Our Stories Fall Updates from SCAN
35 Years of Impact: A Letter from SCAN’s Executive Director This time next year, SCAN will be celebrating a 35-year commitment to preventing child abuse in Northern Virginia. I know our staff, Board, volunteers, and supporters take great pride in being a part of living this mission over the last three and a half decades.
We are thrilled to celebrate this community and recommit to our mission with several events this fall. I hope you’ll join us.
Before we reach this milestone, I want to give you a look inside our work and share a few moments from the frontlines of child protection. It’s important for you not just to see the data, but to understand the stories behind those numbers and the true difference being made in the lives of children and families across our community.
Leah Fraley Executive Director, SCAN
You're Invited! SCAN's Fall Events
5k for Prevention
scanva.org/toast
rungeekrun.org
Learning from Lived Experience: An Open Conversation with Survivors As a team of survivors and supporters of survivors, we’ve spent the past year focused on bringing lived experience into all our work. This summer, SCAN was awarded a trauma-informed grant to lead a groundbreaking roundtable with survivors of child sexual abuse. The goal was to go beyond sharing stories, to learn firsthand how survivors were failed by our systems and how we can lift the community up to do better. One participant shared, “As a survivor, I’ve been asked to come and talk, but no one’s ever really asked ‘what made your experience better for you.’ I really appreciate this opportunity.” — Roundtable Participant The roundtable met a critical need. We’ve seen time and time again how crucial it is to not only hear from survivors but to learn from them as experts. Last year, we hosted New York Times notable book author and child abuse survivor, Lacy Crawford, at our annual Allies in Prevention event. Her story lit
a fire in our team to give stories of survivorship and resilience a space to be heard in a unique way that only prevention advocates can fulfill. We know child sexual abuse is more than just a tough topic. It’s a distinctive trauma that is silenced, ignored, stigmatized, and exploited. It’s also more common than most people might expect, with 1 in 10 children experiencing sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. Five years ago, the world woke up with the #MeToo movement, and while countless brave people shared their stories of resilience, child survivors are still in the shadows. The roundtable SCAN hosted this summer is an important step toward breaking the taboo around child sexual abuse. After SCAN’s first survivor roundtable, our team presented the framework in a statewide presentation to encourage others to join this effort. We are excited to continue this work because every survivor deserves to be heard.
5 Years in Foster Care: Michael’s Story Michael was 13 when he entered foster care five years ago with his two siblings, both under the age of four. SCAN stepped in immediately to provide them with a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to help them reach safe and permanent homes. As often happens, Michael was separated from his younger siblings when they entered care. His siblings were adopted while he went on to live in several different foster and group homes. Michael’s CASA spent two and a half years trying to reunite him with his siblings, but roadblocks and conflicts made this difficult. In 2020, Michael's advocate relocated out of state, and he was paired with a new advocate. The two immediately hit it off. Michael’s new CASA has been with him for an additional two years and is one of the few constant and positive adults in his life. This fall, Michael will turn 18 and age out of foster care. His CASA has helped him secure several services that will follow him through adulthood, and using our CASA support fund, we were able to get him a special birthday gift. While we wish Michael could have reached permanency, it’s still a heartfelt day when a five-year case closes with the child set up for success. SCAN’s CASA program has a uniquely deep impact in the lives of foster youth. This work is more
than one helping hand—our team is there every day, for as long as that child needs, advocating for their best interests. After five years with Michael, we are thrilled to see him move into a new stage of life and know his future ahead is bright. *Names have been changed to protect the identities of the children and families we serve.
Skill Building with Teen Moms: Supporting Young Families in Loudoun Teen caregivers are one of the most vulnerable parenting groups. They are at a higher risk for violence in the home— both intimate partner violence and child abuse. So, when our partners at Loudoun County Public Schools asked us to
support a group of expecting teen parents, we jumped at the opportunity. Our team spent multiple days with 10 pregnant teens discussing positive parenting skills, stages of child development, how to respond to big displays of emotion, and how to co-parent effectively and safely. When the workshops came to a close, our families joined The Gathering, SCAN’s exclusive caregiver alumni group. The community we’ve built through The Gathering brings parents and caregivers together to let them know they’re never alone on the journey of raising children. Families meet bi-weekly with an experienced Family Coach in a group setting to tackle tough topics, ask questions, problem solve, and uplift one another with encouragement and support.
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Phone: 703.820.9001 | Email: development@scanva.org