WESTSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: 3/30/08

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Child Abuse Prevention Activities planned

The Pottawatomie County Health Department and the Child Abuse Prevention Taskforce have launched a community public awareness campaign in observance of April being Child Abuse Prevention Month. This year's theme is "It Only Takes a Minute to Make a Difference in the Life of a Child." Child Abuse Prevention Month has been observed each April since the first presidential proclamation in 1985.

Statewide, local Child Abuse Prevention Committees will gather for "Child Abuse Prevention Day" at the State Capitol on Tuesday, April 8, which will feature speakers, booths and an art poster contest recognizing winners grades K-12 from around Oklahoma.

Local Child Abuse Prevention Month activities during April will include "Paint The Town Blue," hosted by the Child Abuse Prevention Taskforce. The event, set for noon on April 4 at the Pottawatomie County Courthouse in Shawnee, will feature kids presentations, guest speakers, balloon release, and bikers riding for prevention.
Taken from the Shawnee news-star

Resources on child abuse

Child Abuse Prevention Network

http://www.child-abuse.com

The Child Abuse Prevention Network, originally launched as an outreach effort of the Family Life Development Center at Cornell University, is sponsored by LifeNET, Inc. Child maltreatment, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse and neglect are key areas of concern.

Childhelp®

http://www.childhelp.org/ Childhelp® is dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect. Childhelp’s approach focuses on prevention, intervention and treatment. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-4-A-CHILD®, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week

Healthy Families America (HFA)
http://healthyfamiliesamerica.org

Healthy Families America, a program of Prevent Child Abuse America, promotes child health and development and positive parenting through voluntary home visits by trained staff.

Resources for parents and children

Call 1-800-4-A-CHILD for The Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline. You can call any time day or night, and an expert will be able to help you. www.childhelpusa.org.
Call 1-800-621-4000 for the National Runaway Switchboard. If you have left home because you find life too tough there, call this number. www.nrscrisisline.org.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Citywide Clean Up Day

City of Shawnee-City Wide Clean Up Day
April 19, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Residents, please bring items you wish to discard to your nearest collection location along with your City of Shawnee water bill and matching drivers’ license. Locations are as follows:

1. Landfill on Highway 9A near Earlsboro for vehicles pulling trailers. No commercial trucks if loaded with commercial waste will be accepted.

2. Shawnee Airport at Airport Drive and Franklin Street, which is also the
only recycling location *. Wood chips will also be available at this location for residents to pick up (until we run out).
o *Recycling – Tires 17 inches or less with NO RIMS, used oil, used antifreeze, used batteries, scrap metal (NO BARBED WIRE)

3. Boy Scout Park (southwest side) at 9th & Pesotum

4. Shawnee Public Works Service Center (west side) at 111 S. Kickapoo.

If you have any questions, or need more information, please call 405-878-1662.

Taken from the Shawnee News-Star

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Neighborhood Watch Area

Accomplishments of the Westside Watch

I thought that it would be a good idea for the accomplishments of the neighborhood watch to be posted so that all of us could see what we have been able to do since starting the Watch.

There were a couple of drug houses that we had a part in closing down, and a couple of house where they were selling stolen items, got that taken care of.

For our neighborhood watch members we had a Block party, and two Christmas parties. We had a Christmas food drive this past December and several pot luck dinners.

We were able to get Neighborhood watch signs installed at Pottenger and Poplar. Chapman and Benedict, Kirk and Kickapoo. So that the boundaries of the Westside Neighborhood Watch could be clearly seen by potential criminals.

We also provide Neighborhood Watch Window Warning decals stating "We Look Out For Each Other."

Due to traffic problems and the safety of drivers we were able to get a 4-way stop put in at Pottenger and Ford streets. Also installed on the corners of Chapman and Wallace.

Recently lights were installed at one of the parks in our watch area.

For the safety of pedestrians a cross walk was put in at Chapman and Wallace.

We have had many guest speakers at some of our meetings, Police officers, the Mayor of Shawnee, the City Manager, State Representative Kris Steele, Shorty Bishop a stand-up comic, and our latest speaker was from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.

The Westside Neighborhood Watch Insider newsletter took first place at the Oklahoma Neighborhood Conference in Oklahoma City.