Can I Get a Signal Boost?
Please? Just copy, paste, and post. I don't care if you credit me or not. I just want to get the word about about these organizations and hope that something good and productive happens for a change, instead of the typical pattern of bitching and then forgetting when the next sexy new drama comes along.
Perhaps you've seen the groups requesting that you turn on your porch light, light a candle, or do some other small act to show support for Caylee Anthony and honor her memory. Perhaps you're one of those outraged or grieving souls who have done so.
It's a kind gesture, but it's just that: a gesture.
It will have no lasting impact and does nothing to change the plight of other children, present and future, in similar situations. I assure you that for every high profile case like this, there are scores more that go unreported by the media. Maybe they're not from the right socioeconomic bracket or they're not the right color or they're just not as photogenic--whatever the reason is, they are every bit as deserving of your passion, your interest and involvement, as she was.
There are many children WHERE YOU LIVE who suffer neglect, physical/sexual abuse, or are murdered by their caregivers, but they go unknown and unacknowledged except by those who know them directly or who work in the field. It's too late to save to Caylee, but YOU CAN HELP THESE OTHER CHILDREN.
Those of you in the US, I strongly encourage you donate your money or your time to your local CASA or Exchange Club. You CAN make the difference in the life of a child. You can PROTECT a child.
http://www.casaforchildren.org
CASA volunteers are court-appointed advocates for children who have been removed from their families due to abuse or neglect. You don't have to be a lawyer, social worker, counselor, etc. You just have to care enough to provide support for a child during court proceedings and advocate for that child's best interests. There are 955 programs across the country, and "last year, more than 75,000 CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers helped 240,000 abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes."
http://www.preventchildabuse.com/
http://www.nationalexchangeclub.org/
The National Exchange Club is a 100-year-old service organization with 700 clubs across the country. It supports many programs, with its national service project being the prevention of child abuse. I volunteered with my local Exchange Club Family Center for 8 months, working with child victims of domestic violence, neglect, and physical/sexual abuse. It sounds hard, and it was sometimes, but it was also the most rewarding experience of my life to date. The staff are good people, and it's a safe, joyful, hopeful place.
YOU are strong enough to do this too. You ARE. I believe in you. The children will believe in you, and the children will remember you and thank you for being there for them when they needed you.
If you cannot give time--and I know it can be a big commitment--give money or clothes, food, toiletries, other necessities for the children. Call your local centers and ask what they need. Programs of this nature are nearly constantly underfunded and they can always use more.
What happened to Caylee--whatever the truth may be--was tragic. The greater tragedy is to focus on her to the exclusion of other children who are still alive and can still be saved. There is so much you can do, and it need not be a great sacrifice for you. Little bits add up quickly and are appreciated more than you know.
Please copy this and keep it going to spread the word about these organizations. It's no harder than flipping a lightswitch, and if even one new person sends money or decides to volunteer it'll do far more good than your porch light ever could.
Perhaps you've seen the groups requesting that you turn on your porch light, light a candle, or do some other small act to show support for Caylee Anthony and honor her memory. Perhaps you're one of those outraged or grieving souls who have done so.
It's a kind gesture, but it's just that: a gesture.
It will have no lasting impact and does nothing to change the plight of other children, present and future, in similar situations. I assure you that for every high profile case like this, there are scores more that go unreported by the media. Maybe they're not from the right socioeconomic bracket or they're not the right color or they're just not as photogenic--whatever the reason is, they are every bit as deserving of your passion, your interest and involvement, as she was.
There are many children WHERE YOU LIVE who suffer neglect, physical/sexual abuse, or are murdered by their caregivers, but they go unknown and unacknowledged except by those who know them directly or who work in the field. It's too late to save to Caylee, but YOU CAN HELP THESE OTHER CHILDREN.
Those of you in the US, I strongly encourage you donate your money or your time to your local CASA or Exchange Club. You CAN make the difference in the life of a child. You can PROTECT a child.
http://www.casaforchildren.org
CASA volunteers are court-appointed advocates for children who have been removed from their families due to abuse or neglect. You don't have to be a lawyer, social worker, counselor, etc. You just have to care enough to provide support for a child during court proceedings and advocate for that child's best interests. There are 955 programs across the country, and "last year, more than 75,000 CASA and guardian ad litem (GAL) volunteers helped 240,000 abused and neglected children find safe, permanent homes."
http://www.preventchildabuse.com/
http://www.nationalexchangeclub.org/
The National Exchange Club is a 100-year-old service organization with 700 clubs across the country. It supports many programs, with its national service project being the prevention of child abuse. I volunteered with my local Exchange Club Family Center for 8 months, working with child victims of domestic violence, neglect, and physical/sexual abuse. It sounds hard, and it was sometimes, but it was also the most rewarding experience of my life to date. The staff are good people, and it's a safe, joyful, hopeful place.
YOU are strong enough to do this too. You ARE. I believe in you. The children will believe in you, and the children will remember you and thank you for being there for them when they needed you.
If you cannot give time--and I know it can be a big commitment--give money or clothes, food, toiletries, other necessities for the children. Call your local centers and ask what they need. Programs of this nature are nearly constantly underfunded and they can always use more.
What happened to Caylee--whatever the truth may be--was tragic. The greater tragedy is to focus on her to the exclusion of other children who are still alive and can still be saved. There is so much you can do, and it need not be a great sacrifice for you. Little bits add up quickly and are appreciated more than you know.
Please copy this and keep it going to spread the word about these organizations. It's no harder than flipping a lightswitch, and if even one new person sends money or decides to volunteer it'll do far more good than your porch light ever could.