ChildSafe kicks-off National Child Abuse Prevention Month with dignitaries, partners and declares community-wide Cardboard Kids ‘Reveal’ Day
ChildSafe, Bexar County’s only Children’s Advocacy Center, will announce April as Child Abuse Prevention Month with dignitaries and local partners on Thursday, April 9, 1:30 pm at Brackenridge Park, Joske Pavilion, in addition to declaring that day as ‘Reveal Day’ for its community-wide Cardboard Kids campaign.
Those who work diligently on behalf of San Antonio’s families and children are part of the press conference, including: Kim Abernethy, ChildSafe CEO; Judge John Specia, Commissioner of Texas Department of Family and Protective Services; Susan Pamerleau, Bexar County Sheriff; Nico LaHood, Bexar County District Attorney; Anthony Treviño, San Antonio Police Chief, and Laura Vaccaro, Vice President, Community Relations of Valero Energy Foundation, this year’s sponsor of the Cardboard Kids campaign.
“Day in and day out, these individuals have the best interest of our children, families and community at heart, and we are standing together to show solidarity against child predators,” said Kim Abernethy, ChildSafe CEO.
As part of April, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, ChildSafe created Cardboard Kids to achieve a new level of awareness of child abuse by “putting a face” on it and engaging the community. Now in its second year, over 20,000 Cardboard Kids were distributed, representing the thousands of abused and neglected children in our community.
“Unfortunately, child abuse occurs across every demographic; it knows no boundaries, it happens everywhere,” said Kim Abernethy, ChildSafe CEO. “So ChildSafe created Cardboard Kids to illustrate the pervasiveness of the issue and the fact that every story is different and every child unique,” she said.
Citizens are asked to join in this effort by taking a photo of their Cardboard Kid or another they see in the community on April 9 and share it via social media using #cardboardkidsSA on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to build a dialogue about this pressing problem.
“Child abuse is an issue that is too big for one agency to tackle, rather we as a community must rally together to learn how to identify it, report it and zealously punish those who target and harm our most vulnerable citizens,” Abernethy said.
ChildSafe is Bexar County’s only Children’s Advocacy Center. Its staff performs forensic interviews, crisis intervention, case management services, counseling, and advanced therapy to aid in the healing of child victims of abuse and neglect. And they work with Child Protective Services, law enforcement, and prosecutors to bring perpetrators to justice.
To learn more about Cardboard Kids, visit www.cardboardkidsSA.com. For more information about ChildSafe, please visit www.childsafe-sa.org or call (210) 675-9000.
