April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, an annual observance dedicated to raising awareness and preventing child abuse.

April has been designated Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States since 1983, meaning communities have maintained their focus for 35 years to ensure teens and adults have happy, healthy childhoods to look back on.

At the local level, Family Resource Center of Northeast Georgia ? formerly named Prevent Child Abuse Habersham ? continues to offer classes and services to help create thriving families and nurtured children. Since its establishment years ago, the Family Resource Center has grown in its capabilities, today offering expanded services and facilities, like its new annex ? more space for even more families to get the help they need.

As a snapshot of Family Resource Center's impact, in only a month's time, it offers 18 different classes about parenting and child abuse, helps 55 victims of abuse receive therapeutic counseling, provides 110 hours of counseling to victims of adverse childhood experiences and gives 50 hours of professional coaching to parents working toward reunification with their children. Because of this, around 46 children receiving therapy gain improved coping skills and decreased anxiety, while 31 children have decreased feelings of abandonment by visiting their non-custodial parents consistently.

Beginning Friday and continuing in every Weekend edition this month, you'll hear from members of the community who are closer to the issue than many of us. Their stories will be shared on Page 5A, along with the Letters to the Editor we hope you'll submit in response to their messages and what preventing child abuse means to you.

Also, join us in taking a stand against child abuse by wearing blue April 6.

Though April lasts only 30 days, sadly, child abuse and neglect will still touch young lives day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year.

Enabling these children to lead happy and healthy lives paves the way for future successes as adults, who in turn, will do the same for their own children. What cause is more worthy than children in need?