CAPE CONFERENCE 2025

was shared with our comminuty 

April 11th !

We celebrated Champion for Children!!!

Please join us in congratulating these amazing individuals who Champion for Children in our communities!

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Our first Honorable Mention was Amy Burk, and she was nominated by Audrey Burk with this letter of recommendation:

Amy is the Executive Director for Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan. In 1997, she started working at the Mancelona Family Resource Center where she played a significant role in starting the organization, which began servicing Mancelona Public Schools in 2001 and became an official non-profit organization in 2009. During those years, Amy has worked hard to serve the community and became the Executive Director when it launched as Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan. As her daughter, I have watched her go above and beyond her job duties to ensure the organization is providing any support possible to the students it serves. I see her behind the scenes, in a light most don't get to see, working countless hours (far beyond what is expected of her) in the hopes to make a difference for children. She has led the organization to expand and serve a total of 8 local school districts, and currently serves 6 school districts. Her passion and efforts for helping others has played a huge role in building an organization that helps connect resources and services to students and families in need. Communities In Schools of Northwest Michigan puts Site Coordinators in each school district to help provide extra support, whether it is providing basic needs to students and families or connecting them to resources, such as additional academic support or collaborating with community partners to provide healthcare needs. Amy leads an organization to remove any barriers so every student can be successful in school. As an organization that chants "All in for kids!", Amy has been a champion for kids for over 20 years and should absolutely be recognized for making a positive impact for children.

Our next Honorable Mention for Champion for Children was Geralyn Skeel, nominated by Kendra Miller with this letter of recommendation:

I am enthusiastically nominating Geralyn Skeel for her exceptional contributions to early childhood education. I have had the privilege of working alongside Geralyn for nearly two years, and I am constantly amazed by her dedication, passion and impact on the young children in her classroom.

Geralyn is the lead teacher in a Strong Beginnings classroom, a pilot program for a fully funded 3-year-old preschool. This is a program I am particularly passionate about because it's intension is to provide our families with high-quality programming that helps to support positive social emotional and academic growth at a critical development age. Geralyn goes above and beyond to ensure the services she is providing day-to-day exceed the expectations for setting our students up for success, and in doing so, is making a huge difference in how programming is structured at a macro level.

She has an extraordinary ability to create a nurturing, engaging, and inclusive classroom environment where every child feels valued and supported. She consistently demonstrated the highest standards of teaching, blending academic rigor with compassion to foster intellectual growth, and social and emotional development. Her use of the curriculum is thoughtfully designed to stimulate curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and promote a love of learning. She goes above and beyond to tailor her teaching to each child's individual needs, ensuring that every student, regardless of their background or abilities, has the tools to thrive.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Geralyn is her ability to build strong, trusting relationships with both her students and their families. She creates an open line of communication with parents and caregivers, keeping them informed about their child's progress and involving them in the learning process. Her dedication to the students' success extends far beyond the classroom, and she has become a cherished part of many families' lives. She is a teacher who embodies the values of this award and truly deserves to be recognized for her unwavering commitment to the growth and development of the children she serves.

2025 Champion for Children Award was presented to

Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix!

The Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix is a group of amazing volunteers who work year-round, to support the wellbeing of children!

Providing mentorship to children, access to a food pantry, and activities that create connections in the community are just a few items on a very long list!

Although the list is far too long to mention everything, I would like to highlight one special effort the Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix has worked so hard to bring to fruition for the children of Charlevoix County.

The Kiwanis Club worked incredibly hard to restart an invaluable program. Last September they launched the restart of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library for Charlevoix County. This program allows children to receive books delivered right to them at home.

One more reason I feel that this group deserves recognition is how they work to highlight and elevate and support the work of other organizations in the region. They are all about the promotion of ALL for the betterment of children and the community. This is a key component to fostering communities where children can grow to be healthy, kind and empowered adults, who will in turn, invest in their communities!

The Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix has even helped support the CAPE council's efforts through volunteerism at the annual conference! They are always looking for ways to support anything that will support or help children!

Please consider awarding the CHAMPION for CHILDREN Award to the Kiwanis Club of Charlevoix.

~We are honored to share the recognition of how the lives of children are enhanced by these Champions for Children!~

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Our agenda for the 2025 CAPE Conference:

HOPE through Human Connection 

included presentations from

Our Keynote presenter shared his story and how we can make a difference for children: Embracing Your Scars/Dr. Gregory Williams

Break Out Sessions Including: Trauma-Informed Care and Leadership/Dr. Gregory Williams, Michigan Child Protection Registry/Alisha Meneely, Healing for Childhood Trauma/Dr. Gregory Williams and Community Connections/Karlene Howard

And our uplifting and inspiring Plenary session was led by Judge Allie G. Maldonado : I Am More Than My ACE Score: Embracing Resilience to Thrive!

We feel honored to have shared a great day of learning with you!