Remembering Nancy Abinojar (1957-2010)

Contributed by: Ava Adler

We have some sad news to report. Nancy Abinojar, a CASA volunteer since 2005, died on January 18th, after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was a life-long resident of Ann Arbor and brought to our program her knowledge of, and history with, our community.

She graduated from and was employed by the University of Michigan, initially in the Department of Women's Studies. Eventually, she became the office manager at the new National Center for Institutional Diversity.

She grew up as one of the only Filipino American families living in Ann Arbor in the 1950s and 1960s. Her father, born in 1908, was also a U of M grad and they were both highlighted in the Filipino American History Project of Michigan.

Nancy worked on two cases with our CASA program, taking a leave of absence when she first became ill, but returning to her advocacy work when her health improved.

She will be missed.

Child Maltreatment 2008 Report

Contributed by: Donna Huntsman

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS's) Administration for Children and Families has published a report: Child Maltreatment 2008.

The report, the latest in an annual series issued each April in observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, indicates that 2008 saw the lowest child victimization rate in five years. An estimated 772,000 children were victims of child abuse and neglect, a rate of 10.3 per 1,000 children, with almost a third of the victims less than four years old.