Of course, we all know that when referring to The Wizard of Oz film, the munchkins were the little people that gleefully welcomed Dorothy, celebrated her destroying of the Wicked Witch of the East, and encouraged her through song to Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Since L. Frank Baum created the term and MGM brought the characters to life, the term munchkin has now become part of our vernacular, most often now referring to a child. At CAPC, our munchkins are our mission, ensuring they are all safe, growing up in a loving and nurturing home.
Through our caseworkers and family-oriented programs, we meet new munchkins every day. Our munchkins come in all shapes and sizes, as we serve them from the time they are born, until they become adults. For instance, our Infant In-Home Visitation program ensures that new moms with no support or no parenting skills are getting the help they need to care for their newborns. The Well program can help moms facing postpartum depression, and School Readiness can assess babies to munchkins up to eight years old to ensure that they are meeting milestones, and refer them to services if needed. Our In-Home Toddler program will help struggling parents with those munchkins with behavior issues or developmental delays. Other programs like CAST and Monitored Visitation will see children of all ages, and Children’s In-Home Crisis Stabilization usually helps older munchkins and teens if they have ideations of harming themselves or others.
As we continue on our journey, which will culminate in An Evening In Emerald City, our Bright Futures Celebration gala on March 10th, we never forget that all that we do is in service of our munchkins, the children currently in our care and those that will need our care in the months and the years to come. The funds that we raise from this and other events go directly into our programs, to help more families. For more information about An Evening in Emerald City, to purchase tickets, volunteer or donate an auction item for the event, please visit, www.BrightFutures4Kids.org/
