ADVANCING THE COMMON GOOD
KARE
(Kids Advocacy Resource Effort)
Through community awareness activities, prevention education, parent education, victim services and family support, KARE seeks to reduce the rate of child abuse and neglect in Haywood County and to provide services to children and families affected by abuse and neglect.
An important program that KARE administers is a child personal safety program in the elementary schools of Haywood County.Because of the partnership with United Way, KARE has the opportunity to speak with almost 3500 children each year and potentially change a child’s life.
A kindergarten student, after attending a KARE personal safety class, thought about what was happening in his life. The child learned from listening in the class that he can say NO and confide in a trusted adult about the sexual abuse he was experiencing. With this new knowledge, the child was able to tell his parents. The parents immediately made a report which ended the child’s abuse.
The school program has the opportunity to reach many children each year. A child in Haywood County schools may hear an age appropriate safety talk each year for 6 consecutive years. Teaching our children to say NO, get away and tell a trusted adult is a critical step in curbing child abuse. Programs such as this, along with other KARE programs, and the children of Haywood County depend on the partnership with United Way to continue this message.
For more information, visit KARE on the web.