A call to action

Like every other community in America, the Fort Smith Region is currently experiencing a silent crisis – CHILD ABUSE.

This crisis has been going on for far longer than any of us have been alive. Most of us don’t see it, some of us don’t even hear of it, but it continues to do immeasurable damage to the human condition.

It is the cause of intolerable emotional suffering. It leaves emotional wounds on victims and their families with scars that often never fully heal. It often leads to drug abuse, dysfunctional relationships, depression, and even death. It robs our children of their innocence, it steals the beauty of childhood, and it can turn the joy of parenthood into a living nightmare.

The statistics now indicate close to 1 in 4 children in our community will be sexually abused before adulthood. That means for every 4 children you know, it is likely one of them has been or will be abused.

What can we do about this? How can we stop this?

There are no easy answers, but the only unacceptable answer is “NOTHING.”

On April 27 at 11 a.m., our community will once again come together to learn what we can do. Step Up Speak Out! will have a rally at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith campus green to educate and equip our community to stop child abuse. This will be a fun event for all ages with games for kids, live music, and free food. It is completely free and everyone is welcome.

More importantly, this will be an opportunity to learn how to protect children from abuse, how to identify abuse, and how to report it. It is no longer acceptable to “NOT KNOW.”

How do we stop child abuse? We have to first accept personal responsibility to protect all children in our community. If this is our community, these are OUR CHILDREN!

Once we as a community decide it is no longer acceptable to not know the signs of abuse and the dangers our children face, we will begin to stop them from being abused.

PLEASE come out on April 27 to help us fight to protect our children. We can only do this with your support!