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child.

There are four common types of abuse and neglect:

• Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force that can result in physical injury. Examples include hitting, kicking, shaking, or other shows of force against a child.
• Sexual abuse refers to any completed or attempted sexual acts or sexual contact with a child by a caregiver. Examples include fondling, penetration, and exposing a child to other sexual activities. Read more information about child sexual abuse.
• Emotional abuse refers to behaviors that harm a child’s self-worth or emotional well-being. Examples include name-calling, shaming, rejecting, and withholding love.
• Neglect is the failure to meet a child’s basic physical and emotional needs. These needs include housing, food, clothing, education, access to medical care, and having feelings validated and appropriately responded to.

To learn more about child abuse and neglect information and prevention click here.

April CSN Meeting

Come gather at The Madelyn Helling Library located at 980 Helling Way, Nevada City, CA 95959 in the Community Room.  The meeting topic is Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Awareness Month which will include various panelist from our community.

Our Cold Weather Shelter with Sierra Roots will be open Tuesday April 1st and Wednesday April 2nd at the Nevada City Veterans Memorial Building

The shelter will open at 4:30pm Tuesday, and Wednesday and will close in the mornings at 7:30am

Hospitality House-Community Shelter is providing transportation to and from the shelter

With Sierra Roots leading the effort, the Homeless Outreach and Medical Engagement Team (HOME Team) will provide case management services to attendees.

Anyone experiencing a housing crisis can gain further referral assistance for shelter, food, healthcare, and other services by dialing 2-1-1 or 1(844) 319-4119 to speak with a local 211 Connecting Point call specialist

Join Us Next Week – First Discovery Salon – the State of Our Union!

Discovery Salon
Community Foundation & CNL Merger PLUS!
Thursday Evening, March 27th; 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Bright Futures for Youth Event Room

Don’t forget to RSVP to our March 27th event: The State of Our Union.

Join us as we celebrate the merger of the Center for Nonprofit Leadership and the Community Foundation of Nevada County.

We’ll share:

• Updates on the merger of the Community Foundation of Nevada County and CNL
  • How the merger positions us both to serve the sector better together
  • Preview of 2025 CNL workshops and community forums
• Tracking the impact of Federal changes at the local level
  • Share out from first Supporting the Shi(f)t conversation
  • Introducing a new storytelling tool for gathering stories and feedback that we may use to advocate on a regional and state level
• Creative Funding Strategies
  • How fiscal sponsorship can meet the needs of nonprofits and/or charitable initiatives in our communities
  • Nonprofit Agency Funds- Not Just for Endowments
  • The Role of the Community Foundation in Collaborative Funding

This is the first in the Community Foundation’s Discovery Salon Series. These gatherings provide a space to exchange ideas and information about community foundation initiatives such as investing for social good and the role of community foundations in wildfire resiliency and response. We look forward to seeing you there!

Please RSVP HERE.

And feel free to reach out to Wendy: director@cnlsierra.org or Cristine: ckelly@nevcofoundation.org with questions.

Looking for Dignity Health Sponsorship?

Dignity Health or the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital can sponsor events, however, there is a very specific process and timeframe for event sponsorships.

The Spring 2025 Sponsorship application period opened March 1 on their website and will close April 30. This period is for events taking place July 1 – December 31, 2025.

Here is the Application Process:

The sponsorship application opens twice a year:
September 1 – October 31, for events or sponsorships taking place January 1 – June 30.
March 1 – April 30, for events or sponsorships taking place July 1 – December 31.

The sponsorship application, which can be found on their website, will be made available during the two application windows. Applications are only accepted and considered when submitted during the two windows. When it an application is submitted, the group will receive an email confirmation notifying that it has been received. The application will be thoughtfully reviewed by the North State sponsorship committee, with a focus on events and organizations that align closely with the Hospital’s mission and values. Applicants will then be informed by email of the committee’s decision after the application window has closed. Please note, applications received outside of the sponsorship application windows will no longer be considered for funding.

Spring CASA training begins in late April.

A CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) works with a child or youth who has experienced abuse and/or neglect and who has an open case in dependency court.

A CASA provides encouragement, care, and support to a child while gathering information for the court about what is in the child’s best interest.

Potential CASAs are thoroughly screened and background checked and participate in a 35-hour training, with guidance and support provided by CASA staff.

CASAs can also opt to work with teens on probation or other youth, not in the court system but in need of additional adult support.

For more information or to start the application process, contact Melinda at melinda@caofnc.org or visit www.considerCASA.com.

March CSN Meeting

Come gather via Zoom and hear from local resources regarding the childcare landscape in Nevada County. The meeting will focus on various needs, information, data, resources, and more regarding childcare in Nevada County.