HARRISBURG, Penn.–Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, the state leader in child abuse prevention, and its leading sponsors, including PSCU, said they will return to the annual tradition of honoring PA Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids recipients this spring.
The PA Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids are individuals who volunteer or work with children and who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to #ProtectPAKids from neglect and abuse.
PFSA will honor these individuals throughout April, nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Every week during April will be devoted to honoring one PA Blue Ribbon Champion. PFSA will debut a video detailing the recipient’s story and why the individual has advocated for children and made a difference in their lives. Blue Ribbon Champions have been chosen by a team of independent judges.
PFSA will host weekly virtual webinars featuring experts in the field of child welfare who will share best practices for supporting families and protecting our most vulnerable citizens. PFSA will also unveil an interactive map featuring county-specific child abuse data to demonstrate the statewide impact of child abuse and neglect. The weekly series will conclude with a moving tribute to the 51 children who lost their lives as a result of child abuse in 2019.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Annual Child Protective Services Report, 51 children in the Commonwealth died of child abuse in 2019. A total of 4,865 children were victims of abuse, including 93 children who suffered near-fatal injuries.
“With the PA Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids Awards, we’re coming together as a Pennsylvania community to recognize and thank individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure our children are safe from harm while also raising awareness of this very serious issue,” said PSECU President and CEO George Rudolph. “As a credit union, PSECU follows the ‘people helping people’ philosophy. Our support of Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance and these recipients is a demonstration of that commitment; on behalf of our more than 475,000 members across the state and beyond, we’re excited to be involved in this very important program.”