Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our organization. They are passionate about making a difference for others and without the endless hours of service that they give, we would not be the organization that we are today.

I am humbled to know such amazing people and I am honored that they have chosen to give of their precious time to our organization. Now that we can officially look back on 2012, I am blown away when I see just how much they have done and given to us. I am sending you a special and loud THANK YOU to our volunteers. They are strong, passionate, resilient, dedicated, smart, and absolutely amazing people.

A special THANK YOU to Alison Lyon, Maddie Pape, Caryn Gibbs, Luis Solarte, Erika Martinez, Kerri & Doug Barber, Kara & Pat Ash, Maebelle Obispo-Emery, Lisa E, DJ. Opeski, Dr. Thomas M. Michell, Deborah Anderson, Julie Baker, Victor Pacini, Brenda Slavik, Colleen Woolwine, Deedra A. Davis, Michael Luciano, Angela Rose for your leadership and dedication to helping others.  

A special recognition goes out to our new Advisory Board Members:

Dr. Thomas M. Mitchell DC, CCSP and Victor Pacini –  Thank you for your support with the IOLS Camp for Abused Children, IOLS Mentoring Program and the Dreamshop Experience.

I’d also like to welcome our two newest Board Members:

Michael Luciano Newly elected Board Member.

We welcome Mr. Luciano to our IOLS family and look forward to many years of him providing guidance and leadership to our organization.

Erika Martinez Newly elected Board Member.

We welcome Ms. Martinez to our IOLS family and look forward to many years of her providing guidance and leadership to our organization.

A special thank you to our primary sponsoring organizations and partners:

PAVE –  Thank you for your partnership for the 2013 IOLS Race for Change.  PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment is a national, grassroots nonprofit). PAVE uses education and action to shatter the silence of sexual and domestic violence including sexual abuse, rape, sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

Toy Drive & Holiday Party Contributors – McHenry Project Linus, Immanuel Lutheran Church (Dundee), Bridgeview Bank Mortgage Company, LLC,  Turnberry Country Club, H.G.A Gymnastics, Spring Hill Gymnastics, Huntley Park District Preschool, Susana’s Daycare, BMC Harris Bank (Huntley), Princeton Pointe, Dr. Summekamp Elkin’s Holiday Party,  K&G Photography, Nicor Gas,  Kaya Martial Arts,  Dr. Thomas M. Mitchell DC, CCSP – Chicago Chiropractic Group, Melt Pilates Studio, Lifetime Fitness, Leivy Greco, Northwest Senior Wellness, PetVet (Huntley), Algonquin Bank & Trust, JC Guitars, Z’ Martial Arts, Colleen Nash, Shannon Denna, Cheraye Grissom Lewis, Danielle Kari-Foster, Andi, Forever Nails, Caryn Gibbs, Christ Community Church, Luis Solarte, Ladies Night Out w/ a Cause and that is just the beginning!

We’d also like to thank all of our partner organizations. We truly appreciate your dedication to making a difference for children, teens and adults who have been abused.

Thank you for all that you do and I look forward to an exciting and 2013!

Warmly,

Kristie Sams
Co-Founder
It’s Our Little Secret
ksams@itsourlittlesecret.org
773-450-9455

If you are interested in volunteering or becoming a part of our organization visit our website at  www.itsourlittlesecret.org or contact me at ksams@itsourlittlesecret.org.

Dear “It’s Our Little Secret” Partners:

On behalf of your “DCFS Family” and the foster families of the Northern Region, I would like to thank you so very much for spearheading the Holiday Party and providing such wonderful gifts to our families.

All I can say is “WOW!!!!!!” The party ran smoothly, the children had a great time, and everyone left with lots of goodies – who could ask for more? The families enjoyed the food and desserts and sitting with other families, building new relationships. Everyone boogied to your jammin’ DJ and who doesn’t love a photo with Santa? From beginning to end, your attention to the details showed in an enjoyable time for all. I am hopeful that we can continue in this partnership – I know it means as much to you as it does to us.

I give you heartfelt thanks for your generosity and loving spirit.

With deepest appreciation,

Kristina M. Engel, MSW
Advanced Family Development Specialist

IOLS Executive Director, Kristie Sams-Faulkner was a featured guest on the national broadcast show, GoHarrison (www.goharrison.com), to talk about National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the IOLS effort to raise awareness of this critical issue.

Show host, Cary Harrison, spoke with Krisite about the pervasive issues of child abuse in our country and the lasting impact to our society. Kristie also shared her story and experiences growing up in foster care and her commitment to help others learn to deal positively with these events.

About Cary Harrison: Cary has the Vanderbilt University’s distinguished Siegenthaler Award for integrity, intelligence and courage in the field of journalism, the Sigma Delta Chi award-the highest honor bestowed for public service by the Society of Professional Journalists, and top honors-two years’ running-from American Women in Radio & Television for reporting and investigative journalism.

Board of Governors of the Achievement in Radio Awards, “Best New Talent in Chicago”, “Best Commentary” from the Associated Press, recently honored by the Mayor and City Council of West Hollywood/Los Angeles for Environmental and Peace work.

He is the Afternoon Host at KPFK 90.7 FM-LA, Think Green (Syndicated), America’s Radio News, Frontiers-IN Los Angeles Magazine. He studied at Institut Montana, Zug, Switzerland, USF.

Raise Awareness, Promote Strong Families

McHenry County, IL- During the month of April, It’s Our Little Secret (IOLS)  www.itsourlittlesecret.org, a non-profit charity operating in McHenry County,  invites civic organizations and community members to participate in activities geared toward raising awareness about child abuse and resources available to promote strong families.

Tara Cady of the Social Science Club of McHenry County College decorates one of 150 trees on campus to help raise awareness about child abuse.

As part of the month-long effort, IOLS has launched their Blue Ribbon campaign geared to promoting this cause. Students of the Social Science Club of McHenry County College pledged their support by organizing a blue ribbon tree decorating event and hosting a fundraiser at the school. Community libraries have also been supportive by providing materials to promote the, “Art for Healing” art contest geared for kids.

Additionally, mayors in Huntley, Woodstock, Crystal Lake and Cary have all issued formal proclamations declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in their respective communities.

Child abuse impacts every facet of a community, including imposing a financial strain that is preventable. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that the cost of child abuse nationally is $124 billion, equal to the costs of stroke and heart disease. Researchers from the CDC analyzed 1,740 fatal and 579,000 nonfatal cases of child maltreatment over the course of one year and found that the lifetime cost for each victim of nonfatal child maltreatment was $210,012.

IOLS is helping to combat the causes of child abuse and support victims through education and empowerment programs that engage the larger community.

Area residents are invited to participate by accessing resources on the group’s website www.itsourlittlesecret.org and in a family event, 2nd Annual 5 K Run/Walk, “Race for Change,” to be held on April 29 at Deicke Park, 11419 Illinois 47 in Huntley, IL. Space is still available for those interested in participating or helping to sponsor this event.

As the holiday season winds down it’s time to share the BIG news! IOLS donated 100′s (actually thousands!!!) of new toys and needed items donated from numerous corporate and community partners. It was our goal to make sure that the children and teens in the Illinois foster care System had a Christmas that they would never forget!
IOLS donated to 6 agencies, in which 509 children received items; 200 more than last year:

• over 719 toys
• 206 blankets (donated by Project Linus – McHenry County)
• 56 adults in PADs received food, hygiene items and clothing (in all, over 620 items)
• McCutcheon Elementary School received scarves, gloves and hats for 218 children and also much-needed books for classroom libraries and that is just the beginning!

Each child received, at minim, 2 toys from their Holiday wish lists and in most cases they received 3 toys each, 1 blanket and a hat/scarf and gloves. Some of the toys that were given: Clothes, Jackets w/ scarves, hats and gloves, boots, necklace sets, scooters, Thomas Train Sets, Barbie sets, MP3 players, digital cameras, Wii Games and 100′s of other toys.

One very special little girl received a special needs car seat that her Foster Parent had been trying to get for over two years. This mom had tried getting assistance with a donation for this special seat required for  disabled children that normally costs $1500.00. We were pleased to find one suitable at a discounted rate and secured donations from the Illinois DME (http://www.infinitecdme.org/) and Mateo’s Kids (www.mateoskids.com).

Thank you to ALL of the corporate partners, the community organizations and all of our donors who made this possible and to the Toy Drive Committee and to so many others who helped us with this year’s toy drive!

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!

For further information on the Annual Toy Drive, please visit www.itsourlittlesecret.org and/or contact Kristie Sams-Faulkner at ksams@itsourlittlesecret.org.

IOLS Executive Director Kristie Sams-Faulkner will be a featured guest on the GoHarrison (www.goharrison.com) radio program on Wednesday, April 4 at 8:00 pm (Central).

Cary Harrison, the host of the program is an award-sinning journalist who has been an activists for many progressive causes, including protecting victims of abuse, will host Kristie as part of the National Child Abuse Awareness Month. Audience members are encourages to participate in this interactive forum by joining the GoHarrison program and submitting questions or calling into the program. The program is an online streaming format and part of the Google+ Hangout features.

For more information, go to www.goharrison.com

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1 (HealthDay News) — Child abuse and neglect cost the United States $124 billion a year, which is comparable to the costs of other major public health problems, a new government study shows.

Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed 1,740 fatal and 579,000 nonfatal cases of child maltreatment over the course of one year.

The investigators found that the lifetime cost for each victim of nonfatal child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect) was $210,012. That’s higher than the per-person lifetime cost of stroke ($159,846) and similar to the per-person cost of type 2 diabetes (between $181,000 and $253,000).

The average lifetime cost per victim of nonfatal child maltreatment includes: $32,648 in childhood health care costs; $10,530 in adult medical costs; $144,360 in lost productivity; $7,728 in child welfare costs; $6,747 in criminal justice costs; and $7,999 in special education costs.

Read the full article here> US News Health Page

It’s Our Little Secret celebrates second year of helping children “Learn to Live, Not Just Survive”
By Claudia Lenart

November 14, 2011

It’s Our Little Secret (IOLS) celebrates two years, this month, of bringing hope and healthy recovery skills to children who are physically, emotionally and sexually abused.

Kristie and Maebelle taking time to speak during the 2011 Toy Drive

In the past two years, the non-profit organization has launched numerous successful initiatives and leaders continue to focus on ambitious goals.

“We have a lot of thing going on and we’ve been extremely successful. I think that is 100 percent because of the passion,” said Kristie Sams-Faulkner who founded IOLS with Maebelle Obispo-Emery. Both were abused as children.

Both founders live busy lives, yet find time and energy to devote to IOLS.

“ If you have the ability to change and to make change, that is something that takes over,” Sams-Faulkner said.

IOLS’ aims to stop the destructive cycle of abuse and to help abused children learn to love themselves and enjoy life. The organization’s motto is “Learn to Live, Not Just Survive.”

In the first year of existence, IOLS jumped right in to action with a book bag drive which donated 170 book bags to children. Two weeks later IOLS held a toy drive that provided three toys each to 360 kids, plus blankets for every child.

Sams-Faulkner said their toy drive was different from many other organizations in that the children got what was on their wish list, including big items, like bikes or MP3 players. The drive was for children up to 18, whereas many organizations stop at 15.

“Everything was 100 percent new, not used. If you don’t have anything and you’re given something new, that is huge for your self esteem,” Sams-Faulkner said.

This year, IOLS’s goal for the toy drive is to serve 600 kids. The organization continued its book bag drive in 2011, expanding it to provide books for libraries and supplies for students and teachers.

Sams-Faukner said journey packs have had a huge impact. Journey packs are provided to children going into the foster system.

One of the biggest challenges in the beginning was finding the victims.

“It was difficult in the beginning because a lot of people don’t like to talk about what they are suffering,” Sams-Faulkner said. “Sexual abuse is reported rarely. Physical abuse is easier to see,”

The organization worked with DCFS and also with teachers to determine who needed help.

IOLS started clinical programs including a teen support group, an art and music therapy group and an adult survivors support group.

IOLS leaders have big goals for the future. One of them is a residential facility that would provide a home for 36 children and provide arts program. Direct Design LTD in Prairie Grove donated an architectural rendering and IOLS is seeking a donation of land for the project.

IOLS hopes to have a stamp made from the United States Postal Service for abused children and created the Stamp Out Child Abuse Drawing Contest to submit artwork to the USPS that represents child abuse in the eyes of a child. IOLS is also working to get an Illinois license plate to raise awareness and funds.

Sams-Faulkner said she wants to see the Blue Ribbon Child Abuse Prevention Campaign become as well known as the pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness.

“I’d like to see the blue ribbons be as important as pink ribbons. I want to create an army of people who cared about what I care about,” she said.

http://huntley.patch.com/articles/iols-seeks-to-stamp-out-child-abuse