February 23, 2021
April 1, 2020–SCAN of Northern Virginia today announced it has received a $10,000 grant from AT&T that will support its work this April, during Child Abuse Prevention Month. As SCAN’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month Sponsor, AT&T is providing critical funding and helping to raise awareness at a pivotal moment for the children of Northern Virginia.
“Unfortunately, we anticipate that incidences of child abuse and neglect will skyrocket because of the COVID-19 epidemic,” said Leah Fraley, SCAN’s Executive Director. “But we have an opportunity this month—during National Child Abuse Prevention Month—to make sure our community is aware of this threat and empowered to protect children and support parents when they need it most.”
AT&T’s support will allow SCAN to develop more resources for families, as well as distribute them to more communities.
“Now more than ever, SCAN’s work on behalf of children is vital. This support will enable them to protect children and families facing great challenges,” said Garrett McGuire, AT&T’s regional director for External Affairs in Virginia.
In addition to dozens of resources that will be available on SCAN’s website and social media channels, SCAN and AT&T are inviting community members to raise awareness of child abuse prevention by participating in Wear Blue Day on Friday, April 3rd. Participants are encouraged to take a photo, share it on social media, and use the hashtag #wearbluedayVA. (SCAN will be re-posting images with @scanofnova, @ATT, and @ATTimpact.)
AT&T has rolled out individuals to help parents, children and educators during this pandemic, including a Distance Learning and Family Connections Fund that helps organizations like Khan Academy improve and expand online learning resources to meet the growing demand from parents, teachers and students; 60 days of free access and unlimited usage of Caribu, a video-calling application that allows family members to read, draw, and play games with one another while at different locations; and TIME for Kids will remove their paywall through the end of the school year, digitize their product and launch a library of digital magazines that would become available to everyone.
About SCAN
SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia is the only region-wide organization focused on preventing child abuse and neglect. We believe every child deserves a safe, stable, nurturing home. Keeping children safe and helping them thrive require a continuum of prevention programs that engage families, professionals, and community members. With a core focus on the wellbeing of every child — and a deep understanding of the complexity of child development, abuse, and trauma — we work to empower the four groups surrounding a child:
- Families, including parents and other caregivers
- Advocates for children, especially for those already in the court system
- Child welfare professionals, such as CPS workers and educators
- Community members
We believe every one of these groups is on the front lines of prevention, and SCAN’s role is to engage and empower these adults to take an active role in the protection of children.
Learn more at www.scanva.org