Aug. 2, 2019 -- Volume VI, Issue 28

Q: I missed reading last week’s Good News Friday. Where do I find Part 1 of this series?

A: Recent issues of Good News Friday can be found at www.VirginiaRep.org. Once you arrive at the website, click the word NEWS to the far right of the bar at the top, and then click GOOD NEWS FRIDAY in the drop down menu. If the issue you’re looking for hasn’t been posted yet, it will be soon.

Q: Have there been other CH+W programs since Hugs and Kisses?

A: Absolutely. Over the last 36 years we have created 15 model programs under the CH+W banner. Two of those 15 are still in development. Among our most acclaimed programs have been:

· Hugs and Kisses (child sexual abuse prevention and early intervention),

· Runners (delinquency and runaway prevention),

· Walking the Line (alcohol and other drug abuse prevention – currently being updated to address the opioid crisis),

· Dancing in the Dark (addressing adolescent pregnancy and sexual responsibility),

· Better Safe than Sallie (childhood injury prevention), and

· Give Us This Day (a dramatized sermon for presentation during Sunday services, promoting the proper installation and use of seatbelts and child safety seats).

Q: When did Chesterfield become involved in CH+W?

A: Hugs and Kisses was eventually accepted into every school district in the Commonwealth. Chesterfield County was among the first localities to endorse Hugs in 1983, and stands today as the second most frequent booker of the program. Also, Chesterfield County has welcomed every CH+W program since.

[pictured: Dancing in the Dark]

Q: Has Hugs been replicated in other states?

A: Over the years, numerous states have asked for the opportunity to present Hugs and Kisses to the children in their public school systems. We have taken our own production of Hugs to a handful of individual schools in Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, and West Virginia, but only after receiving ironclad commitments from local departments of social service that all appropriate safety nets were in place. The New York Secretary of State’s office has kept Hugs on file as a model program since 1988. That same year, the nation of Israel adopted Hugs as a guidepost for their own programming. The script was translated into Hebrew, and Bruce and Phil flew to Tel Aviv with Gov. Gerry Baliles to lead a training presentation. Ensuring the existence and efficacy of the safety net for every child at every performance is a labor-intensive commitment. Consequently, we principally have performed Hugs only in Virginia up to this point. However, due to the recent expansion of our CH+W staff, this year, for the first time, we are exploring franchising Hugs to other states that can guarantee a three-way partnership involving a longstanding professional theatre, an established professional child protective service agency, and a fully committed state government agency.  

Q: What are the current CH+W programs?

A: In 2019-20 we will be continuing Hugs, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?, and FIELD (Family Involvement in Early Language Development)®. Walking the Line is being updated to address the opioid crisis. We are beginning the development of two new programs, one exploring the prevention and early intervention of human trafficking, and the other employing music to reduce isolation and anxiety among seniors with dementia. Two of our access programs (TAB—Theatre Access for the Blind and Vision Impaired and Sensory Friendly Performances for Children on the Autism Spectrum) are going full speed ahead. This is our first external evaluation year for the latter of those two programs. 

[pictured: Walking the Line]

Q: Last week you were abbreviating Community Health + Wellness as CHW. This week it’s CH+W. When are you going to make up your mind?

A: Consider it made. We’ve decided that adding the plus sign looks good. From henceforward, that will be our official abbreviation.