Credit union, Healthy Beginnings partner in ‘Adopt-A-Bear’ drive

Mid Oregon Credit Union encourages our community to stop by a branch and “Adopt-A-Bear” from April 2 through April 20 in support of Healthy Beginnings, to ensure that every preschooler in Central Oregon is healthy and prepared to enter kindergarten ready to learn.

Since 2004, Mid Oregon’s Adopt-A-Bear annual fundraiser has raised nearly $25,000 to help support Healthy Beginnings in its work to provide no cost health and developmental screenings to preschool children in our communities to remove any barriers to a successful entry into kindergarten. The state has identified universal community screenings as a best practice, providing consistent, reliable, valid, evidence-based screening for young children – but provides no state funding for this objective.

For the past 24 years, Healthy Beginnings has relied on community donations to keep their screenings free for all families who utilize their services. Healthy Beginnings serves nearly 1,000 children and families each year in Bend, Redmond, La Pine, Madras, Prineville, Sisters and Sunriver. The health screenings are performed by top-level medical, dental, nutritional, and behavioral specialists from the local area, providing parents with a thorough assessment of their child’s physical and developmental health.

“So many critical developmental things happen in those first five years,” says Diane Murray-Fleck, Executive Director of Healthy Beginnings. “Children can act out because they are suffering from unidentified medical or developmental issues. This assessment helps catch these issues before school starts, and gives parents an additional resource and peace of mind if they have questions about their child’s development.”

Community residents can “Adopt-A-Bear” at any Mid Oregon Credit Union location through April 20, or by calling 541-382-1795. For information about child screenings go to www.MyHB.org .