TEXARKANA -- At 10 a.m. on Aug. 13, local volunteers and community members will join Texarkana Children's Advocacy Center and CASA for Children Texarkana in taking a stand against child abuse with the first-ever Save Jane event.
Leaders from the Texarkana community will read the names and ages of over 1,200 children who were reported as abused and received services through the Children's Advocacy Center and CASA in 2019. The reading of these names will be shown on the groups' Facebook pages.
Because these children are minors and their identities must be protected, "Jane Doe" and "John Doe" will be used in place of their names, according to a news release.
The Save Jane inaugural event launched in Dallas last year. This is the first year for the Children's Advocacy Center and CASA to join in the awareness effort. They would like to invite everyone to view this event live on their Facebook page.
"The Children's Advocacy Center and CASA hope that through Save Jane, Texarkana and the surrounding areas we serve will recognize the absolute magnitude and prevalence of child abuse -- it is everywhere you look," said Brandy Eldridge, executive director. "It will take over an hour of non-stop reading to name each child who came through our center last year. That is simply unacceptable. We will never stop fighting for these kids who have suffered unspeakable abuse. The Children's Advocacy Center will continue to do our work, but we need the community's help."
The mission of Northeast Texas CASA is to provide hope, healing, and justice by advocating for abused and neglected children through comprehensive services at the Texarkana Children's Advocacy Center and CASA for Children.
CASA and TCAC serve over 1,000 abused and neglected children each year that include cases of physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, human trafficking and witness to violent crimes.
Save Jane is a child abuse awareness event that was launched by Dallas Children's Advocacy Center in 2019 with the goal of spreading awareness about the magnitude of child abuse and about the organizations working in the field. To learn more, visit dcac.org, savejane.com or search #SAVEJANE.
- From CASA for Children Texarkana and the Texarkana Children's Advocacy Center