Cherishing Our Children - The Villages
Cherishing Our Children - The Villages
Cherishing Our Children - The Villages
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13<br />
~ <strong>Cherishing</strong> the Mission of ~<br />
Mission<br />
As a Division of <strong>The</strong> <strong>Villages</strong>, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana serves as a catalyst for preventing child<br />
abuse in all its forms and thereby enhancing the quality of life for children and families in Indiana.<br />
Joining Forces<br />
Much of 2007 was spent on developing a shared relationship with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Villages</strong>, designed to strengthen<br />
and sustain the critical mission of Prevent Child Abuse. In March, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana<br />
joined <strong>The</strong> <strong>Villages</strong> as a separate division, while retaining its name, mission and role as a chapter<br />
of Prevent Child Abuse America. Together with <strong>The</strong> <strong>Villages</strong>, PCAI has continued to seek strategic<br />
partnerships and collaborations providing the Kids’ First Trust Fund Board and the Indiana Department<br />
of Child Services with the best “return on investment” of contract dollars. Additionally, the merger<br />
strengthened the visibility of PCAI through <strong>The</strong> <strong>Villages</strong>’ strong relationship with Healthy Families<br />
America and Prevent Child Abuse America.<br />
Creating Urgency<br />
Child welfare concerns in Indiana escalated to a state of crisis in 2007. <strong>The</strong> growing number of<br />
heartbreaking child abuse and neglect stories that made headlines illustrated an urgent need for<br />
parental support and intervention for at-risk families. Prevent Child Abuse Indiana championed a<br />
“think-tank” of solution-minded community leaders to work together on a new initiative called “Kids<br />
Can’t Wait,” designed to start a dialogue and community conversation to engage a broad number of<br />
vital stakeholders in this critical issue.<br />
Championing <strong>Children</strong><br />
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana continues to support its mission of preventing child abuse and<br />
enhancing the quality of life for children and families in Indiana in several ways:<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
•<br />
Education: Prevent Child Abuse Indiana works diligently to educate and empower parents and<br />
the general public by offering prevention education programs for a variety of audiences. Through<br />
educational conferences, workshops, presentations and special events, PCAI is sharing the<br />
important message that child abuse is preventable.<br />
Advocacy: Prevent Child Abuse Indiana continues to be a leading statewide voice advocating for<br />
laws, policies and programs that prevent child abuse. In 2007, PCAI advocated throughout the<br />
state by speaking to community officials, state-level elected officials and federal policy-makers,<br />
ensuring that children in Indiana have a voice and that their needs are being met.<br />
Chartered Councils: Prevent Child Abuse Indiana believes the most effective approach to<br />
reducing child abuse and neglect is to maintain a statewide network of volunteers to work on<br />
behalf of child abuse prevention in communities throughout Indiana. In 2007, Chartered Councils<br />
ensured that there is a unified and continuous voice advocating for child abuse prevention<br />
services and programs throughout Indiana.<br />
Public Awareness: Prevent Child Abuse Indiana continues to serve as the primary information<br />
resource on child abuse prevention for public officials, professionals, the media and the general<br />
public. April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month, “Cherish the <strong>Children</strong>,” provided an opportunity to<br />
raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and encouraged individuals and communities to<br />
support Hoosier children and families.