Alcoa gives child abuse prevention materials

A generous grant from Alcoa Foundation to Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas will ensure that the Fannin County Children’s Center continues providing critical child abuse prevention education in Fannin County by underwriting the purchase of materials for a nationally recognized program: Stewards of Children – Darkness to Light. Materials have been distributed to children’s advocacy centers throughout the state.

Stewards of Children is a nationally recognized sexual abuse prevention program that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The program targets adult caregivers, teachers, and others entrusted with caring for children in organizations that serve children and youth, such as schools, day camps, and churches. The program specifically targets the development and adoption of policies ensuring a child-safe environment, including the importance of screening staff/volunteers who work with children and adolescents, the importance of a well conceived one-adult/one-child policy, acting responsibly to incidences of child sexual abuse, and the proactive role youth-serving organizations need to take to protect children and educate their communities about child sexual abuse.

Alcoa Foundation actively invests in the quality of life in Alcoa communities worldwide, combining funding with hands on support from active employee volunteers. Its grants focus on global and local needs in over 30 countries helping communities, building partnerships, and changing lives. Throughout its history, Alcoa Foundation has been a source of positive community change and enhancement, with over $465 million invested since 1952. Alcoa has manufacturing and business locations throughout Texas and several Alcoa plants have provided individual Alcoa Foundation grants to local CAC’s in the past.

“Helping Texas adults to become more educated about sexual abuse prevention is of vital importance. We are fortunate to have the resources of Alcoa Foundation to fund programs to protect Texas children” said Mike Cooper of Alcoa’s public affairs team.

The Fannin County Children’s Center began offering the Stewards of Children program in Fannin County last year. Executive Director Sandy Barber is an authorized facilitator of the program. More than seventy adults have already completed the class.

“In these challenging times, prevention programming is often the first service to be reduced or eliminated due to cost, so we are particularly gratified to have the support of Alcoa Foundation for this vital service” said Barber. “This gift has allowed us to reduce the price of the three hour training class from $25 per person to $10 per person.”

Three more training classes have been scheduled at the Children’s Center on April 30, May 4 and June 9. Training classes can also be scheduled at local churches, businesses or youth-serving organizations.

For more information, go to www.fanninccc.org. To register for a class or schedule a prevention presentation for your school or business contact Sandy Barber at (903) 583-4339.