Bowling Against Bullying to support The Center for Family Justice

Local kids, teens and adult will join forces on Friday, June 3, at 5:30 p.m., at Fairfield’s Nutmeg Bowl for an evening of family friendly competition, pizza and fun to support the anti-bullying programs of The Center for Family Justice.The sixth annual Bowling Against Bullying event is part awareness campaign, part fundraiser.Individuals and teams who participate do so to raise money for CFJ, which in addition to offering support and crisis services to victims of domestic and sexual violence, is also an accredited child advocacy agency which provides extensive bullying and dating violence education in local public and private schools.The anti-bullying programs CFJ runs reached more than 2,000 local students last year. These programs are critical as the National Center for Educational Statistics reports approximately one in four children (or about 22 percent) will be bullied during each school year. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control reported in 2015 that children and teens who experience bullying are more likely to experience problems ranging from sleep disturbances and academic challenges to anxiety disorders and depression. They also have higher reported suicide rates.“Bowling against Bullying is an extremely positive community event that’s full of fun activity, but it also raises awareness about an extremely important issue that is critical to the health and emotional wellbeing of our kids,” said Debra A. Greenwood, president/CEO of The Center for Family Justice. “We’re always thrilled to see the enthusiasm and support the community shows for this event year after year.”This year’s event is once again chaired by Chris Givens of St. Vincent’s Medical Center.Participants may join as individuals or teams. Entry fees ($40 for adults and $25 for students 17 and younger as well as members of the military) include two games of bowling, shoe rentals, pizza and soft drinks. For more information on participating in Bowling Against Bullying please contact Beth Andrews, development associate at The Center for Family Justice at BAndrews@CenterforFamilyJustice.orgABOUT THE CENTER FOR FAMILY JUSTICEThe Center for Family Justice Inc. (formerly The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County Inc.), brings all domestic, sexual and child abuse services — crisis intervention, police, prosecutors, civil/legal providers, counseling — under one roof, in our headquarters in Bridgeport, CT. Together, we work to break the cycle of violence by helping those in crisis restore their lives. Although our name has changed, we continue with the work we have provided for 12 decades, providing free, confidential, bilingual crisis services in Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford and Trumbull. It is the comprehensive services our partners are providing that are streamlining the road to healing and self-sufficiency.Within the past year, The Center answered more than 950 calls on a 24-hour crisis hotline; assisted with the civil and criminal court processes for more than 2,500 survivors of domestic violence; responded to more than 500 survivors of sexual assault and their families; provided a safe home for more than 100 women and children fleeing domestic abuse; coordinated the investigations of more than 170 cases of child sexual and severe physical abuse, developing service plans for the young survivors and their families; and provided psycho-educational support to more than 1,200 survivors of domestic violence, planning for their safety and promoting self-sufficiency.As part of our mission, The Center educates approximately 4,000 members of the community about the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse to prevent future violence and spread the word that about the services we offer at The Center for Family Justice. Annually, we teach more than 2,000 children and teens about building healthy relationships, bullying prevention and dating violence.For more information, visit CenterForFamilyJustice.org.

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