As a member of the Norfolk Council for Family Empowerment (NCFE), Bright Horizons would like to inform you of the council’s upcoming awareness event. The NCFE and the Nebraska Early Learning Connections is hoping to bring awareness to Northeast Nebraska for Child Abuse Prevention Month. The two groups represent local Child Abuse Prevention Councils in Northeast Nebraska. The groups have come together for April, which is Child Abuse Prevention Month, to create a public display in the Sunset Plaza. The display consists of 450 pairs of shoes which represents investigated cases of child abuse in Northeast Nebraska. NCFE bases this number off of an average number of cases seen in 1 year by the Northeast Nebraska Child Advocacy Center. The groups want to reiterate that this is only a representation of the number of cases investigated; many of these cases are never investigated or reported. The child abuse cases represent sexual, physical, emotional/verbal, neglect and drug endangered children. The display also includes celebrity and author’s shoes that have chosen to support the work of the councils and have survived being abused as children. The hope is to bring a physical representation to the child abuse cases and spark action in the community to make a change.
NCFE and Early Learning Connections provide many opportunities throughout the year for community members to become educated and help prevent child abuse. One community training is Darkness to Light – Stewards of Children training which teaches adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Click on the links below to view upcoming training opportunities. Please take time to visit the display and take action to help prevent child abuse in Northeast Nebraska. If anyone in the community wants to become more involved or is interested in joining the council please [email protected].