National Children's Alliance Launches One With Courage Nationwide

National Campaign Raises Awareness of the Signs of Child Abuse and Reporting Abuse When Suspected

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In conjunction with April 2012 and National Child Abuse Prevention Month, National Children's Alliance has announced the nationwide rollout of the One With Courage campaign. One With Courage is the first-ever national public awareness initiative centered on the courage it takes to talk about child abuse, learn the signs of abuse, and report abuse when suspected. In addition, One With Courage educates the public on the important role Children's Advocacy Centers play in providing comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to child victims of abuse.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20091028/NCALOGO )

As the national accrediting body and membership association for Children's Advocacy Centers around the country, National Children's Alliance has made this campaign accessible and customizable for its members serving communities nationwide. Resources are also available online (www.OneWithCourage.org) to the general public, encouraging local communities to educate themselves on the signs of abuse and be the one with courage to speak up.

Why One With Courage? Because it takes tremendous courage for young victims to come forward and talk about the abuse they've experienced. It takes courage for adults to recognize the signs of abuse and report suspected abuse. And it will take courage for all of us to engage in an open dialogue about child abuse.

As stated by Teresa Huizar, Executive Director of National Children's Alliance, "As a leading organization in the industry of child abuse intervention and prevention, we believe strongly in the courage it takes to stand up for our children and protect them from abuse. While this issue is being brought to the forefront of discussion during National Child Abuse Prevention Month, it is our hope that the One With Courage campaign will assist our country in continuing the conversation year-round. Without the proper knowledge of how to recognize abuse and how to report abuse when suspected, our public will never be informed enough to protect our country's children."

Originating in Texas, One With Courage was created by the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas, Inc. In 2011, National Children's Alliance selected One With Courage as its Public Awareness Campaign Winner – resulting in a number of the campaign resources being made available for customization and use in communities around the country.

As of April 2012, 20 states had launched customized versions of One With Courage, with a number of other states planning launches for later in 2012. The following states currently are running One With Courage campaigns:

Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
Colorado
Georgia
Iowa
Idaho
Illinois
Kansas
Massachusetts
North Dakota
Nebraska
New York
Ohio
Oregon
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wisconsin
West Virginia

For more information about National Children's Alliance and the April 2012 nationwide rollout of One With Courage, visit www.nationalchildrensalliance.org. And for more information about the resources available as a result of the One With Courage campaign, visit www.OneWithCourage.org.

National Children's Alliance is the national association and accrediting body for the over 750 children's advocacy centers serving each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Dedicated to helping local communities respond to allegations of child abuse in ways that are effective and efficient, and put the needs of child victims of abuse first, National Children's Alliance provides support and advocacy to its accredited membership, as well as numerous developing centers, multidisciplinary teams and child abuse professionals around the country, and the world. As the national authority on multidisciplinary approaches to supporting child victims of abuse, the purpose of National Children's Alliance is to empower local communities to provide comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse. Founded in 1998, National Children's Alliance provides accreditation opportunities, financial assistance, training, technical assistance, research and education to communities, child abuse professionals and children's advocacy centers throughout the United States in support of child abuse intervention, advocacy and prevention.

SOURCE National Children's Alliance