LAKE COUNTY — April is Child Abuse Prevention Month (CAP Month) throughout Michigan and the nation, and this year the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) has adopted the slogan, “Stand UP for Kids.”
The Stand UP for Kids initiative asserts that in our communities we can Stand UP for Kids to protect children from abuse and neglect before it occurs. It encourages every citizen to take action toward providing the support and assistance that all families need to thrive.
In April, and throughout the year, the Stand UP for Kids campaign will highlight prevention strategies and raise awareness of the effects of child abuse and neglect on the children of our community, state and nation.
One of our primary prevention strategies is to create supportive environments that empower parents and help them to access the tools they need to raise their children in safe, loving, and nurturing homes. These efforts need to take place throughout our communities, in our neighborhoods, workplaces, libraries, shopping centers, faith-based organizations, community agencies, school and clubs.
When we Stand UP for Kids together, we can do anything! No one person can do everything, but everyone can do something. And together, we can do anything!
WHAT IS CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND?
The Michigan Children’s Trust Fund is the Michigan chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA). In Lake County, the Children’s Trust Fund council is called the Lake County Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, also called the Lake County Children’s Trust Fund. Our goal is to help assure that all children experience the great childhoods that they deserve by sponsoring programs and providing resources to prevent child abuse and neglect in Lake County.
Just a few of the programs sponsored by CTF:
• Hosting Safety Day every summer;
• Hosting safe Trunk or Treat at Baldwin Schools;
• Providing free diaper bags to families in need through WIC and the Maternal Infant Health program;
• Providing free pack and plays and other safe sleep materials to families with young children.
• Providing school supplies and back packs to Baldwin Schools and local families;
• Providing car seats and sponsoring car seat clinics; and
• Sponsoring a summer program through Staircase.
We also are asking everyone to wear blue every Friday for the rest of April and share the tag, #StandUPfor Kids on your Facebook page to show your support.
The Lake County Children’s Trust Fund meets monthly to plan and brainstorm ways that we can support the community. We are always looking for new faces and new ideas, if you would like to be involved or attend any of our meetings, please contact Kim Loop or Hayley Jones at 231-745-4614, for more information.
— Written by Hayley Jones, treasurer for the Lake County Children’s Trust Fund
