The Kentucky Wesleyan College front lawn was filled with more than 200 guests and numerous organizations supporting the annual Stand Against Child Abuse event on Friday, with the event focused on raising awareness about the signs of child abuse and neglect.
Kristy James, GRADD’s Community Collaboration for Children Coordinator, said that the turnout was perfect for the event.
“This is our event for the community to bring everybody together and have a family fun night. The great thing is we can give resources from local agencies,” James said.
Along with the guests enjoying food, inflatables and a petting zoo, there were 35 different agencies from across the county and some parts of Western Kentucky specializing in child abuse support services.
CASA of Ohio Valley, a non-profit organization that specializes in aiding children who have been abused, was able to meet new members of the community.
McLean County Program Manager Terri Coke said that most people she ran across had an idea of what CASA, is but did not know really know what the nonprofit actually does.
“It’s very important that we show up to these events because we’re always in our own world and we think everybody’s heard of us, but when we come up to things like this, we find out not everybody has heard of this before,” Coke said.
James said that hosting the event is something she looks forward to every year.
“I’ve been in social work practice for 19 years and it is just a great way to bring families together in a positive way and show community support,” James said.
