Monthly Giving

Monthly Giving

“I am a monthly donor to KOB because the safety of our children is so important to me. I know the puppets reach children in ways their teachers or adult friends might not be able to. Hopefully, more children can be reached and any child can be reported and stopped. We can’t rest until they’re all safe.”

-Melinda Whitfield

Are you ready to help make a difference in the lives of children all over Kentucky? A monthly donation will help cover a range of costs such as our professional puppeteer salaries, travel, equipment, and daily operating costs.  

Make your one-time or recurring donation below. We can accept donations made by cash, check, credit card, PayPal, or Venmo.

NFG: kykob.networkforgood.com
Paypal: [email protected]
Venmo: @kidsontheblock

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Kentucky Kids On The Block

(in the Higgins Center for Nonprofits)
958 Collett Avenue Suite 100
Bowling Green, KY 42101

Phone: 270-842-2259

Mon – Fri: 8am – 4:30pm

Website created by Sublime Media Group

Cyber Bullying

Age Appropriate: 3rd – 6th Grade
Duration:  30 Minutes
Characters:  Claire Sanchez, Jamie Higgins and Eddy Franklin

Jamie discovers a mean post about her online. Tons of her classmates are making mean comments, and Jamie feels overwhelmed. Claire and Eddy put on their detective hats, and figure out who made the mean post. Once they have all the information they need, they help Jamie take control of the situation. With help from the audience, we figure out what to do if we’re being cyberbullied, as well as ways to prevent it in the future. 

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Divorce

Age Appropriate: K – 6th grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Brenda Dubrowski, Melody James, and Mom

Brenda is packing to go to her dad’s house, when Melody rolls in on her roller skates and wants Brenda to play. Brenda reminds Melody that she’s going to her dad’s and she invites Melody to come along. Brenda’s mom comes in to help her pack, and starts asking Brenda a lot of questions about her dad. Brenda explains to her mom that she feels like she is caught in the middle between her parents all of the time. Brenda’s mother agrees to call her dad if she ever has questions for him. During this program, children have the opportunity to ask Brenda questions about her parents’ divorce.
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Child Abuse II

Age Appropriate: 3rd – 6th grade
Duration: 45 minutes
Characters: Stephen Arthurs, Huy Nguyen, and Joanna Spinoza

This program is combined with the Child Abuse I program, but introduces an new character in the second part. Joanne talks to Stephen about how she was abused by her mom’s boyfriend when she was only 5 years old. She didn’t get the courage to tell until she was 10. Joanne talks about how she told her best friend’s mom about the abuse, and now she is getting the help she needs from her counselor. Joanne says, “If anything like that happens to me again, I can say NO, and then go tell an adult that I trust right away.” The audience is encouraged to ask questions at two different times during this program. The words “sex” and “sexual” are NEVER used during this program.
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This program is funded in part by a grant from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund.

Child Abuse I

Age Appropriate: K – 2nd grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Stephen Arthurs and Huy Nguyen

Stephen is trying to work on his math homework, but his friend Huy keeps calling. Huy thinks he is being abused by his parents. After talking to Stephen, who in the past had been physically and verbally abused by his mother, Huy learns what child abuse is, and realizes he isn’t being abused. This program teaches children that they can say “no” to an adult, and that they should tell a trusted adult if they are being abused. The program defines the four types of child abuse; physical, verbal/mental, neglect, and sexual. The words “sex” and “sexual” are NEVER used. Our puppets say “A grown up shouldn’t touch a kid on their private places, where their bathing suit covers.”
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This program is funded in part by a grant from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund.

Water Safety

Age Appropriate: K – 6th grade
Duration: 15 minutes (30 minutes when presented with First Aid)
Characters: Huy Nguyen, Brenda Dubrowski, and Duck

Huy is trying out his new telescope, when he stumbles upon a duck swimming in a pond. Huy’s hot so he decides to join the duck in the pond. When he gets into the water, the mud causes him to lose his footing. Huy panics while struggling in the water. Luckily, Brenda comes along and reaches a stick out to him to save him from drowning. This program is normally performed with First Aid or another safety program.

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First Aid

Age Appropriate: K – 6th grade
Duration: 15 minutes (30 minutes when presented with Water Safety)
Characters: Melody James, Joanne Spinoza, Mom and Paramedic

Joanne tells Melody about their friend’s mom having twins. Melody wants to help out so she looks for a gift. She finds some toy blocks in the top of a closet. She stands on some books to reach them, but falls and badly cuts her leg. Joanne is really upset when she sees the cut and starts panicking. Melody reminds her to be calm and get a blanket or towel to apply pressure to the cut. Joanne then calls 911 for help. Mom and a paramedic come to the rescue. This program is normally performed with Water Safety or another safety program.

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Fire Safety

Age Appropriate: K – 6th grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Renaldo Rodriguez, Melody James, Joanne Spinoza, and Mom

Renaldo and Melody are supposed to be at his grandmother’s house playing, but they decide to stay at his house instead. They are playing army when they get hungry. Renaldo decides to make popcorn on the stove with no grownup around. He puts oil in the pan and turns the stove on. Renaldo starts playing and forgets about the stove. The oil causes a fire in the pan. Melody is able to put out the fire by putting the lid on the pan and turning off the stove. Renaldo’s mom arrives and has Renaldo go over fire safety tips with the audience. Joanne announces it is important to have fire drills at home. Melody and Renaldo act out what a fire drill might look like at home.

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Bullies

Age Appropriate: K – 6th grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Eddy Franklin and Claire Sanchez

Eddy is being bullied at school and is upset about it. Claire talks about how she had a group of girls who bullied her when she was in the 5th grade. She talks to Eddy about what he can do to put a stop to the bullying. Claire tells Eddy he should talk to a grownup, stand up to the bully, and try to avoid the bully without using violence to solve the problem. She asks the audience what Eddy can do to stop the bullying and takes any questions from the audience.

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Bike Safety

Age Appropriate: K – 6th grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Melody James, Brenda Dubrowski, Mark Riley

Melody is trying to figure out how to do a report on bike safety. She has her helmet and is substituting her bike with a broom, since her bike is in the shop for repair. Brenda enters and thinks Melody is trying to be a witch on a broomstick. Once Melody explains what is going on, Brenda gives Melody a hard time about wearing a helmet because she thinks helmets are only for little kids. Brenda leaves laughing at the helmet. When Mark arrives, Melody does her report for him. Unknown to Melody, Brenda has been listening to Melody give her speech the whole time. Brenda is inspired by Melody’s report and returns with her own “designer helmet with pretty pink bows.” Brenda apologizes for teasing Melody. Melody asks the audience questions to see what they learned from her report.

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Tobacco and Vaping Prevention

Age Appropriate: 2nd-6th grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Eric Van Aart and Joanne Spinoza

Eric goes to the mall, where he will drop off the poster he made for the “smoke free campaign.” He runs into his friend Joanne at the mall. Eric shows her his poster of lungs that have been breathing clean air, and he explains to her what smoking can do to your body. The two also talk about the effects of chewing tobacco, and lightly cover vaping. Joanne asks the audience questions to see what they learned from Eric, and then Eric takes questions from the audience.

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Substance Use Prevention

Age Appropriate: 4th – 6th grade
Duration: 45 minutes
Characters: Eric Van Aart, Paul Worthington, Joanne Spinoza, Valerie Perkins

Say “NO” to drugs! Eric Van Aart and his friends teach children about the harmful effects drugs and alcohol can have on your mind and body. Eric talks about his experience in rehab and how it has made his life better. The audience will learn what a substance is and who safe adults are that they can turn to if they are ever in a tough situation. This program teaches children how to resist peer pressure, stand up for their beliefs and say “NO” to substances.

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Self Esteem

Age Appropriate: 3rd-6th grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Christine Kontos and Jason Robinson

Christine and her friend Jason are doing the dishes at her father’s restaurant. Jason notices that Christine isn’t her usual self. Christine reveals that she has been feeling down about how she looks, and she wishes she could be someone else. Jason points out all the good things about Christine, and helps her realize the way a person looks isn’t important, that it’s what’s on the inside that really matters. Jason encourages the audience to give Christine suggestions on what she can do when she feels down.

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Healthy Habits

Age Appropriate: K – 6th grade
Duration: 30 minutes
Characters: Zach Jones, Jason Robinson 

Jason’s father has given him and his friend Zach an assignment, to come up with goals that will help them become more healthy. Zach sets really good goals that he can stick to for a long time. Jason on the other hand, has a huge list of over 40 goals that he will never be able to achieve. Jason says, “I will participate in and win a 26.2 mile marathon by the end of the month.” The audience is encouraged to help Jason make his goals more manageable. The audience will also help figure out healthy food options you can get when eating fast food, and things you can do besides play video games and watch TV. 

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Mental Health

Age Appropriate: 2nd-6th grade
Duration: 30 to 45 minutes
Characters: Melody James, Shaun James

Melody is stressed out because she has a soccer tournament, and ballet recital coming up. She also has a spelling test to study for. She is frantically running around trying to practice and study for all three at the same time. Her older brother, Shaun enters and is trying to make sense of what is going on. He sits down and talks to Melody about prioritizing the import things first, and working on one thing at a time. They then lead the audience through some exercises they can do when they feel stressed. They also talk about the importance in talking to a grownup, such as a parent or counselor, if you are having a hard time and nothing helps you feel better.

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Autism Parts I & II

Age Appropriate: 2nd-6th grade
Duration: 45 minutes
Characters: David Franklin, Eddy Franklin, Joanne Spinoza, and Jacob Philips

In part one of the program, Joanne spies on her new neighbors and really wants to meet David, because she thinks he is cute. She finally gets to meet him and learns that he has low functioning autism, which means that he can’t talk or do things for himself. David’s younger brother Eddy, helps Joanne learn more about autism. Eddy asks, “I guess David is not who you expected him to be?” Joanne answers, “There is one thing that Is exactly as I expected, I still think he is one handsome hunk.” In part two, Joanne learns that her new friend, Jacob has autism, but he is a lot different than David. He can talk and do most things himself. Jacob says, “If you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism. This means autism is different for everyone who has it.” This program also includes a time for questions from the audience.

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Accepting Differences

Choose any 2 of the following topics to make 1 program

Duration: 40 minutes total for 2 programs.

Anna SHHHH (ADHD)

Age Appropriate: 2nd – 6th grade
Characters: Anna Perry, Brenda Dubrowski

Anna and Brenda go to the library to work on a report. Anna, who has ADHD, keeps getting distracted and is very loud. The librarian gets onto the girls for being too loud. Anna reveals to Brenda that she has ADHD, and she talks about some things that she does to help herself focus. This program also includes a time for questions from the audience.

New Friends (Cerebral Palsy)

Characters: Mark Riley, Melody James
Age Appropriate: K-6th grade

Melody meets Mark for the first time and assumes that because he is in a wheelchair, he must be sick. Mark explains that he has CP but can still do lots of things that other kids do, such as swim, ride a horse, and play basketball. This program also includes a time for questions from the audience.

At the Vet’s (Down Syndrome)

Characters: Ellen Jane Peterson, Brenda Dubrowski and Muffy
Age Appropriate: 2nd-6th grade

Brenda arrives at the vet’s office to pick up her dog Muffy, where she meets Ellen Jane, who has Down Syndrome. Brenda is worried that Ellen Jane doesn’t know how to care for her dog, so Brenda tries to take over. Brenda learns that it is harder than it looks, so Ellen Jane teaches her the right way to care for Muffy. Brenda quickly learns that Ellen Jane is just like any other teenager, and can learn to do most things by herself. This program also includes a time for questions from the audience.

New Cheers (Spina Bifida)

Characters: Valerie Perkins, Joanne Spinoza (K-6th)
Age Appropriate: K-6th grades

Joanne is practicing her cheer for tryouts when Valerie arrives to tryout too. Joanne is surprised that Valerie is trying out because Valerie has Spina Bifida, wears braces on her legs, and uses crutches to help her walk. After Valerie does her cheer for Joanne she realizes that Valerie’s cheer is really good. Both girls are called to tryout together, so they decide to use Valerie’s cheer. Valerie says, “There are some things that I can’t do, but there are TONS of things that I can do!” This program also includes a time for questions from the audience.

Campers (Visual Impairment/Cerebral Palsy)

Characters: Mark Riley, Renaldo Rodriguez
Age Appropriate: K-6th grades

Mark, who has CP, is getting ready to go camping with all of his friends. Then Renaldo, who is blind, catches Mark reading a map. He is surprised to learn that all of his friends are going camping but he wasn’t invited. Mark explains that he and his friends didn’t think that a blind person could go camping. Mark is surprised to learn that Renaldo goes camping all the time. Mark and Renaldo discuss how they do things differently, but that is okay because everyone does things in different ways. This program also includes a time for questions from the audience.

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