STEELE TALKIN'

April was Child Abuse Awareness Month. Every month should be Child Abuse Awareness month.

The Exchange Club Center for Family Unity’s mission is to educate and support families in the prevention of Child Abuse. Members of the community can play a part in ensuring that children have safe, healthy and positive experiences as they grow. We as a community can help provide resources to families as they need them before a family gets to a place of crisis. Exchange Club Center for Family Unity provides support to Steele, Dodge, Waseca, Freeborn and Rice Counties.

The Center offers a parent mentor program that is available to any parent or family at no charge. This program provides support to the parent, while building a stronger family structure. Each week the parent mentor meets with the family and works towards the goals set by the parent(s).

The mentor provides education materials that pertain to the area of discussion for the week.  This can allow parents to reference the materials throughout the week as well as the duration of the program. The parent mentor program is designed to be a 52-week program. Some families may choose to stay longer in the program, while others may be done earlier. The program allows parents and families to learn life long skills that not only makes them a stronger family, but also better community members.

Supervised visitation is our second program. The Center provides a safe space for families to visit their child(ren). Visits are either requested by a custodial parent or ordered by the courts.

Visits are a way for the custodial parent that may have a lack of trust or another conflict with the non-custodial parent to arrange time for the non-custodial parent to see their child, while being supervised in a safe place. Our staff is trained to observe the visit and document their observations.

If you would like to sponsor a family that is going through the parent mentor program, please contact the Center at 507-455-1190. The cost to provide this free program to one family is about $3,800 per year. The Center is able to provide this program from funding through grants, fundraising and donations. Another way to help is to volunteer, which we currently have some opportunities available.

We invite you to stop by the Center or you may call 507-455-1190 or email eccfudirector@gmail.com with any questions.

During May, the Center will be selling meat raffles at the Owatonna Eagles and American Legion every Friday night. This to help raise funds to support the programs at the Center.