An event scheduled for Saturday, April 24 at Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton will bring attention to the 3,000 children abused in the SAW region in 2020.
For six hours, volunteers from Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County will read the names and ages of over 3,000 children who were reported as abused in SAW area in 2020. Because these children are minors and their identities must be protected, “Jane Doe” and “John Doe” will be used in place of their names.
The Save Jane inaugural event launched in Dallas last year. This is the first year for Valley Children’s Advocacy Center to join in the awareness effort.
“Valley Children’s Advocacy Center hopes that through the Save Jane event, community members will recognize the absolute magnitude and prevalence of child abuse in our community. It is an issue that truly knows no bounds and impacts children across all demographics,” VCAC Executive Director Rebecca Simmons said.
“It will take six hours of non-stop reading to name each child who was abused last year. It is simply unacceptable for that many children in our community to have been affected by some form of abuse. But we will take this time to honor each individual child and the experience they have endured.
“We never stop fighting for the children who have suffered unspeakable abuse. The Valley Children’s Advocacy Center will continue to do our work, but child abuse is a community problem and making a meaningful change requires a community response,” Simmons said.
The Valley Children’s Advocacy Center welcomes all Staunton, Augusta County, and Waynesboro community members to participate in this impactful event by reading a selection of names. To volunteer, email Charle’ Johnson at [email protected].
To learn more, visit dcac.org, savejane.com or search #SAVEJANE.
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Chris Graham
