April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Elkins, WV – March 23, 2015 – During the month of April each year, we turn our focus to child abuse awareness and prevention right here at home. On Friday April 10, Randolph-Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center will be hosting the third annual Champions for Children event at Orchard Hall in Elkins. Social hour will begin with appetizers at 6:00 pm, with a full dinner served at 6:30. The men and women of St. Patrick’s Church of Coalton, longtime supporters and dedicated volunteers for the CAC, will prepare lasagna with meatballs as our main course this year. Attendees will enjoy musical entertainment from local youth during dinner, followed by an awards ceremony to honor individuals and organizations in three award categories: Professional, Community Partners, and Samaritans. We’ll round out the evening with a live auction of arts, crafts, and gift packages.
Randolph-Tucker CAC is part of a national movement to change the way we respond to concerns about child maltreatment. That movement began in the 1980s in Alabama and has spread across the county over the past three decades. Children’s Advocacy Centers across the country provide a child-friendly setting where children can talk about their experiences. CACs use a team approach to respond to child abuse, working together with professionals in law enforcement, child protection, mental health, and healthcare to coordinate investigations and ongoing support, treatment, and advocacy at no cost to families. The map of CACs in the United States currently shows 777 active programs, with more being added each year. Randolph and Tucker counties were added to that map in 2003 and we’re proud to say that our community was one of the first in West Virginia to establish a Children’s Advocacy Center.
The Champions for Children event is an opportunity to come together to celebrate the remarkable contributions of professionals, volunteers, individuals, and organizations in our community who have helped support the CAC and its partners to serve our most vulnerable citizens, the children in Randolph and Tucker counties. Please join us as we celebrate!
This year, we won’t be announcing our award winners until the night of the event. Come show your support and find out who are this year’s Champions for Children!
The public is encouraged to attend and children are welcome. Get your tickets or make a donation to the event online at www.rtcac.com/events or contact the CAC office to make a reservation by calling 304.630.2214.
For more information, please visit www.rtcac.com
