Welcome to Realties For Children's Real News,  the monthly eletter that keeps you up to date on Realties For Children information, including how your member dollars are helping kids and giving exposure to your business. Please feel free to forward this to your colleagues and friends.

CONTENTS

Member Announcements
Member & Agency Spotlight
Events
Advertising Update
Member Information
Thank You, Realities

Out-Source Your Warehouse
Let Dandelion Moving & Storage replace your warehouse or be your second warehouse! Dandelion Moving & Storage will receive all of your incoming freight and deliver your items out of storage, saving you time and money. Dandelion’s dock will be open from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday and by appointment on Saturdays. For more information, please call 970-484-1717.

Thanks To Land Title
Realities For Children would like to thank Land Title for providing tickets to youth from Affiliate Agencies to go to special events. It was a special treat for them and we heard that they had a great time!

Want To Keep In Touch With Customers And Increase Sales?

Real News has been a success with our members. The company that writes it, PJ Writing Group LLC, can create a unique e-newsletter or print newsletter for you that will help you communicate with customers, attract new customers, and increase sales. And with your Realities For Children member card discount, you'll receive 25% off writing services. In addition, PJ Writing Group offers a full range of business writing services including press releases, case studies, brochures, Web content, sales letters and direct mail pieces, and much more!

For a free consultation on how PJ Writing Group can increase your business' s  visibility and sales, call Paul Nastu at 229-9487 or visit www.pjwritinggroup.com.

Remnant Sale At Inside-Out
Stop by Inside-Out, Inc. on Saturday, July 24 and check out the great deals on remnants and other items! The Remnant Sale will start at 9am and last until 5pm in the parking lot behind Inside-Out, 2720 South College in Fort Collins. Thanks to the generosity of Inside-Out, proceeds from the Remnant Sale will help to further support Realities For Children and the mission to help abused and neglected children locally. For more information, please call Inside-Out at 970.226.0169.

Thanks To The First Presbyterian Church
With the help of 16 youth in the Vacation Bible School at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins , our basement is now clean and organized! These amazing youth were able to put order to the supplies for the care bags for children removed from meth-lab homes, the Crossroads Safehouse Santa’s Workshop, Bikes For Tykes and the Realities For Children event supplies. Thanks for all of your hard work!

Thanks To Andrew Cronin Of AC Advertising
Andrew Cronin of AC Advertising provided tickets to Realities For Children for the Greeley Stampede. Thanks for your generosity!

Welcome New Members!

Realities is pleased to announce the following new members:

The Blue Note Lounge
5542 Highway 34, inside the Best Western Coach House, Loveland
Vickie & Orlando Corralejo (970) 667-7810
Stop by the Blue Note Lounge inside the Best Western Coach House in Loveland to hear the best local bands, sing karaoke, and enjoy their Happy Hour from 4pm to 7pm . Take your Member Card with you and receive $1 off any drink.

R.C. Heath Construction Company
141 Racquette Drive , Fort Collins
Randy DeMario (970) 221-4195
Let R.C. Heath Construction Company handle your next project! R.C. Heath Construction provides construction management, general contracting and design / build services in a three-state region. Visit R.C. Heath Construction online at www.heathconstruction.com.

Creative Career Connections
19 Old Town Square #238 , Fort Collins
Dawn Duncan (970) 221-3511
Creative Career Connections specializes in Technical & Executive Recruiting and Coaching and Career Services. The initial consultation is free and don’t forget that your Realities For Children Member Card is good for a 10% discount on recruiting and career services at Creative Career Connections!

A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.
Phil N. Loring
1073 N. Lincoln Avenue, Loveland
(970) 669-8200
Phil Loring of A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. can help you with a full range of financial products and services. These include: a broad array of company resources, research analysts and economic, market and financial planning experts. Visit Phil Loring online at www.agedwards.com/fc/phillip.loring and learn how he can help you develop a plan that fits your financial goals.

In addition to our Gold & General Members, we are proud to recognize the following Realities For Children Supporters in our community:

Cory E. Foster, D.D.S., Family Dentistry—970.223.5258
Rosebuds Cleaning—970.690.7673
Frames by Meko—970.221.4208 

Send your info to Realities for Children.

Hapi Skratch Entertainment--Morris Beegle
Hapi Skratch Entertainment is an independent artist development and music production company based in Loveland, Colorado. Founder Morris Beegle started the company in 1995 after a 7 year stint with The Handleman Company and Entertainment Zone Inc., in which he worked in Atlanta, Detroit, LA, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Honolulu.

Hapi Skratch’s services are aimed at people in the music industry, as well as businesses looking for unique ways to market themselves through graphics, the Web and CD/DVDs.The company provides services such as CD/DVD replication & duplication, custom graphics, product distribution, studio coordination, web hosting and design, shirts, hats, stickers and posters, marketing, promotion and publicity, music licensing , event coordination and booking, and much more.

Hapi Skratch has provided its services to many municipalities and companies in the private sector looking for cutting edge marketing materials. Visit them on the web at www.hapiskratch.com or call them at 970-613-8879.
 

Agency Spotlight

The Jacob Center
The Jacob Center is a private non-profit Child Placement Agency licensed by the Colorado Department of Human Services. It provides community-based programming for adolescents and families as an alternative to institutionalized care. To accomplish this mission, the Jacob Center recruits, trains, and supports a network of therapeutic foster homes and specialized group homes.

The center specializes in the social and clinical treatment of adolescents. Jacob Center community-based programs provide services ranging from short-term crisis resolution to long-term alternative care. The majority of adolescent clients served by the Jacob Center are in need of transitional foster care and are placed in therapeutic foster family homes.

These services include case management, foster family home placement, youth advocates, drug/alcohol treatment, individual and group counseling, educational services, employment services, family systems intervention, independent living/life skills, social/recreational activities, and emancipation services.

The Jacob Center has three locations: Fort Collins —970-484-8427, Greeley —970-352-2852, Longmont —303-774-9837.

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Events

The FamilyCenter Reading Buddies Summer Program
The Family Center is proud to present its Reading Buddies Summer Program for children grades one through six. Reading Buddies will include fun activities, field trips, and new books for all! Volunteers are needed to be a “Reading Buddy” for a child this summer on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9am to 11am. For more information, please contact Stephane Moses at the Family Center at 970.221.1615.

Crossroads Safehouse Fabric Of Legacies
The members of Realities For Children will be sponsoring this year’s Fabric of Legacies, hosted by Crossroads Safehouse from July 10 through July 24. The Fabric of Legacies will feature traditional and contemporary quilts from around the country at three different times. The National Quilt Exhibition will display quilts from July 10-24 at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins. The Rio Sunsplash Party is a benefit concert and live auction on July 23 at the Rio Grande Restaurant in Fort Collins. The Fabric of Legacies will conclude with A Celebration of Quilts on Saturday, July 24 at the Lincoln Center, featuring silent and live auctions, quilt exhibits, entertainment, food, and children’s activities. The Crossroads quilt will be raffled at that time to one lucky winner! For more information about these event, or to purchase raffle tickets, please call Crossroads Safehouse at 970.482.3535.

We are in need of backpacks, zippered notebooks, and lunchboxes for the youth from The Family Center! In addition, the following school supplies are needed: 3-ring notebooks, Loose leaf notebook paper, Pencils—mechanical and regular, Pens—black, blue and red, Erasers, Folders, Spiral-bound notebooks, Rulers, Scissors, Crayons, Markers, Glue, and Basic Calculators. While supplies last, everyone who brings in a backpack will receive a certificate for a free Chipotle burrito. If you would like to donate any of the above items, please contact Realities For Children at 970.484.9090.

New West Fest
On Saturday and Sunday, August 21 and 22, Realities For Children will proudly represent its members at New West Fest with a booth and the Clown Balloon Tent. New West Fest will be held in downtown Fort Collins and Realities For Children will be in the Kids’ World on the grounds of the Fort Collins Library and Museum. Stop by and visit our booth from 10am to 7pm on Saturday, or 10am to 6pm on Sunday. Volunteers are needed to help run the balloon tent and spread the word about Realities For Children! If you are interested, please call 970.484.9090.

Bocce Y Bella Sera
Realities For Children is proud to sponsor this year’s Bocce Y Bella Sera to benefit the Larimer County Child Advocacy Center. Bocce Y Bella Sera will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2004 at 2pm at the Larimer County Child Advocacy Center, 5529 S. Timberline Road in Fort Collins. This year’s event will feature special Italian food, a silent auction, and Bocce tournaments. Tickets and corporate sponsorships are available. For more information, please contact the Larimer County Child Advocacy Center at 970.407.9739.

Past Events

7 th Annual Realities For Children Member Appreciation Dinner & Triumph Awards Presentation
On behalf of all of this year’s Triumph Award Winners, we would like to thank you for all of your support this past year. At this year’s Member Appreciation Dinner and Triumph Awards Presentation on April 16, your membership helped to provide $60,000 in educational scholarships to six amazing young women. The Realities For Children Triumph Awards were designed to honor and provide recognition to outstanding youth in our community who have triumphed over childhood abuse and neglect. Each Triumph Award Recipient received $2,000 that can be used at the college of her choice. Also, thanks to a matching partnership with the Institute for Business & Medical Careers, each young woman can choose to attend IBMC and enjoy $4,000 for her education.

The recipient of the $40,000 Triumph Award Scholarship to the University of Northern Colorado, Rachel Langholf, will now be able to attend college to make a better life for her and her son Skylar. This is an opportunity that would not have been available to Rachel without the Triumph Award Scholarship, and is one that every member of Realities For Children has helped to provide. Rachel was accepted to UNC, has started working with her mentor, has secured university housing, and will start classes this August! The Triumph Awards are made possible by the Members of Realities For Children, Colorado Flagstone, Waterpik Technologies, Joshua’s Crossing, SharpNet Solutions, Ride For The Kids, Joker’s Wild Realities Ride and the matching support of the University of Northern Colorado Foundation.

This year’s dinner featured catering from Realities member Lopiano’s, performances by Altered Egos, and a special thank you from Triumph Award Scholarship Recipient Rachel Langholf. Members and Friends of Realities all received unique framed artwork from the children who have benefited from your support. If you were not able to attend the 7 th Annual Member Appreciation Dinner or if you did not pick up your gift while you were there, please call Realities For Children at 484.9090 to make arrangements to pick up your gift.

On behalf of our 2004 Triumph Award Winners—Angelica, Rebecca, Rachel, Norma, Sheila and Elizabeth—we again thank you for making the Triumph Awards possible.

2 nd Annual Ride For The Kids
Realities For Children was a proud sponsor of this year’s Ride For The Kids, which benefited the Triumph Award Scholarship Fund. Ride For The Kids featured a Celebrity/Charity Ranch Sort, Ranch Rodeo, Wild Cow Milking and a Wild Horse Race on Saturday, April 24 at The Ranch. Ride For The Kids raised $22,500 for the Triumph Award Scholarship Fund, McKee Medical Center, and Northern Colorado Medical Center.

Realities For Children would like to thank K99, Signs by Tomorrow, J.P. Moran Design, Home State Bank, and Raise the Roof for supporting this fun event and making it all possible.

3 rd Annual Joker’s Wild Realities Ride
The 3 rd Annual Joker’s Wild Realities Ride, sponsored by Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson, was held on Sunday, May 30 and made a scenic tour through northern Colorado. The Joker’s Wild started with registration and breakfast at the Mad Russian Event Center in Milliken and then proceeded to Greeley, Fort Collins, Carter Lake, Johnstown, and Loveland. Over 250 riders joined us for this fun event and by the time the Ride reached the Coach House Lounge in Loveland, we had grown to a count of over 350 motorcycles.

Thanks to the support from the riders and sponsors, the Joker’s Wild Realities Ride raised over $5,500 for the Triumph Awards Scholarship Fund! Special thanks go to:

• Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson
• Marshall Canafax
• A-Z Party Rental
• Z94.3 & Marla Stone
• Hardtail Enterprises
• Quick Throttle Magazine
• Lopiano’s and the Mad Russian Event Center
• The Coach House Lounge
• Citizen Printing
• Ace Screenprinting
• Joker’s Wild Tattoos
• J.P. Moran Design, Inc.
• Everyone who came out to enjoy this year’s Ride!

A Taste of Fort Collins
The members of Realities For Children were proudly represented at the 8 th Annual A Taste of Fort Collins. One ofhe premier family festivals in Northern Colorado, A Taste of Fort Collins was an enormous success and featured some of our finest restaurants, arts and crafts, wine tasting, and the Kidz Zone. The members of Realities For Children hosted a booth and provided the clown balloon tent for the kids to enjoy.

A Bit of A Bash
The annual A Bit of A Bash fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County was another smashing success! A Bit of A Bash was held on Saturday, June 12 at the Crest Road Ranch in Fort Collins. The members of Realities For Children were proud to sponsor this special event that raised over $93,000 for the three chapters and 1,800 youth members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County.

Turning Point’s First Annual Poker Run
The members of Realities For Children proudly sponsored Turning Point’s First Annual Poker Run on Sunday, June 13, 2004. Turning Point’s Poker Run was a great success and hosted over 70 riders! The Poker Run went through Masonville, Loveland, Johnstown, and Greeley before the final stop at the Great Colorado Marketplace.
 
8 th Annual Run For A Child’s Sake
Realities For Children was proud to sponsor the 8 th Annual Run For A Child’s Sake on April 24, 2004. Run For A Child’s Safe benefited the Larimer County Child Advocacy Center and its mission to reduce trauma to children during child abuse investigation and prosecution. The Run For A Child’s Sake was a 5K run/walk and School Challenge that hosted 334 community members!

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• Member Business Locations
• Affiliate Agency Locations
• Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce
• Loveland Chamber of Commerce
• Business Referral Network
• Boys & Girls Clubs Youth of the Month
• 7 th Annual Member Appreciation Dinner & Triumph Awards Presentation
• Ride For The Kids
• 3 rd Annual Joker’s Wild Realities Ride
• A Taste of Fort Collins
• A Bit of A Bash
• Kid’s Day International
• With all funds request checks
   

Member print advertising (two-page spread) appeared in:

• March’s edition of Fort Collins Weekly
• April’s edition of Colorado Business Journal
• June’s edition of Fort Collins Weekly
• July’s edition of Parent Magazine

Look for our regular spot in Coffee News—Encouraging everyone to make a difference in the life of a child by supporting Member Businesses of Realities For Children.

Outside Advertising

Look for our quarterly bus shelter advertisements encouraging the support of Members of Realities For Children! The bus shelters advertisements are currently posted in Fort Collins and Loveland.

Indoor Ads

Realities For Children is proud to partner with AC Advertising to provide further promotion of support of Realities For Children members. AC Advertising has advertising frames located in high traffic venues throughout Northern Colorado and Southeastern Wyoming. This marketing is visible in restrooms, lobby areas and elevators of restaurants, nightclubs, health clubs, malls, and hotels.

Radio Ads

Listen for our Radio Ads on Z94.3 and 99.9 The Point thanks the Members of Realities For Children for all that you do for abused and neglected children in Larimer County!

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Member Information

Many members have responded to the Realities For Children Member Card by offering impressive discounts. All members should have received their Member Card in the mail with a list of participating members and applicable discounts. If you have not yet offered a discount to other members, it’s not too late! Please e-mail your discount to realitiesforchildren@realitz.com to be included in this great networking opportunity. Please keep in mind that you can change the discount you are offering at any time with written notice to our office. To use your Member Card, simply present it to participating member businesses to receive their special savings and discounts. A complete list of participating members and their discounts will be available in every issue of Real News. Here's a list of participating Realities members and their discounts. To request additional cards for multiple business locations or other employees, please contact Realities For Children. Keep watching for new discounts!

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Thank You, Realities—See What You Make Possible!

Please allow me to take a few minutes of your time. I wish to offer my eternal thanks and gratitude. My son is disabled and he uses many diapers and you have helped us without knowing our family. I feel I have no way to repay you and can only tell you with this thank you letter how much we appreciate it. I close this letter with my infinite gratitude. Sincerely,
Judy

Once again, the CSU Ropes Course that Realities For Children made possible for our four groups of girls who have been victims of sexual abuse was a great success. The Ropes Course is a challenge course where each participant is encouraged to challenge herself to try something that enlarges her comfort zone both physically and emotionally. Girls who felt very hesitant to even come to the program ended the day with an immense feeling of accomplishment and proud of themselves. All the participants did things that they did not think they would be able to do. Also, the four groups connected in their support of each other and accepting the support of others, something that is very difficult for them to do. They all grew in self-confidence and self-esteem, and were smiling. They learned to trust communication and to trust each other. These are some of the first things that disappear for victims of sexual abuse, and they are the hardest to retrieve.

Sincerely,
Marian Febvre
Adolescent Therapist
ChildSafe

Together we are making a difference!

For a complete accounting of all services provided to abused and at-risk youth, contact the Realities For Children office at 484-9090.

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