Our Kids: Our Business: Spokesmanreview.com

Lytle backs out of guilty plea

A plea deal by the stepmother of 4-year-old Summer Phelps, who died last year after being repeatedly beaten, bitten and tortured, fell through Thursday.

Clearinghouse of ideas to fight abuse

Spokane agencies seeking solutions to child abuse and neglect have designated the Spokane County Community Network as the organization that will track ideas and proposals to address the problem.

Media partners

For Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

Abuse numbers down; citizens ready to help

Child abuse and neglect can't be reduced solely to a discussion of numbers, because one case can be considered one case too many.

Poverty's role: Experts see nuances, caution against quick conclusions

If you think there's a link between poverty and child abuse or child neglect, you're probably typical. More than half the people polled recently in Spokane and Kootenai counties said they believe there's a connection.

Report criticizes states' child abuse policies

NEW YORK � Many states often fail to release adequate information about fatal and near-fatal child abuse cases, placing confidentiality above disclosure to a degree that thwarts needed reforms, two child advocacy groups say in a new report.

Analysis links child neglect, aggression

Physical abuse at a young age is linked to aggression later in childhood, but little is known about the impact of neglect.

Media partners

For Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

Building a life

The first time Shawna Beese-Bjurstrom's biological mother abandoned her, she was just a few months old.

Trafficking cop: Spokane attorney taking her blog to D.C.

It's just one blog, but her goal is to change the world, one reader at a time. The 28-year-old Shadan Mohajerin plans to leave her Spokane job and move to Washington, D.C., to continue working on human rights and women's and children's issues.

Media partners

For Monday, April 28, 2008.

Another fresh start: Beating addiction, finding a home

Once homeless and addicted, Christopher and Dejah Bridges have started a family and look forward to moving to Arkansas

Child death review system suffers from lack of funding

Washington's once prestigious child death review system, which state health officials say helps them identify ways to prevent the future deaths of children, has declined in recent years because of lack of funding by the Washington Legislature.

Pitter patter of little feet

Jillian Vickerman � breathing hard and squeezing an 8-ounce paper cup of water � suddenly realized Saturday she was having a proud moment.

Sacred Heart stress program helps parents, kids

It's the end of a long day and the kids are restless. Still, a dreaded trip to the grocery store is necessary.

Our View: Caring adults a positive force for struggling families

Every family could use wise and compassionate grandmas and grandpas. These elders can often cut through family dynamics and dysfunction. They can also step in with hugs, advice (when asked) and some spare change to use in emergencies.

Activities

For Sunday, April 27, 2008.

Emergency numbers

For Sunday, April 27, 2008.

Moving beyond

The smell of fresh marker ink always delivers a shock to Dan Fox.In his line of work as a therapist it generally means one thing: the drawings of children, who carefully sketch frightful experiences that their minds would rather lock away.

Survey elicits poignant stories of rebound from childhood abuse

The 73-year-old woman said her father had broken her collarbone with his fist when she was a teenager. He'd killed her dog and burned her legs with a hot poker from the fireplace.

'Brain is programmed' by childhood trauma, researcher says

Imagine a small child at a dinner table, together with his parents. Nobody is eating, because Mom and Dad are fighting, with words escalating to punches. The child withdraws to a corner of the house, listening, heart pounding, waiting for the battle to end.

Our Kids In Coeur d'Alene

Almost 200 people gathered early Thursday for breakfast and another presentation by Dr. Robert Anda at the Coeur d'Alene Resort.

Activities

For Friday, April 25, 2008.

Observation gallery: Children's artwork on display

Sketching an amaryllis in ink, 4-year-old Charlotte Meenach drew water rising through the flower's stem, even though her preschool lessons hadn't covered how flowers are nourished.

Activities

For Thursday, April 24, 2008.

Ready to make calls for help

People in the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene areas seem fairly certain they'd do something to stop child abuse, but not nearly so sure what they'd do.

Many chances to help children

Child abuse happens too often in the Inland Northwest, representatives of law enforcement, child welfare and social agencies say.

Poll: 9 in 10 would report suspected child abuse, neglect

The kid down the street seems to have bruises all the time. She looks thin and her clothes are dirty and poorly fitting.

Gifted students receive honors

Straight A's. Perfect SAT scores. A record number of Advanced Placement courses. Countless scholarships, awards and state competition placements.

Wheels of Wonder

It may have been a gloomy weekend, but our mailbox has been exploding with color as kids from throughout the area sent us their best work for this year's Our Kids: Our Business coloring contest.

Media partners

For Monday, April 21, 2008.

Premature babies face perils

The baby girl was born at Christmas, a gift that came too early.She has delicate fingers, a tuft of dark hair, bright brown eyes and her mother's addiction to drugs.

$100 million foundation hinges on hospitals' sale

A possible new $100 million foundation focused on Spokane health care needs is spurring hope among charitable organizations accustomed to scratching for dollars to pay for programs ranging from wellness to child abuse prevention.

Early trauma tied to adult problems

A study that began in the 1980s as an inquiry into weight-loss program dropouts and evolved into potent childhood trauma research remains a catalyst for helping communities understand and treat the effects of abuse and neglect.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide Our Kids: Our Business campaign through April. For more events, lists of agencies and stories, see the Our Kids: Our Business site at spokesmanreview.com /ourkids/.

Adverse childhood experiences

Dr. Robert Anda, a senior researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, will speak Thursday in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene as part of the Our Kids: Our Business campaign.

Emergency numbers

To request help or report a suspected case of child abuse or neglect (24-hour resources): 911

Tying education, jobs

The Spokane Valley seventh- and eighth-graders decided they'd live in their own apartments, instead of with their parents, when they had jobs of their own. They wanted new cars, cell phones, Internet service and cable television with movie channels. And they planned to go to movies, sporting events, concerts and nightclubs every month.

Learning the job of parent

There's a hole in Lori Malin's basement wall caused by a fit of rage and a flying plastic toy.The puncture � left unpatched on purpose � is a reminder of the Coeur d'Alene mother's previous life, when she feared hurting her children and destroying her family with anger, insecurity and a shortage of parenting skills. That was the tumultuous life Malin left behind in October 2001 when she called ICARE Child and Family Advocacy Center, a nonprofit child-abuse prevention program in Kootenai County.

Activities

For Friday, April 18, 2008.

Media partners

For Friday, April 18, 2008.

Youth sports association emphasizes inclusiveness

Last year, 8,726 local kids put on cleats, hoisted bats, tied their running shoes and headed outside for some fun and exercise. Coached by around 900 volunteers, they gathered at places like the South Complex off Regal Street or at the Dwight M. Merkel Sports Complex just north of Joe Albi Stadium. And as they got ready to run, dribble, catch, skip and jump, they all knew one thing: They were guaranteed to get some game time, because that's the way it is in the Spokane Youth Sports Association.

Media partners

For Thursday, April 17, 2008.

Activities

For Thursday, April 17, 2008.

First-in-the-state Kids Caf� will feed children after school

Two out of every five people served by food banks in the Inland Northwest are children.

Many say they're willing to help prevent abuse, neglect

Ask residents of Spokane or Kootenai county if they'd volunteer to help prevent child abuse and neglect, and chances are good they'll say yes.

Child-care providers honored

Several North Idaho child-care providers and programs were honored last week by the North Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children at the organization's 11th Early Childhood Professional Recognition Event.

Activities

It starts at home

Child abuse prevention may be the responsibility of the entire community, but it begins at home. ( Read the full story )

Media partners

For Tuesday, April 15, 2008.

Connect: Volunteer a legal advocate for kids

For more than 20 years, Gayle Kiser has been a court-appointed special advocate representing children in Spokane courts. She's listened to stories from the war zone of dysfunctional

Activities

For Monday, April 14, 2008.

How to become a CASA volunteer

Fill out an application at one of the CASA offices or online. A screening interview will examine the applicant's background, upbringing and professional experience.

Media partners

For Monday, April 14, 2008.

Seeking alternatives

Dan Sweetland moved from his parents' home � and the violence and drug use there � when he was 5.

Dropout rates can mislead

About 11.5 percent of Spokane Public Schools high school students dropped out in 2005-06.

Kindergarten goes full-day

The walls of Mrs. Golden's kindergarten class are covered with the alphabet, with shapes and colors, with drawings of "The Cat in the Hat."

Jamie Tobias Neely: Ancient wisdom finds statistical expression

Those baby names held such promise: Vanessa is Greek for butterfly; there was Summer for the season, and Nevaeh, a backwards version of paradise. None of these names hints at the darkness spiraling near the center of each little girl's family life.

Calling all kids for pinwheel coloring contest

There's still time to enter the Our Kids: Our Business pinwheel coloring contest.Just go to spokesmanreview.com/coloringcontest to download an entry form. Be sure to attach your address and phone number on a separate sheet of paper so we can contact you if you win.

Matching pairs

Darlene Cate has raised her great-grandchildren in a loving Spokane Valley household, but there's only so much the 71-year-old who walks with a cane can do for rambunctious 11-year-old Ashley and her 9-year-old brother, Nathan.

Youth panel honors adults

If there were a little more spring in the steps and sway in the hips of the 270 people who showed up Friday for the Chase Youth Commission's Breakfast of Champions, it wasn't because of their shoes � it was the KuUmba Drummers.

Inmates attend fathering class

Brandon Neeser wanted to be as prepared as possible for the birth of his daughter once he was released from the Spokane County Jail.

Call to Action

Activities

For Friday, April 11, 2008.

Saddle therapy

There's something about horses. Some children get on a horse for the first time and never want to get off � they get a lifelong case of "pony fever."

Our Kids: Our Business Activities

For Thursday, April 10, 2008.

Poll shows agreement that abuse is preventable

If you think the problems of child abuse and neglect are preventable, you'd probably find most of your friends, neighbors and co-workers agree. So would child welfare experts who work with victims of abuse and neglect.

Lytle seeks change of trial venue

The Spokane man accused of killing his 4-year-old daughter wants his trial moved across the state, and his lawyers cite the communitywide Our Kids: Our Business campaign as the reason they believe he won't be treated fairly here.

Our Kids: Our Business media partners

Abuse, neglect can be difficult to detect

Child abuse and child neglect occur frequently in America today as families struggle with poverty, substance abuse, inadequate education and mental health problems.

Remembering foster kids

The pinwheels planted Monday outside the Idaho State Department of Health and Welfare's office in Coeur d'Alene added color and sparkle to a blustery, gray day.

Media partners, activities

Portland's payoff

PORTLAND � Parris Nabors was the type of kid teachers usually send to the principal.

Anatomy of a winning tax campaign

Oregon has no state sales tax, so in Portland, ballot measures generally fall to property tax levies. As a result, the ballot is frequently crowded.

Other cities make commitments

When just more than half of Portland voters said "yes" to the Children's Investment Fund in 2002, levies for children's programs in San Francisco and Seattle already had been around for more than a decade.

Majority would pay higher taxes

Residents in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene say they are concerned about child abuse and neglect, but are they ready to put their money where their mouth is? Yes, a pair of surveys suggest.

Call to Action

Support the Our Kids: Our Business campaign by signing the Call to Action pledge. A PDF of the form is available at spokesmanreview.com/ourkids/pledge/. The form will be reprinted in the newspaper on April 16. Starting April 20, The S-R will print names of those who sign the pledge.

Love in the house

Among the hundreds of infants rescued from abusive and neglectful families by the Washington state foster-care system in the late 1980s and early '90s were five children adopted by a Spokane couple.

It takes a village to prevent drug abuse

Fighting addiction and child abuse must start with communities such as Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene, not the Idaho Legislature, an addictive behavior consultant told a class of child-care workers Friday.

1 in 50 infants neglected or abused, study finds

ATLANTA � About 1 in 50 infants in the U.S. have been neglected or abused, according to the first national study of the problem in that age group.

Gonzaga joins campaign with film, photo event

One photo showed a swim instructor and his student. A short film featured footage of an elementary school, emphasizing the pint-sized furnishings. Several photos combined to make a collage of tender family moments with a recently adopted child.

Results of drawing contest go on display at River Park Square

Poster-sized children's drawings of houses, people, princesses and at least one tree will be hanging on the second level of River Park Square for the next three weeks.

Toddler's killing leads to updated caregiver policies

Devon Miller never should have been allowed to live with the man now in prison for killing him.But misunderstood policies and miscommunication between the Washington state Department of Social and Health Services and the Yakama confederation of tribes sent 20-month-old Devon to live with two relatives who should have been disqualified as caregivers, according to a state fatality review of the boy's death.

Boys and Girls keeps kids engaged after school

Heather Jewell has three pet peeves: running, gum and kids who use their hands instead of cues to play pool.

Nursery offers haven for kids at risk

Color sprouted in the front yard of the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery on Wednesday afternoon as volunteers from the all-female group The Assistants planted 3,963 pinwheels � one for each child who came through the nursery's door in 2007.

Hospital staff, volunteers plant pinwheels for kids

The good-natured honking from passing drivers began after the first couple of hundred pinwheels appeared. And it was followed by cheers and waves as staff, volunteers, families and friends of Sacred Heart Medical Center planted 2,722 pinwheels � one for each baby born at the medical center in 2007 � in the cold lawn along McClellan Street.

Survey finds high level of awareness

Advocates for children don't need to work very hard to convince us that child abuse and neglect is a serious problem in our community.

Drugs, alcohol top concerns about kids

When we worry about the problems our kids face today, we may concentrate less on the causes and more on the symptoms.

Making strides

If not for the courage and devotion of his aunt, a 4-year-old boy born to a drug-addicted and incarcerated mother might be lost in a child welfare

A force for children

It's been a year since the Spokane Police Department assigned two detectives to focus exclusively on child abuse cases. The decision followed the horrific March 2007 death of 4-year-old Summer Phelps and came at a time when the number of physical abuse cases reported to police had increased dramatically.

Nurse-Family program aims to prevent abuse

Jessica Warren is just the person the Nurse-Family Partnership is looking for: a single, low-income, first-time mother-to-be with a lot of questions and no one else to turn to for answers.

Lawmakers take up the fight

OLYMPIA � Child abuse, neglect and foster care were much on the minds of Washington lawmakers this year, and they approved several changes that advocates long have urged.

Accused still await trial in Summer's death

Jonathan Lytle, accused in one of the most shocking incidents of child abuse in Spokane history, may not be mentally fit to stand trial.

Idaho reports longer stays in foster care

Idaho children are staying in foster care 10 days longer than they were six years ago, a trend state officials attribute partially to methamphetamine use by parents and the difficulty of treating the drug's addiction.

More can help keep the promise

We have a promise to keep. It's simple, really: We promise to protect and nurture our community's children.

At a glance

At the end of 2007, there were 1,015 children in out-of-home care in Spokane County, according to the Washington Department of Social and Health Services. In the Idaho Panhandle, 394 children were living in foster care at the end of February 2008.

Safe places

Beginning in April, children will be able to find refuge from abuse at 75 Safe Places in Spokane, including every fire station, libraries and many businesses.

Funding sources

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: $400,000 a year for 5 years.

A call to action, collaboration

It takes "he-roes" and "she-roes."That's what Mary Ann Murphy said about the people who organized the kickoff breakfast for April's Our Kids: Our Business campaign. But that statement also applies to preventing child abuse.

Event honors young victims

Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin remembers clearly the day nearly 40 years ago when he was called to a Post Falls home as part of the city's volunteer ambulance crew.

Citing threat to parents' rights, senator blocks bill on child deaths

BOISE � A Senate committee chairwoman has blocked legislation that would have ended Idaho's distinction as the only state in the nation with no system for reviewing child deaths.

Local law enforcement joins push for early childhood education

The two grown men, one with a badge and the other with a red tie, teetered on the tiny chairs in the Head Start classroom as they prepared to read a book to the students.

Bill requires review when some children nearly die

Washington would be required to review cases in which a child nearly died if the child had experienced any contact with welfare services within a year under a bill approved this week by state lawmakers.

Girl's death helped net funding to fight abuse

One year ago, the Inland Northwest learned of a case of child abuse that emergency room and law enforcement personnel would call one of the worst they'd ever seen.

Idaho bill creates system to review child deaths

BOISE � Idaho is the only state in the nation that has no system for reviewing child deaths, but that would change under legislation that cleared a House committee Tuesday.

In brief: S-R wins award for 'Our Kids' series

The Spokesman-Review's monthlong "Our Kids: Our Business" project earned the newspaper the 2007 Anna Quindlen Award, one of journalism's highest honors for coverage of issues important to young people and child welfare.

Study faults foster pay rates

Nearly every state reimburses families far less than the actual cost of caring for foster children, according to a national study released earlier this month.

By the numbers Foster care in the Inland Northwest

Number of children in foster care: Washington, 10,068; Idaho, 1,818Number of licensed family foster homes: Washington 6,223; Idaho 1,562

Groups get $2.3 million to fight child abuse

Invoking the torture death of 4-year-old Summer Phelps, Spokane agencies that work to prevent child abuse have asked for � and received � $2.3 million in federal and state grants aimed at ensuring it doesn't happen again.

Tragedy inspires Internet effort

The Washington mother of one of Summer Phelps' playmates and a Connecticut mother moved by chilling news accounts have launched an Internet petition they hope will change child abuse laws following the death of the Spokane 4-year-old.

Concerns began long before Summer's death

Washington child welfare officials logged at least a half dozen complaints about the adults in charge of Summer Phelps' care before the 4-year-old's death by abuse in March, newly released state records show.

Gregoire signs six abuse bills

OLYMPIA � Two days before Mother's Day, Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday signed new laws to protect children against abuse.

Answering the call

For Sunday, May 06, 2007.

Vocal Point: Let's support parents in their role

I commend the "Our kids, our business" campaign by this newspaper regarding the welfare of our children.

Working toward answers

In the end, there remain more questions than answers.How can families break the cycle of abuse?

Prepared to help

When Rebecca McKillip was a 3-year-old trying to pour her own cereal in a maggot-infested kitchen, no one was there.

Our View: Reviews neglected

For weeks we've been contemplating Summer Phelps' wide grin and her cascade of red curls, and the unconscionable abuse that destroyed them both.

Connie Schultz: Baldwin's snap a lesson to angry dads

Every day, I try to remember to thank God for life's many blessings. It's a checklist of sorts:Health is good.

Breaking the cycle

All it takes, sometimes, is just one look.From the moment they entered the world, Amy Robinson's children spoke to her.

What works: YWCA program offers safe space, help

A year ago, the 39-year-old mom and her six children arrived at Spokane's YWCA domestic violence shelter with nothing more than a few suitcases of clothing.

Circle of Security founders share ideas

Parents and other caregivers are "hard-wired" to love their children, according to Kent Hoffman and Bert Powell, two of the leading experts on attachment and bonding. But sometimes, something gets in the way, which then inhibits parents from that natural tendency to love and care for their child.

OASIS provides support, shelter for crime victims

Kootenai County has the highest percentage of domestic violence in Idaho, according to Bridget Eismann, a crime victim advocate.

Circle of Security Project

On the Web: circleofsecurity.org More than 10,000 people throughout the world have received introductory training in the Circle of Security model.

Building attachments

Here are some suggestions from the Circle of Security Project to help caregivers build a secure attachment with children:

Fostering hope

Terry McCune took the meth-addicted infant into her home when he was 2 days old. Seven months later he's still there.

Children build new skills

Kaden Foreman stacked the colorful foam blocks end on end until they towered beyond his reach. "That's tall," he said.

Gift suitcases carry pride

For Linda Norris, the image was heartbreaking: Some children in Stevens County were leaving their troubled homes with their belongings stuffed into plastic garbage bags.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs through April.

Foster parenting

To learn more about becoming a foster parent:In Washington ( Read the full story )

Home shelters teenage mothers

The spicy aroma of tacos drifted through the hallways of Alexandria's House on a recent afternoon. Five young women gathered in the small kitchen to share a meal.

Helping hands bring about rich rewards

Our world is filled with people of different personalities, opinions, and genders. Every person brings something new to the world, and we need to embrace them all.

The Front Porch: Affirming words toward good parenting can make a difference

My kids accuse me of being a compulsive mother. They say not only do I parent them, but anyone under 21 who happens to be nearby.

Answering the call

For Thursday, April 26, 2007.

Our kids Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs through April.

Police form abuse team

Two Spokane police detectives have been assigned to focus exclusively on physical child abuse cases, effective immediately, police officials announced Wednesday.

Teaching parents how to teach their children

All parents, regardless of income or experience, can benefit from the support given by programs such as Parents as Teachers.

The tools for success

It's easy to believe the toddlers in the Early Head Start nursery at Spokane's West Central Community Center really are going places.

More our kids info

North Idaho Parents as Teachers can be reached at (208) 292-1656 or niparentsasteachers@ roadrunner.com.

Creating safe places 'This is the Air Force. � We have standards for everything'

When Raquela Davis had to return to work after her six weeks of maternity leave, she was worried about the kind of care new daughter Makaile would get.

Rescued from danger

Many children are traumatized, frightened and cautious when they enter counselor Lucy DePaolo's Spokane office.

Matthew Rivera : Solid education key for next generation

Committing to a better future is only the first step to ensuring that our generation receives the adequate skills needed to make safe and smart choices.

Activities

For Wednesday, April 25, 2007.

Classes behind bars

Top law enforcement officials in the region think incarceration is one of the best opportunities the justice system has to help abusive parents.

Emergency numbers

Emergency numbers ( Read the full story )

One more ordeal

The chief witness in the case of Spokane County v. Perry J. Bache fidgeted in her jean jacket.

Classes give parents 'an owner's manual'

Colleen Combs started teaching Love and Logic classes to Spokane area parents 11 years ago."Parents were coming to me with the same concerns over and over again," said Combs, a counselor at Spokane's Arlington Elementary School. "They had questions and frustrations about parenting."

Wednesday

Collaborative effort: The Drug Endangered Children program recognizes the need to quickly treat kids taken from homes where drugs are used or manufactured.

WHEELS OF FORTUNE

More than 400 kids from throughout the region entered our pinwheel coloring contest, part of the Our Kids: Our Business abuse prevention project. Below are the winners from each of the three age categories.

Investment that pays

YAKIMA � Like a tiny tornado, Andrew Taylor rumbled through the playground and into the parking lot of a small apartment complex here. The 15-month-old ducked under a parked truck and grabbed an empty cola cup.

Activities

For Monday, April 23, 2007.

One survivor's story

Dear Tom, the letter begins. You beat me. Gave me a black eye at four. Threw cold water on me and had me stand outside. You never called me by name.

Our View: State should foot bill

Imagine, if you can stomach it, being a child who has been sexually abused. Then think of having to tell your story to a steady stream of strangers.

Jamie Tobias Neely: Success rooted in childhood

Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff is the director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

Samara Hanks: Families, mentors play a vital role

According to America's Promise more than 8.5 million children do not have supportive, caring adults in their lives.

Answering the call to action

The following have pledged in the next year to do what they can to provide a safe and nurturing environment for the community's children.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs through April. For more info, events, lists of agencies and stories, see the "Our Kids: Our Business" site at spokesmanreview .com/ourkids/

CdA has had program since 1999

Teens in Kootenai County's Juvenile Detention Center have told Lenaya Hogan they'd rather be in lock-up than in their chaotic or violent homes.

Refuge from the chaos

Spokane nonprofits and businesses launched two programs on Friday designed to engage the public in preventing child abuse and neglect.

KAFC aims for drug-free communities

And the survey says: �35 percent of area youths have smoked marijuana. �Almost 40 percent of area youths have smoked cigarettes.

Last hope for kids in trouble

LEWISTON � Bruce Grimoldby walked through the Northwest Children's Home education center and stopped to tend to a preteen boy sitting in a small, cement-block room with the door open. "If he runs out of here, I'll grab him," Grimoldby, the home's director, said to a frazzled-looking teacher.

Our View: Child safety elusive

It seems impossible � with all the awareness about child sex abuse � that children and teens can still be vulnerable to sex abuse when they participate in outside activities.

Everyone pays for abuse, neglect

Mary Ann Murphy is chairwoman of the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and executive director of Partners with Families and Children: Spokane, a program sponsored by Deaconess and Sacred Heart medical centers for children who are abused, neglected, endangered by drugs or exposed to violence.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs through April.

Agencies team up for kids

Each week, a group of professionals gathers in a meeting room at the offices of Partners with Family and Children. They hear the saddest of stories, often view disturbing photos and together seek ways to act on the best interests of vulnerable children in our community.

Legacy of suffering

Kenny Olson had thick dark hair and a kind smile. His high-pitched voice didn't break until he was 20, prompting his big sister to tease him that he should audition for the Vienna Boys Choir.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs through April. For more info, see spokesmanreview.com /ourkids/

Child deaths

746 children under 18 died in Washington in 2004, the latest year for which statistics are available.

Also today

Standard review for Phelps: A Washington child welfare official will not call for an executive-level review of Summer Phelps' death, because the 4-year-old Spokane girl had little contact with state agencies/Page A5

A Chilling effect

Changing times and a growing awareness of child abuse have led to greater distrust of adults who work with children, prompting stricter rules in organizations.

Kids' advocate honored for service

Dennis Adams is a volunteer who helps make homes safe so families can be reunited when abuse and neglect tear them apart.

Voices against abuse

The kids had the last laugh during a vigil held in their honor Tuesday night. About 50 children played an impromptu game of soccer.

Media partners

KREM-TV: krem.comKXLY-TV: kxly.comKHQ-TV: khq.com

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide Our Kids: Our Business campaign, which runs through April. For more info, see spokesmanreview.com /ourkids/

Agencies

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Inland Northwest ( Read the full story )

More coverage

On the Web ( Read the full story )

Rescuers also suffer

Detective Dave Beck nearly stepped on 10-day-old twins strapped into car seats and hidden among clothing, human feces and filth littering the floor of a middle-class Post Falls home as he checked out a report of child neglect.

Halting repeat crimes takes early attention

As volunteer programs coordinator with Spokane County Juvenile Court, Susan Cairy helps recruit and train community members who want to make a difference in children's lives through the neighborhood accountability board, or diversion program, and the Court Appointed Special Advocate program. Cairy answered questions online Monday about those programs, the training required to take part, and other issues having to do with child abuse and neglect prevention. Below is an edited transcript of the chat. To read more, go to spokesmanreview.com/ourkids/chats.

Activities

For Tuesday, April 17, 2007.

More coverage of Child abuse

Today on spokesmanreview.comSpokesmanreview.com/ourkids continues with Week 3: Log in to see archived stories and multimedia presentations, a downloadable copy of the call to action, a searchable database of agencies and more.

A no-risk investment

Child abuse is costing you money.It is doubtlessly crass to put it like that. After all, the human costs paid by abuse victims are heartbreaking and lifelong, not merely expensive in social and financial terms.

Our View: Proposed visitation program would help families

Were it not for the wise grandmas, aunties and doulas of human history, we'd have fizzled out long ago.

The damage done

The floppy, brown haircut hides the scars and bumps on the boy's head. The bulky headphones drawn over his ears emit a jumble of discordant sounds, training his brain to process and filter noise again.

Our view: Beyond legalities

We can hardly bear another law named for a child who has died. This spring both the Washington House and Senate have approved Sirita's Law, named for 4-year-old Sirita Sotelo, of Lake Stevens, and the Raphael Gomez Act, after a 2-year-old from Ephrata. These children, who could not have been any more vulnerable or any more deeply betrayed, were beaten to death after being returned to their families from foster care.

Community efforts key to prevention

"Our Kids: Our Business" is a community-wide campaign to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect in the Inland Northwest.

Investing in children a sure bet

Investing in children and families � especially those living in the most desperate circumstances � is the surest and most economical way for communities to secure healthy futures for everyone, a Boeing Co. executive told a lunch gathering in downtown Spokane on Friday. The executive, Bob Watt, said research proves at-risk families that receive support become far less likely to abuse or neglect their children, become addicted to drugs and alcohol, commit crimes or end up on welfare.

Adopting a mission

The family car is an old Chevy van, with enough room to fit 15 people.Before long, the Segalla family will need nearly every seat in the vehicle.

Strong families the goal of ICARE

More than 950 children in Kootenai County will be abused or neglected this year, according to Beth Barclay, director of ICARE Children and Family Advocacy Center.

Deaths often unreviewed

Outrage erupts every time a child dies by abuse � and the loss of Summer Phelps has been no different.

State budget addresses children's issues

Washington state lawmakers are negotiating a final budget for the next two years. Among the items being discussed:

Sirita's story sparks reform push

OLYMPIA � It's the memories that push Gary Malkasian.He remembers the 3-year-old girl he and his wife took in as foster parents. He remembers her dancing and singing, her scrutiny of an anthill in a backyard stump, how he taught her to spot Mars in the southern sky.

A child's voice can falter, but DNA evidence speaks clearly

Three letters put registered sex offender and convicted child rapist Jimmy Cecil Arrowsmith into prison for life: DNA.

MAKING THE CALL

Holmes Elementary School counselor Stephanie Leek remembers the first time she had to report a case of child sexual abuse.

School misconduct cases relatively rare

Reports of teachers involved in sexual misconduct with their students nearly always make headlines, but in truth, those cases are rare, state education officials say.

Classes help kids stand up for selves

Public schools in Spokane and North Idaho offer curricula aimed at teaching kids how to recognize sexual abuse and say "no" to abusers.

Victims rights expert offers tips for handling suspected abuse

An advocate for survivors and recent victims of abuse urged people to educate children about the problem of child abuse and neglect.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs the month of April. For more info, see spokesmanreview.com/ourkids/

By The numbers

Percentage of total child-abuse reports from school personnel (2004 data):Washington: 16 percent

More coverage

@ www.spokesmanreview.com

Tracking child porn

Detectives investigating sex abuse charges against a Twin Lakes, Idaho, man in November discovered a collection of child pornography, including hundreds of thousands of images, some of prepubescent children being raped and sexually abused.

Reporting Child Pornography

Contact: www.cybertipline.com or (800) 843-5678

Before it's too late

When state officials sought to identify the most vulnerable children in Washington, they began in Hillyard, on a dozen rough-and-tumble blocks in northeast Spokane.

The threat of child abuse typically lurks close to home

The thing is, the abuser was such a nice guy. He wasn't a monster, some stranger preying on the single mom and her 7-year-old daughter.

Jamie Tobias Neely: Investing in children pays off in cold cash

When the organizers of April's "Our Kids: Our Business" project needed a speaker for their capstone event, they turned to the world's leading aerospace company.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs the month of April. For more community events, lists of agencies and stories, see the "Our Kids: Our Business" site at spokesmanreview.com/ourkids/.

Week 2: How to recognize abuse

@spokesmanreview.com ( Read the full story )

'Grooming'

Abusers ensure compliance with their victims through a process known as "grooming," experts say. The basic steps include:

RESPONSE CENTER

Address: 210 W. Sprague, Suite 100Spokane, WA 99201

FACT

Families and Communities Together ( Read the full story )

Reports of child abuse triple

After they learned of the little girl's brutal death, neighbors of 4-year-old Summer Phelps regretted not calling authorities.

The rights of children illuminated through art

As 5-year-old Franklin Moore watched plaster ooze over his little hand last month, he listened to his mother talk about the art project he was helping create.

Representing the children

Imagine that your mother is addicted to methamphetamine and is usually high or passed out, and that the responsibility of a younger sibling rests on your shoulders.

Silhouettes speak out for children who can't

The simple, life-size cutouts in the shape of infants and children make a dramatic statement: Some children don't live to tell of the horrors they've suffered.

Our View: Pinwheels just the start

Pinwheels keep twirling throughout the Inland Northwest this month. The most visible symbol of the region's Our Kids: Our Business child abuse prevention campaign.

More information

Silent Witness exhibit ( Read the full story )

Activities

more information

If you go ( Read the full story )

CdA launches abuse fight

Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem issued a special proclamation Thursday asking residents to each pledge to do one thing to make the community safer for kids.

Coming Saturday

Coeur d'Alene's Human Rights Education Institute is featuring an exhibit of artwork created by children in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs the month of April.

Parenting in poverty

RAPID LIGHTNING, IDAHO � Several miles down a pocked and muddy road, sits a two-bedroom, half-century-old, single-wide trailer, home to three generations of the family Bonagofski.

Emergency numbers

Emergency numbers ( Read the full story )

Finding forgiveness

He didn't want to lie to his pastor. So the man told him everything: The terms of his probation. The years in prison. The fact that he had molested a child.

Gov. Chris Gregoire: We can't do it alone

As a caseworker, as attorney general, as governor and, most importantly, as a parent, I have made protecting children a duty, a passion and a priority. Recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month gives us the opportunity to remind one another that we all share a responsibility to keep Washington's children safe.

System under scrutiny

Summer Phelps soon may join the ranks of Washington child abuse victims whose deaths demanded urgent review � and action � a state investigator said Tuesday.

Child welfare system biased, experts claim

Despite federal and state laws giving preference to Native American families and tribes in Indian child welfare cases, it took Tracy Fuentes a year to win custody of her nephew.

Emergency numbers

To request help or report a suspected case of child abuse or neglect:

Our Kids activities

The following events and activities are scheduled during the communitywide "Our Kids: Our Business" campaign, which runs the month of April.

Native Project

Address:1803 W. MaxwellSpokane, WA 99201Phone: (509) 325-5502

Breaking the cycle

On a snowy day last January, as Malcom and Rebecca Engle celebrated the birth of their first son, the state's child welfare system moved quickly into action.

Balloons, pinwheels start campaign

Melissa Cilley hoped people driving by the Garland Theater on Monday morning would notice all the color. ( Read the full story )

Expert answers questions

Substance abuse prevention starts at home, but anyone can play a role. As executive director of the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council since 1993, Linda Thompson runs several programs that seek to prevent and recognize substance abuse problems. In a live chat Monday she also emphasized that people can help with prevention by being good role models.

You should know

Today on the Web ( Read the full story )

Abused by drugs

In a hospital bed in February, Dejah Bridges fought the most natural urge: to give birth to her child. The 24-year-old recovering drug addict said she resisted the waves of contractions. Though a doctor and nurse hovered nearby, it was the prospect of Washington social workers waiting for her son's birth that terrified her.

Our view: Kids deserve better

At least the convicted sex offender who worked as a substitute teacher in several Spokane County school districts in recent years is not alleged to have victimized children he contacted in the classroom.

The prevention center

8104 E. Sprague Ave.Spokane Valley, WA 99212Phone: (509) 922-8383

Confronting child abuse

Before she became Spokane's most horrific example of abuse in recent memory, Summer Phelps was an invisible child.

Daughter's birth gives woman a second chance at her own life

Pregnancy didn't change Alisha Germany. Even as her belly swelled, the 24-year-old Spokane Valley woman continued the erratic life she'd lived since age 15

The dark signs of abuse

Paul Haupt settles his 6-foot-2-inch frame on a couch in the cramped counselor's office at Spokane's Stevens Elementary School.

Statistics on abuse are difficult to pin down

Like a lot of violence that occurs within families, child abuse can be awfully tough to measure.

Guest opinion: Help Spokane kids by a factor of 10

Remember when the man ran over his wife and killed her in front of their three children?

Our View: Raise your hand

Her name was Summer. In Spokane during that season astonishing gardens flourish in the city's historic Manito Park.

Coming Monday

Substance abuse is a factor in as many as a third to two-thirds of all child abuse and neglect cases, according to federal statistics.

Emergency numbers

To request help or report a suspected case of child abuse or neglect (24-hour resources):

Let Summer's tragic death be a catalyst

Summer Phelps was still alive late last year when Mary Ann Murphy and I first discussed the possibility of a community-wide campaign against child abuse in the Inland Northwest.

'Our Kids: Our Business' drive seeks to confront child abuse

Social service agencies, business leaders, media and other community partners will launch a 30-day initiative next month aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect.

Girl's stepmom also was abused, relative says

The woman whom police say killed her 4-year-old stepdaughter last weekend has been in and out of trouble and was sexually abused as a child, her half-sister said this week.

14 area children slain since 2000

After Summer Phelps died Sunday, authorities said the 4-year-old was one of 14 children whose death was linked to a caregiver in the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene areas since 2000.

Coalition urges greater investment in kids

Last Sunday, in the aftermath of the death of a 4-year-old girl, a dozen police officers met with psychologists, a chaplain and other law enforcement officers.

Girl endured 'torture'

Summer Lytle was killed by "homicidal violence," Spokane County's medical examiner said Tuesday.

History of abuse

A 4-year-old Spokane girl stopped breathing in the bathtub Saturday night as her resentful stepmother left her alone to cook an anniversary meal for the girl's father, according to court records.