April is Child Abuse Awareness Month!
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Your Help is Needed to Spread the Word!
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Select an Action Step Below! Make a Difference!
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a non profit 501(c)3
Because of you and our simple MISSION, more
kids are being protected, more adult survivors served!
NAASCA has a single purpose, to address issues related to childhood abuse and trauma including sexual assault, violent or physical abuse, emotional traumas and neglect .. and we do so from two specific perspectives
:
- educating the public, especially as related to getting society over the taboo of discussing childhood sexual abuse, presenting the facts that show child abuse to be a pandemic, worldwide problem that affects everyone
- offering hope for healing through numerous paths, providing many services to adult survivors of child abuse and information for anyone interested in the many issues involving prevention, intervention and recovery
Building a survivor / activist / professional community ... because
together we can do what we cannot do alone
.
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Welcome to the March 2019 Newsletter
Thank you for subscribing to NAASCA's newsletter mailing list!
Please encourage others to get in touch by suggesting they
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This month's newsletter theme is:
Get ready for April,
'Child Abuse Awareness Month'
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April is Child Abuse Awareness Month
- Build community support for awareness and prevention of child abuse
- Take action in support of children in your neighborhood - see below
April 3rd is National Day of Hope
- National Day of Hope is a holiday held as part of the National Child Abuse Prevention Month to raise awareness and to mobilize everyone across America to join in the fight against child abuse and neglect.
- Your action will make a difference in the life of a child
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We're building a survivor / activist community!
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April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month!
NAASCA is pleased to announce our participation in 'National Child Abuse Awareness Month' this April.
A helpful 2019 Resource Guide from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, including actions that you can take as an individual, family, and neighborhood to prevent child abuse, has been placed on the NAASCA website. Please download the PDF from the NAASCA page link below. Let's all make a difference this April!
Please click this link and download your Resource Guide:
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We Each Make a Difference! Check Out What You Can Do Throughout April to Spread Awareness!
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Preventing child abuse is an overwhelming topic that may seem too big to tackle, but there are actions you can take individually, as a group, and/or as a community that can have major impacts.
Here are a few ideas:
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Speak out about child abuse prevention from your own experience as a survivor, or knowing of survivors, and the lifelong impact such abuse has had – offer to present at your local faith community, Rotary Club, Eagles, Elks, Kiwanis group meetings, libraries, radio, TV, Chamber of Commerce, etc.
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Write about child abuse prevention for your local faith community bulletin, newspaper, online newsletter, blogs, Facebook, and other social media
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Create a Parent Café and/or Community Café in your community – set up a casual café environment in a community center, school, or faith center, with small tables of 6-8 people and food, tablecloths, flowers, and other bright accessories; encourage parents and other community members to participate.
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Plan a neighborhood family game night for parents to play with their children and other neighbors, or a neighborhood family craft night for parents to create crafts with their children and other neighbors – both activities create a sense of community and support for the children
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Create a map showing people, businesses, and agencies that are sources of support for the children in your community
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Plan a neighborhood potluck to introduce families to others in the community with whom they can talk or gain support
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Develop and distribute a flyer about calling 2-1-1 (if available in your community) to find resources for a specific need –
www.211.org
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Create, or partner with your library, a lending library of picture books about coping with different emotions, for parents to read with their children
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Coordinate with local schools, faith communities, and businesses to start a regular “Parent’s Day” celebration, Health Fair, or Street Fair – with emphasis on keeping children safe
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Assist faith communities and school teachers to recognize signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect, and how to report their findings for the benefit of the child
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Ask your faith community to take a stand publicly on their dedication to supporting families and protecting children
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Identify ways an employee volunteer program could support safe and healthy families and protect children in their community
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The Health and Human Services document, described above, includes all these – plus hundreds more – ideas for each individual, group, and community to take part in the concerted effort to prevent child abuse, of any form, in their community. Let April 2019 be the nationwide implementation of individual and community programs dedicated to the safety and protection of children, which are carried forth through the remainder of the years beyond.
Share Your Action!
Please share your plans, actions, and results of your individual, group, and community child abuse prevention programs with the
Public
and/or
Closed
NAASCA Facebook groups.
No action you take is too small or insignificant – just as no child is too insignificant to need our help. We can learn from each other by sharing our actions in support of children.
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Monthly Spotlight On A Fabulous NAASCA Volunteer !
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Late in 2015 NAASCA officially became a non-profit charity after being a grassroots effort for a decade. NAASCA relies solely on volunteers to offer our
30 Entirely FREE Services
, programs, tools, resources, and social media efforts available to anyone, anywhere in the world, anytime.
Many refer to our participants as "Members of the NAASCA Family." To us, everyone matters.
We want to highlight our
Primary Volunteers
who offer their skills and creativity with ongoing commitment to specific tasks.
This month we are very excited to introduce Misty Livingston, who serves as NAASCA's Ambassador to Arizona!! She's also been responsible for our earlier Newsletters, and we're delighted to have this opportunity to thank her for it!
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Meet Misty Livingston
(Arizona, USA)
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When asked how she became involved with NAASCA, Misty responded:
"In July 2017, I had just disclosed to my family about the child sexual abuse I suffered from my uncle, which led to a huge backlash from my family. I felt lost and was looking for support, because I didn’t want to keep that part of my life a secret anymore. Terri Lanahan was the first NAASCA member I talked with. We shared our stories and I joined the Ambassador program that Terri was just starting. Soon, after talking with Bill Murray, I started doing the NAASCA newsletter in September 2017, after sharing my story as a special guest on the NAASCA radio show. I enjoy the creativity of the newsletter formatting and writing articles."
What is it like being an Ambassador?
"As the Arizona Ambassador, I created a Facebook page called 'Abuse Awareness and Advocacy in Arizona' where I post information about organizations in Arizona that support at-risk kids, provide resources for parents to get help, post all related events happening in Arizona with links to the event page, include educational clips (for example, a bill regarding child abuse), and other informational, educational and outreach material."
"I also formed a Facebook Discussion Group, also called 'Abuse Awareness and Advocacy in Arizona' where people could post anything related to child abuse, such as advocacy for child abuse issues involving cases occurring in Arizona. The posts include articles to train parents (e.g., what is 'grooming') and what people can do to get involved in the community. The Discussion Group is open to anyone; they don’t have to live in Arizona to participate in the discussions. The focus is on child abuse education, information, and community involvement. I post on the Discussion Group page several times a week.
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"I am also available to people who need extra support or want to talk. If the caller is in Arizona, I point him or her to resources in Arizona, although I cannot recommend specific resources. Some of the callers hear me speak on the NAASCA radio show and want to talk about something that triggered them during the broadcast. I am happy to inform, educate, and support all people who contact me."
Misty also participates on our six night a week "Stop Child Abuse Now" talk radio shows
Another part of Misty's volunteerism includes occasionally participating (sometimes with her husband, Tom) on NAASCA's live streaming talk radio shows six nights a week (every night except Saturday).
We encourage our Ambassadors to show their support by occasionally joining the shows as panelists, and to tell others about this service.
The shows feature different formats and are hosted by a number of trained volunteers. We always provide an opportunity for the community to participate by calling our dedicated phone number:
646 / 595-2118
All our shows air LIVE at 8pm EST and last 90 minutes.
Want to reach Misty? Email her at:
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NAASCA is Grateful to All Our Members and Volunteers !
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We Need YOU!
We Need Each Other!
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Fighting For Kids,
Serving Adult Survivors
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Did you know that NAASCA is
entirely staffed by non-paid volunteers
including the Board of Directors?
All the services, programs, tools, resources, and social media efforts that we offer entirely
FREE
to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the world are staffed by volunteers from our NAASCA family!
It literally would not be possible without
YOU
.
There are many ways you can volunteer with NAASCA. If you have a little time or a lot, your help is greatly appreciated and needed. Check out our list of available positions here:
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Check Out NAASCA's Promotions and Fundraising Tools !
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Have You Listened to Our Talk Radio Show Lately ?
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Sunday through Friday evenings we broadcast an internet-based live streaming talk show. This is one of the best
FREE
SERVICES we offer to our NAASCA members!
All shows start at
8pm EST
so that's
7pm CEN
,
6pm MTN
&
5pm PAC
.
We really want to hear from you!
Anyone can participate or just listen to the show by calling:
(646) 595-2118
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Are You a Survivor of Child Abuse Looking for Support ?
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In need of support in your local community?
NAASCA provides listings for your local area in our
Recovery Groups and Services
page.
We have gathered ALL the English speaking recovery groups and services we can find,
not only in
North America but from around the world. This list can connect you with numerous agencies, therapy, support groups and other resources in your local area.
Looking for support after hours or from home?
Can't find a group you can get to easily or want to connect when it is after business hours? Needing a way to talk about your story but want to stay anonymous? We also provide a link to another separate listing for
Online Groups and Services
, for Internet-based recovery groups.
As you can imagine, keeping this listing current and updated is a huge task. You can help other survivors find the support they need. Submit updates for the
Recovery Groups List
to Carolin O'Hara:
Submit any updates for the
Online Resource List
to Valerie:
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You are not alone, and never have to be, a day at a time!
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All members of NAASCA are part of our 'NAASCA family', and that's not just something we say. We care about each other and that includes YOU.
We want you to feel comfortable reaching out to any of our volunteers, with any of your questions about what NAASCA offers, or for help navigating the website.
Even if you simply want someone to talk to when you are dealing with a difficult moment in your recovery as a survivor... we are here for you.
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Some are listed as night owls, some as available 24/7, others are part of our International community. Try it!
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A Note from Our Founder and CEO:
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Healing from child abuse and trauma can be a very lonely journey .. but you'll never be alone again, a day at a time, if you don't want to be !!
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NAASCA belongs to no other group and receives no outside funding. We're self-supporting through our own members' voluntary contributions.
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Please consider a one time
or recurring donation
.
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Thanking you for all you do in the fight against child abuse and trauma and welcoming you to engage with your NAASCA family, I remain, as always,
Yours in service,
Bill Murray
, Founder and CEO
National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse.
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