The vision of the Stark County Traumatized Child Task Force is that one day there will be no traumatized children in Stark County. That’s a sizable goal that will take time to achieve. But until then, this singularly dedicated group is working to prevent trauma, identify it early and treat children affected by it. Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton representatives have been involved with the task force since its inception. [More]

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton continues to focus on early childhood needs and oral health. In the latest edition of its newsletter, "Mission Matters," the foundation discusses its work with the Stark County Traumatized Child Task Force and more. [More]

SPARK Ohio is featured in the January issue of Ohio Family Magazine. The article, “Getting Ready for the new Kindergarten: What’s changed since you started school and how to prepare” highlights how SPARK is addressing the need for readiness by coming directly to the families of preschool-age children. [More]

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton awarded $1,675,358 in grants for the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2012. Grant recipients are listed below. Foundation President Joni Close said, “The board and staff of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton continue to identify ways to be proactive in our work and responsive to community needs. We are blessed to partner with other foundations and nonprofit organizations in this work. The foundation’s focus is to address the root causes of poverty and requires that we maintain a high level of collaboration and deep commitment in order to make a lasting impact.” Grants Awarded: Alliance Family YMCA$25,000 to support phase 2 of the capital campaign project Canton City Schools$1,500 to support Ready School activities at Clarendon Elementary Catholic Charities Serving Portage and Stark Counties$1,500 to support the purchase of a refrigerator and freezer for the food pantry Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America$2,350 to support the Early Childhood Education Working Group Community Services of Stark County, Inc.$303,175 to provide parent partners for the Alliance, Canton, Massillon, and Minerva SPARK programs Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio$2,500 to honor 2012 Humanitarian Award recipient Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA Early Childhood Resource Center$269,000 for operating support Early Childhood Resource Center$84,000 to support new and enhance existing parenting education programs to serve the developmental needs of young children, over 18 months Hammer and Nails$2,500 for operating support, in lieu of a holiday gift for the foundation board of directors The Golden Key for Exceptional Children$150,000 toward the purchase of its facility Goodwill Industries of East Central Ohio, Inc.$85,000 to support a central intake coordinator as part of phase 2 of an effort to implement a common intake and electronic referral system for area nonprofit organizations, over three years Greater Stark County Urban League$14,500 to support the adult graduation program Guidestone$20,000 to support technology expenses associated with the merger between Personal and Family Counseling Services and Guidestone Massillon Public Library$3,700 to support the library’s Ready to Read early childhood literacy training program Men’s Challenge of Alliance$7,800 start-up support for a training and employment program Mental Health and Recovery Services of Board of Stark County$200,000 to support Phase 2 of a project to strengthen the information technology infrastructure of community behavioral health providers in Stark, Wayne, and Holmes counties, over two years Mercy Medical Center$105,000 for the general operating and equipment needs of the Dental Clinic and General Practice Residency Program, over two years Mercy Medical Center $100,000 to support construction costs and educational materials for Mercy Primary Care at Saint Paul Square Multi Development Services of Stark County$5,000 to support the Career Club Program Pegasus Farm$31,500 to support technology infrastructure Prescription Assistance Network of Stark County, Inc.$125,000 in operating support, over two years Refuge of Hope$23,000 to support the meal ministry and marketing and donor development, over two years Stark Development Board, Inc.$38,333 in operating support for economic development in Stark County, over two years Third Sector New England$15,000 to support the national Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, over three years Western Stark Free Clinic$9,000 for equipment and supplies related to ear, nose, and throat services YMCA of Central Stark County$4,000 to support the Carroll County YMCA Child Care Project YWCA of Canton$47,000 in operating support for Canton Preschool, over eight months Established in 1996, the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System. Based on the vision of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, the Foundation is committed to addressing the needs of the poor and underserved by understanding the root causes of poverty, nurturing the growth of healthy communities, emphasizing youth and family, and measuring the outcomes of these efforts.

Plain Dealer Columnist Margaret Bernstein recently focused much attention on innovative programs and individuals that are getting parents more engaged in children’s education in northeast Ohio. Her five-part series spotlighting this topic included coverage of the Cleveland Central Promise Neighborhood, which is led by the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland, and the SPARK initiative (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids) in Ohio, which was established and is replicated by Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton. [More]

Leadership Stark County has elected a new slate of board officers. The board includes two representatives from the ministries of the Sisters of Charity Health System: Barbara Frustaci from Mercy Medical Center and Shana Rozier from Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton. [More]

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton recently published its summer 2012 newsletter, which features numerous highlights from the past year. [More]

The board of directors of the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton has awarded $556,430 worth of grants to nonprofit organizations in Stark County, Ohio. [More]

The academic impact of SPARK (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids), a family-focused intervention to prepare children for kindergarten, is now documented through the fifth grade. Results presented by Dr. Peter J. Leahy of the University of Akron's Institute of Health and Social Policy earlier this month at the SPARK Ohio's Annual Networking Event show SPARK kids significantly outperforming their peers on the Ohio Achievement Assessment (OAA). When the W.K. Kellogg Foundation chose the Sisters of Charity Foundation of Canton as one of eight national sites to implement SPARK in 2003, it began what the foundation has since termed a “world class intervention” in Ohio. The pilot program that began in Stark County with children in Canton and Minerva is now known as Spark Ohio and extends to six counties.

SPARK has a positive impact on children in Alliance, Ohio. That was the message Joe French, Alliance SPARK director, presented on May 2 during the fourth annual SPARK Ohio Networking meeting at Walsh University in Canton. SPARK stands for Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids. As part of his presentation, French highlighted results SPARK Alliance has earned from 2008 to 2011. Based on the KRA-L testing at the kindergarten level, data indicates SPARK students consistently academically outperform students that did not participate in the program. Statistics show an almost three-point difference in both 2008 and 2011 on a performance scale ranging from 18.5 to 23, meaning SPARK students consistently perform better, and by a sizeable margin. “Research shows children who are prepared for kindergarten continue to do well in the early grades of elementary school and are more likely to graduate from high school and achieve success in life,” French reports. “SPARK has been working diligently over the past four years to increase the number of 'ready kids' arriving on the doorsteps of Alliance kindergarten classrooms. The KRA-L data shows children are more prepared for kindergarten because of their SPARK experience,” said French. Click here to read an article in The Review about the May 2 presentation and about more SPARK results.