Island X Adventure Virtual Run | June 27 & 28
The realities of living life in the midst of a global pandemic has dictated that event organizers get creative. As such, The Family Tree Center's 8th annual Island X Adventure Run has gone virtual. Participants are invited to run anytime on June 27 or 28, at the location of their choosing. There will be course instructions with challenges and obstacles to make it a real adventure! Once you've completed your course, post your time on RunSignUp and share your pictures on social media.
This year's event location was going to be at ZooMontana, and even though the run is virtual, you can still include the Zoo by snapping your photo by the Island X Adventure banner at ZooMontana.
Costumes are encouraged with an Island Theme! Who will win the annual Jimmy Buffet Award for the Best Island Dressed Individual? Challenge your friends and family to get involved. Register your Island "Tribe" and use that team spirit to win prizes. Compete for the "Island Stylin' Team" and "Biggest Team." There will be lots of great prizes!Register your Island "Tribe" and use that team spirit to win prizes. Compete for the "Island Stylin' Team" and "Biggest Team."
Each participant will receive a lei, a Quarantine Green T-shirt, and will be entered to receive great prizes! Prizes include a Family Membership and Day Passes to ZooMontana, Target gift cards, Pizza from Pizza Hut & Papa Johns, and more! Prizes will be mailed to the winners!
The Family Tree Center would like to recognize these generous sponsors:
- Downtown Exchange Club
- Billings Nursery & Landscaping
- St. Vincent Healthcare
- Drs. Jennell & Patrick Duey,
- Sarah Grau, CPA,
- Sign and Design
Register online at runsignup.com/Race/MT/Billings/IslandXAdventureRace
June 15 Press Release | The Family Tree Center - Billings Exchange Clubs' Child Abuse Prevention Center
The Family Tree Center has been Building Strong Families in the Billings community for 35 years through providing support and education to parents and offering safe and healthy experiences for children. Thousands of families have benefited from In-Home Mentoring Services, Parent Education, Free Respite Childcare and Parents Evening Outs, Prevention Education, Family Fun Nights and more.
The Family Tree Center aspires to ensure the healthy development of all children in our community by nurturing parents, so they can do the best possible job nurturing their children. We know what we do at The Family Tree Center each day is helping to build stronger families, a better community, and safer children.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has made life difficult for everyone, especially children and families. The risk to our nation’s children for experiencing child abuse and neglect in times of extreme stress and uncertainty is quite high. School and workplace closings have increased stress in parents’ lives, resulting from loss of income due to lack of paid leave, an unexpected or irregular need for childcare and even food insecurity. Additionally, an unintended consequence of social distancing is isolation, which contradicts science proving that social and emotional connectedness and support are protective of mental health and positive discipline strategies.
Despite all the risks, referrals to the child abuse reporting hotline drastically decreased. Prior to the Pandemic, the number of child abuse and neglect cases in our community quadrupled since 2014. Last fiscal year there were 723 substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect in Yellowstone County. Child abuse reports have significantly decreased since the COVID-19 Pandemic, however it is suspected that due to isolation, abuse is happening and is not being reported. We need to protect our most vulnerable community members – our children.
Services provided by The Family Tree Center increase Protective Factors in families and PREVENT child abuse and neglect. Please help us to provide services to struggling families.