Raising awareness regarding child abuse and the important roles that community can play in helping keep our youth safe is vitally important. Community can make a huge difference in the process
A local Child Advocacy Center is located right here in North Platte, Nebraska; Bridge of Hope. They are devoted to giving children the safe space they need to tell their stories along with supporting them emotionally along the way. They also provide the necessary resources the child victims and family needs throughout these hard times. Mid-Plains United Way is proud to support Bridge of Hope and these children along their healing journey.
We now sit in the beginning of 2022, but 2021 was a very tough year for Bridge of Hope. Total unduplicated cases the advocacy center saw in 2021 was 439. This is astronomically higher than past years. Jennifer Calvin, Bridge of Hope Executive Director, stated, "it was definitely a record year of cases for the center." Years before that cases were averaging 350 per year. 310 out of the 439 cases wer of physical or sexual abuse. The rest were in the categories of neglect, witness to violence and drug endangered. Children aged 7-12 were of the highest child victim demographic. 2021 proved to be a challenging year for the center.
2022 has begun and Bridge of Hope has currently seen 54 unduplicated children year to date. We hope to see cases ring in at a much lower number by the end of 2022. Bridge of Hope's ultimate goal is for a child to be able to tell their story in a safe place. They also want to see child abuse/neglect tremendously decrease over the years. As your local Mid-Plains United Way, we want to see that happen as well. We want to make a change, but need your help.
To help stop child abuse today, please consider donating to:
Mid-Plains United Way
PO Box 172
North Platte, NE 69101