Let’s keep Southwest Florida children safe in the community

A staggering 1 in 5 children in the U S will be abused by the time they are 18 With April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida is educating the community and raising awareness about how to help prevent child maltreatment The initiative is rooted in communities working together to serve children and their families in meaningful and impactful ways that provide families with what they need to thrive through both calm and challenging times

For over 40 years, the CAC has worked to improve the lives of children and their families through a coordinated response to child abuse and neglect by offering them a safe environment in which to heal We have provided thousands of children with free abuse determination services, pet therapy, therapeutic counseling, parenting education, advocacy, and prevention programs in Lee, Hendry, Glades and Charlotte counties

In 2022 alone, the CAC Family Alliance Program provided nearly 2,130 therapy hours to victims of abuse serving over 300 adults and children The Child Protection Team worked with over 1,500 children by providing forensic interviews and medical exams

The Community Outreach Programs trained over 100 individuals on abuse prevention education, in hopes o f e x t e n d i n g k n o w l e d g e throughout Southwest Florida on the signs and symptoms of abuse and how to report it

According to the Children’s Bureau of the U S Department of Health and Human Services, in 2021, about 17% of child abuse reports were made by friends, neighbors and relatives, and the rest were made by professionals such as educators or law enforcement One of the CAC’s community outreach programs, Kayla's Club, u t i l i z e s t h e M o n i q u e B u r r Foundation’s prevention education program, empowering youth with safety rules and strategies to prevent, recognize and respond a p p r o p r i a t e l y t o b u l l y i n g , c y b e r b u l l y i n g , child abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and digital dangers We recently implemented the program in local schools, and six students have already spoken up about incidents of abuse and bullying

Julie Boudreaux Guest Commentary

grams In Southwest Florida, w e c a n c o n t r i b u t e t o t h i s nationwide initiative and minimize the likelihood of child m a l t r e a t m e n t , b u t f i r s t , w e must address vulnerabilities by u t i l i z i n g e v i d e n c e - b a s e d approaches that genuinely support families By investing in our community, we can create a safer environment for children, youth, and families, leading to improved outcomes

Ultimately, National Child Abuse Prevention Month is not only about bringing attention to the issue of child maltreatment but also about taking steps to prevent it Taking action to reduce the likelihood of child abuse is a critical step toward creating a better future for our community Together, let’s keep children safe across SWFL and end child maltreatment. For m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a c t t h e C h i l d r e n ’ s Advocacy Center of Southwest Florida on our website: cac-swfl org or call 239-939-2808

Wednesday

Candidate racism, bigotr y, should make voters recoil

Web Poll

Previous Web Poll Question: Current Web Poll Question:

Should the benefit terms of Social Security be re-evaluated

■ Yes 10%

■ Maybe, but not on retirees 40%

■ No 50%

■ The Feds should provide a private retirement option 0%

With Ian-caused damage and more red tide, are you concerned about the water quality around the island?

■ Yes

■ No

■ Poor water quality will be an ongoing issue

Share your opinion at pineisland-eagle com

To the editor: There has actually been a rise in antisemitic hate speech and violence lately The Anti Defamation League arrives at a huge increase last year of Anti-Semitism, citing 3,697 acts Some of their “incidents” made their grade because the ADL conflates legitimate complaints of Israel for their political and physical attacks on Palestinians But the rock under which hatred abides has allowed Anti-Semitism to crawl out into the public view It is a trope best left in the dustbin of history

Sadly, the concern of rising hate mongering is real Last year has been more than Kanye frothing at the mouth of the internet

Our own city police are investigating as a hate-crime the attack on our local Chabad this month This should be a concern of all of us, and I wish our police godspeed in finding this criminal Normalizing evil is a mistake

W h e n a f o r m e r g o v e r n m e n t o f f i c i a l , screeds complaint of the New York district

These are just a few examples of the hundreds of lives impacted by various CAC pro-

Letters to the Editor

attorney as “Soros” financed, calling the DA “an animal,” we should all recoil This hate speech should be below the dignity of any candidate for public office, even those antici p a t i n g i n d i c t m e n t G e o r g e S o r o s i s t h e Hungarian immigrant who survived the holocaust in Europe and now lives in the U S In this latest tweet-feast of self pity, connecting Soros name to the Afro-American DA is supposed to be a dog whistle for the anti-Semitic (Soros was born Jewish, but was hidden by a local Catholic family from Nazi extermination ) My friends, we are better than this We should and can take the time to speak out against all hatred sowing against our fellow citizens Has our collective discourse become so bizarre that we really need to say out loud that someone is not an “animal” because he is Black? Really? My mother had a general rule of thumb with her voting If a candidate race baited during his campaign, she would vote for the other one Even if she had initially wanted to vote for the hater. Using such language would disqualify him from her vote

We want your opinion

The views expressed on the Opinions pages are just that opinions These pages are intended to convey a range of viewpoints; opinions printed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper. Opposing views are welcome. Letters to the Editor or guest columns may be mailed to: Pine Island

J u l i e B o u d r e a u x i s t h e C E O o f t h e

Children's Advocacy Center of SWFL

There will be many others running in the Republican primary If you are a registered member of the Grand Old Party Feel free to follow mom’s protocol and pass along my horror with your vote in the primary Ellen Starbird Cape Coral

George T. Gabriel Trust to award scholarships

The George T Gabriel Trust, a private benevolent fund, is now awarding scholarships, vocational/trade school tuition payments and financial aid to deserving individuals and those in need. Awards will be b a s e d u p o n s e v e r a l c r i t e r i a , i n c l u d i n g financial need, general merit and other related factors

All awards are at the discretion of the trustee, and in accordance with the guidelines of the trust

Gabriel was helped financially by a caring family, making it possible for him to attend college, and eventually earn a doctorate degree in public education Because of his gratitude for this kindness, it was his wish to pay it forward; thus his life savings will be used to help those who wish to pursue college, other educational goals, or career and vocational training

If you or someone you know would like to be considered, please call or text 239789-0137 All replies are strictly confidential