News: Neillsville - Tea at Tufts (28 Feb 2016)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Hendrickson

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI) 3/09/2016

Tea at Tufts (28 February 2016)

By Nancy Curtin

Once again the Tea at Tufts’ was a great success in its 11th year. The fundraising event was held Feb. 28 at Tuft’s Mansion Bed and Breakfast in Neillsville.

Tea at Tufts’ supports ‘Parenting the First Year’ Programming by UW-Extension-Clark County. Funds raised from this event solely fund the Parenting News Letter project, a direct-mail newsletter serving Clark County parents. Approximately 6,600 newsletters were mailed in 2015, reaching 556 families.

Parenting the First Year is an essential program that reaches all new parents within Clark County, including the Amish and Mennonite communities.

The monthly newsletter is a resource for evidence-based information regarding the first 12 months of a child’s Life. This series is age-paced so parents receive information geared to the exact age of their child.

Tea at Tufts’ was established for the sole purpose of supporting the newsletter project. Printing and mailing costs for 2015 were $3,270; the 2015 event raided $2,174.86.

The Tea at Tufts Committee consists of community members who donate time, services, and items to help support the event. These members consist of teachers, business people, social workers, community health employees and others who work with young families in the county.

Parents receiving the newsletter have reported positive changes and behaviors. Evidence by the UW-Extension also supports the decrease in physical punishment towards children. This project also supports early literacy and other valuable service in the county.

Lori Hendrickson of UW-Extension said the preliminary fundraising total is $1,596.12 from this year’s Tea at Tufts’ event.

For more information about the Parenting the First Year Project, contact UW-Extension at 715-743-5121 or via email lori.hendrickson@co.clark.wi.us.

(There were seven photos in The Clark County Press, DMK)