There were 39 individuals at the initial meeting of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana on October 5th and on Monday night, for their second meeting they had a similar number of citizens, although many were new faces since this one was in the evening.
Like the initial meeting, they had community members from all professions and walks of life. The meeting Monday was in the format of a community forum in which community members spoke of the need for prevention.
Sandy Runkle, education director for Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, presented information about primary prevention- focusing on community awareness and education across the entire community as a whole, not at targeted populations. Additionally, their goal is not to convince people that child maltreatment exists… studies show community members are aware of that. Haley Kittrell, the CASA Director for Marshall County said, “What people want is a solution and that is prevention.”
The next step will be an organizing meeting for those who wish to be active council members. Most councils meet once a month. Those who wish to be involved but cannot commit to monthly meetings can still be involved and are much needed for events and other activities which will be decided by the council. If you have not been to a meeting but wish to be involved, please contact Kittrell at haleyk@co.marshall.in.us.
