April 10, 2015
We’re wrapping up the first full week of Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time filled with planting pinwheel gardens to raise awareness, providing prevention trainings with partners in Alexandria and sharing our Kids Need Connections campaign materials with thousands across the region.
But it’s important we pause in our hectic schedules to remember why we do all of this work. Consider these statistics from Prevent Child Abuse Virginia:
- 1 baby is born in Virginia every 5 minutes.
- 1 child becomes homeless in Virginia every 14 minutes.
- 1 child drops out of school in Virginia every 60 minutes.
- Every 77 minutes, a child is abused or neglected in Virginia.
- In an average moment, there are 4,475 children in foster care in Virginia.
Our work focuses on Northern Virginia, and we know that some of the children in these statistics are OUR CHILDREN. They attend our schools, live in our neighborhoods, maybe even have dinner at our tables. They are the reason we do so much this month and all year long to focus on CONNECTION and PREVENTION.
April is an important month at SCAN, but not because we’ve filled our schedule with events and ordered extra pinwheels and have our name in local newspapers. It’s important because it’s a very special opportunity to change those statistics. To change the lives of our community’s children, whom we are all responsible for.
We hope you’ll help.
Wondering how you can get involved? Volunteer, plant a pinwheel garden or make a donation on April 22nd during Spring2Action, one incredible day of giving.