WE NEED YOUR VOTES EVERYDAY in August!

Exciting News… CVHN has been accepted for two grant categories in the Pepsi Refresh Grant Project!

This is highly competitive and all based on voting from this point on. Only the top 2 winners will receive $250k and the top 10 winners will receive $50k. You get 10 votes per day, only one vote per entry–so you can vote TWO TIMES for CVHN each day throughout the month of August!

Voting is simple: click on the links below (which takes you straight to our video page), register an email and vote. Voting runs from today through August 31st. It will show our rankings at the top right and it shows the # of votes you have left that day at the bottom.

http://www.refresheverything.com/cvhnkids – $50k
http://www.refresheverything.com/cvhn – $250k

Thank you for your support!

 CVHN is a is a faith-based 501(c)3 organization, established in 2005 in direct response to Walton and Okaloosa counties’ large population of families who are unable to access high-quality health services due to the unavailability (or inadequacy) of insurance

“We are thrilled that Nanci graciously agreed to perform at Alys Beach for what promises to be an unforgettable evening,” said Kelli Arnold, Events Coordinator for Alys Beach. “To have an artist of her caliber committed to a charitable cause mimics the heartbeat of what our community is all about.”

Nanci Griffith says that she got an early start on her path to performing and songwriting. At the age of 6, she began to write songs, thinking of it as “part of the process of learning how to play guitar.”

Then at age 14, a campfire turn at a local folk festival caught the ear of a singer/songwriter, and she was on her way.

Griffith’s latest album – The Loving Kind (available June 9 from RounderRecords) – touches on newsworthy issues as well as matters of the heart. Featuring nine songs written by Griffith and her collaborators, and four well-chosen covers, the album takes its place alongside the consistently acclaimed work of the Grammy(r) Award-winning artist.

Griffith says that her approach to songwriting hasn’t changed over the years. “I just never know, any given day, what I’m going to wake up to.” Once she’s inspired, “it just all comes at once.”

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for the April 8 event, and performance organizers encourage audience members to bring low back chairs for comfortable seating. No coolers or blankets will be allowed, but a cash bar will be available.

Advance general admission ticket prices are $15 for adults (ages 12 and older) and $5 for children (ages 3-12). Tickets may be purchased online at www.alysbeachevents.ticketleap.com/nanci through midnight on April 7. Remaining tickets will be available at the gate beginning at 5 p.m. on April 8. The onsite costs will be $20 for adults (ages 12 and older) and $8 for children (ages 3-12).

 For more information on the April 8 benefit concert, email events@alysbeach.com. For more information on Nanci Griffith, her 18 recorded albums, and the concerts she’s performed all over the world, visit http://www.nancigriffith.com.

ABOUT CHILDREN’S VOLUNTEER HEALTH NETWORK (CVHN) Children’s Volunteer Health Network, Inc., HEALTHY HAPPY KIDS, is a faith-based 501(c)3 organization established in 2005 to enhance the lives of uninsured and underinsured school-aged children by facilitating free, immediate access to medical, dental and mental health care. For more information please visit www.cvhnkids.org.

ABOUT ALYS BEACH One of the most beautiful new towns in the world, Alys Beach is located on Scenic Highway 30A in Florida’s panhandle, along what The New York Times said “may be the best beach in the continental U.S.” The resort town’s extraordinary architectural vision drew inspirations from both Bermuda and the family courtyard homes of Antigua, Guatemala. When complete, Alys Beach will be home to 900 villas and courtyard homes, as well as restaurants, parks, shops and other resort amenities. Alys Beach is the first Fortified(r) community in the world, and all homes are built to Florida’s Green Home Designation Standard. For home sales or vacation rental information, please call 866-481-8387 or visit www.alysbeach.com.

Florida isn‟t performing in the area of oral healthcare, but the good news is that CVHN and supporters such as the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida are responding with urgency. Stapleton concluded, “We knew all along that we would have our work cut out for us. The Pew data simply told us how serious the problem really is. The day all kids have access to the oral healthcare they need, we can go home, but until then, we need volunteers and donations to continue to do our work. We refuse to fail. We want to be „A‟ students, and know that it is possible.” To read the complete study conducted by the Pew Center on the States, visit www.pewcenteronthestates.org.

Children’s Volunteer Health Network (CVHN) is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has expanded with the addition of two new members, unanimously voted onto the board during the February Board meeting.  “The Board of Directors is essential to the smooth running of the organization, and its participants must be 100% dedicated to our mission,” stated Alice Stapleton, Executive Director.  “Both Cindy McBrayer and Melissa Wheeler are leaders in our community, and the children that we represent will be better served because of their willingness to give their time to further our mission,” Stapleton went on to say. 

Cindy McBrayer was born in Houston, Texas and is a graduate of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, where she received her undergraduate degree in Business Administration.  She spent many years in the employ of Mohawk Carpets, and also owned a paint-your-own-pottery studio specializing in children’s projects.  After she relocated with her family to the Emerald Coast, she began operating an in-home daycare and also now serves as support staff at Van R. Bulter Elementary School.  McBrayer has three young children, Blayze, Bryce, and Braden, and is married to Ronnie, pastor of A Simple Faith church in Seagrove Beach. 

Also joining CVHN is Melissa Wheeler. Wheeler relocated to the beautiful beaches of Walton County in 2003 after vacationing here all of her life.  She is a Marketing and Communications professional who brings with her over twelve years of public and community relations experience spanning both the public and private sector.  Melissa received her bachelor’s degree in Marketing along with her Master’s in Public Administration from Valdosta State University.  She is a graduate of Leadership Walton and a founding member of the BUILD Council, a group working to create a community-wide mentoring program for young professionals in Northwest Florida.  Melissa became involved with CVHN in 2008 as a volunteer and is now honored to further her service as a Board member.  She is currently chairing the Public Relations task force for this year’s Cottages for Kids event to be held in Rosemary Beach during the month of May 

March 1, 2010 – Santa Rosa Beach, Florida – For five years the Children’s Volunteer Health Network has operated from borrowed office spaces that were charitably donated.  “During CVHN’s first two years, the organization was managed from the founder’s home office.  Eventually we needed a space that would accommodate several employees and volunteers, and that is when Byron stepped in,” said Alice Stapleton, Executive Director.  Byron Chism, founder of Bad Byron’s Specialty Food Products, offered office space at no cost to the organization for the past three years.  Yet, with the community’s increasing need for CVHN’s services, the organization quickly outgrew its donated space.    So, throughout 2009, the Board of Directors committed themselves to finding a home that CVHN could call its own.  “We are thrilled with our new space!  We wouldn’t be here though if it wasn’t for our committed donors and Board of Directors,” Stapleton went on to say.  The building, located at 82 Lynn Drive in Santa Rosa Beach is part of the Santa Rosa Square office complex.  Just off of East Highway 98, the space was purchased by the organization in October.  The space is pleasant and functional, able to accommodate four offices, a storage room, a small kitchen, and a conference room for Board and other meetings.  CVHN also purchased the unit next door, which is currently occupied by Shelter House, Inc., the domestic violence center that serves Walton and Okaloosa counties.  The founder of CVHN, Tricia Northcutt also commented on the organization’s recent acquisition: “We are only just beginning to combat the health care crisis for the many uninsured and underinsured kids in Okaloosa and Walton counties. The need is growing like kudzu. This building is a testament of faith and love in action, and we are grateful to our supporters.”  CVHN was pleased to have both The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce and The Destin Area Chamber of Commerce present as they held their official ribbon cutting and open house.  CVHN is currently undergoing a strategic planning process that will help it to formalize a plan for the next several years, in which the new buildings will be purposed for the ongoing service to kids and families in the area.  “The support we receive from the community is overwhelming, and its generosity never ceases to amaze me,” Stapleton said as she sat down in her office and looked out her window.  “It is a relief to know that CVHN has a place to grow and thrive, right along with the kids we serve.  Now, that’s a great feeling.”

About CVHN – Children’s Volunteer Health Network, Inc., a faith based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, seeks to enhance the lives of uninsured and underinsured children in Walton and Okaloosa Counties by facilitating access to medical, dental and mental health care.  The organization was founded in 2005 and will celebrate its 5^th birthday on April 22^nd.  Since 2005 the agency has scheduled more than 2000 free appointments for children in need of health services through its network of more than 90 professional healthcare providers.  The work of CVHN’s Mobile Dental Clinic is accomplished in part through grants from The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida.  The Just for Grins Mobile Dental Clinic has cleaned the teeth of more than 1000 children since September of 2008.

For more information about CVHN, please visit www.cvhnkids.org or call 850-622-3200.

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida – (October 30, 2009) – Children’s Volunteer Health Network (CVHN) will host its fifth annual Hurricane Party on Friday, November 13, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. The bay-front party will be held at “Bentley’s on the Bay,” and feature the rootsy, funky, jazzy, Latin dance music of Jose Conde (www.olafresca.com).

CVHN is a local faith-based non-profit organization that provides free medical, dental and mental health care for uninsured and underinsured children in Okaloosa and Walton counties.

“We are changing the Hurricane Party up this year with an old style Havana Cuban theme,” said CVHN board member Reynolds Henderson. “This is going to be a very unique music experience for the people of South Walton, and the bay-front venue at Bentley’s is just perfect for this kind of party.”

Jose Conde, of the band Ola Fresca, is well known throughout the Latin community. He is traveling to South Walton from Brooklyn, N.Y. and will be singing in a trio with two other musicians from New Orleans, La.

Blackjack tables will be there to help raise money for charity, and both a live and silent auction will feature prizes donated by local businesses and private supporters. Party tickets are $50 in advance and may be purchased now by calling 850-622-3200 or online at www.cvhnkids.org. Tickets will cost $65 at the door. Party attire is resort casual. All proceeds will benefit deserving children in Walton and Okaloosa Counties.

“These fundraisers, while a lot of fun, serve to fund many CVHN programs, including the Mobile Dental Clinic and oral healthcare education,” said Tricia Northcutt, CVHN’s Founder. “We are truly a grassroots organization and depend on our wonderful community for support. Since 2005, more than 700 kids have been helped with 2,200 appointments and 23 medically needed sets of braces!”

For more information about CVHN’s Hurricane Party, please call 850-622-3200, email admin@cvhnkids.org or visit www.cvhnkids.org.

ABOUT CHILDREN’S VOLUNTEER HEALTH NETWORK (CVHN)

Children’s Volunteer Health Network, Inc., HEALTHY HAPPY KIDS, is a faith-based 501(c)3 organization established in 2005 to enhance the lives of uninsured and underinsured school-aged children by facilitating free, immediate access to medical, dental and mental health care. For more information please visit www.cvhnkids.org.

For the 2009 year, CVHN, a facilitator of free immediate healthcare for children in need, decided to add a doggie spin to its very successful “Cottages for Kids.”  The “Canines” version of the event features doghouses built to the highest quality standards, all with themes and names like “Bow-Wow Bungalow” and “Paw Watch.”  Here you’ll see cedar-shake mutt mansions and stuccoed pooch palaces.  If you love your dog, then don’t miss out! Beginning on September 18 at 10 a.m., the doghouses will be on display in Baytowne Wharf, and can be purchased on-site.  Raffle tickets will also be available for purchase, and one lucky dog will win a fabulous custom home for their favorite Fido!  All proceeds from the event go to fund CVHN’s programs that provide children with the medical, dental, and mental healthcare they need.  But this and other CVHN events could not be possible without community support.  “We need lots of dedicated volunteers to pull off this type of event,” says Kazek.  “We couldn’t do it without the help of those who care about healthy kids in Walton and Okaloosa Counties.”  Like CVHN found a fit for Kazek, its experienced staff and friendly volunteers are committed to building on the talents of those interested in supporting the organization’s mission.  “Cottages for Canines” is no exception, and interested members of the community are encouraged to contact CVHN to find out about volunteer opportunities, events, and fundraisers.  Visit www.cvhnkids.org to find out how you can get involved! 

“Paw Watch” by Dixon Kazek Construction                    “Beat The Heat” Jeff Burns Trim Carpentry