April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Beaman Home will be hosting special events April 17 to educate local professionals and raise awareness of its Emergency Shelter and Outreach Center programs and services benefiting the community.
Mary Ellen Mann will facilitate “Stewards of Children” workshops April 17. She will present two training sessions at the Westminster Hall on the Grace College Campus in Winona Lake, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. The cost of the training is $25.
This training qualified for two CEUs through the National Board of Certified Counselors and the National Association of Social Workers. Each participant will receive a Stewards of Children certificate. Social workers, counselors, school, church and medical employees as well as any individuals working with children are encouraged to attend. Reservations can be made by calling 574-372-3503 or by emailing tracie@thebeamanhome.org Space is limited and participants are encouraged to make their reservations early.
Mann is a certified licensed clinical social worker with a master’s in science from Columbia University in New York City and a bachelor’s in sociology, with honors, from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif. Her experience includes school social work with gifted and talented kindergarten through 8th grade students.
She has also provided clinical services and case management for troubled adolescents and their families in a residential facility in Westminister, Colo., and was involved in program development for drug and alcohol prevention in youth in both New York City and Tampa, Fla. She began her private practice in 1998 to continue working with clients on an outpatient basis, which is her full-time focus today.
Her mission is to empower people to prevent child sexual abuse, according to the release from the Beaman Home. Programs with which she is involved raise awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse by educating adults about steps they can take to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse. The “Stewards of Children” program, developed by Darkness2Light, began in 2006 and will be the topic at the April workshops.
In addition, Mann will be the featured speaker at Beaman Home’s Guardian Angel fundraising luncheon also at Westminster from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 17. She will share personal experiences and talk about the Last Battle organization she and her sister, Kathleen Yoos, co-founded. It is an outreach aimed at elevating awareness of sexual violation through their blog, gallery and activities on Pinterest and Facebook. It provides resources to survivors of sexual violation and gives guidance and encouragement to those who know the devastation that unfolds personally or professionally, according to the release.
Mann has also authored a book, “From Pain to Power… Overcoming Sexual Trauma and Reclaiming Your True Identity,” to be released Sept. 22.
Rebecca Kubacki, luncheon’s master of ceremonies, will share her own story about domestic violence she experienced as a child. Beaman Home Executive Director Tracie Hodson will provide an update on Beaman Home’s programs and services. Luncheon fee is $35 and reservations may be made by calling 574-372-3503 or by emailing tracie@thebeamanhome.org
For more information about the Beaman Home’s programs and services or the campaign nearing completion to build a new Emergency Shelter and Outreach Center on North Parker Street in Warsaw, contact Hodson or check out the organization’s new website at www.thebeamanhome.com
(Story By The Times Union)
