Attorney General Andy Beshear announced $48,000 in grant funding from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund to help prevent child abuse in Northern Kentucky.
Beshear joined with local leaders in Florence last week to make the announcement and presented a check for $48,000 to Jane Herms, executive director of the Family Nurturing Center.
“Every day in the Office of the Attorney General we are working to protect Kentucky’s children from abuse and sexual exploitation,” said Beshear. “It is an honor to recognize and support the work the Family Nurturing Center is doing throughout Northern Kentucky to keep children safe.”
The Family Nurturing Center of Kentucky, Stewards of Children program received the grant funds. The program will use the funding to provide training on how to prevent, recognize and respond to child sexual abuse.
“The commitment of Attorney General Beshear and the Child Victims’ Trust Fund is inspiring,” said Herms. “All Kentuckians have a role to play in protecting children, and the Stewards of Children training gives them tools to do just that. We are proud to partner with the Child Victims’ Trust Fund to bring this award winning training to more adults in the Commonwealth.”
The funding will cover the costs of training 10 new program facilitators, and sponsor more than 225 Stewards of Children trainings that will train more than 3,000 adults who are in a position to protect children.
The Attorney General’s Office of Child Abuse and Exploitation Prevention administers the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Prevention Board, which allocates funds from the Child Victims’ Trust Fund to support child abuse prevention programs. The Child Victims’ Trust Fund relies on public donations to support such programs and awards grants throughout Kentucky.
Beshear said along with the Family Nurturing Center, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky and Child Watch in Paducah were selected by the board to receive a combined $100,000 in grant funding this fiscal year.
Child Watch’s Safety Tools and Golden Rules program received funding to provide sexual abuse prevention education to more than 12,000 pre-school and elementary students in Western Kentucky and more than 300 campers at the Kentucky Sheriff’s Boys and Girls Ranch.
Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky’s Reality, Risks and Resources Expanding Statewide Awareness of Child Sexual Abuse program received a grant to expand on six years of trust fund supported initiatives to prevent child abuse in Kentucky by creating a comprehensive public service announcement (PSA) campaign.
“I applaud the members of the board for supporting and investing in these worthy programs, and invite Kentuckians to help us combat child abuse by making a donation to the trust fund,” said Beshear.
A donation to the Child Victims’ Trust Fund can be made in three ways:
Through a private donation directly to the fund.
Purchase of an “I Care About Kids” license plate at your county clerk’s office.
Donations made through the state income tax refund check-off program.
Earlier this year, Beshear announced the Child Victims’ Trust Fund also provided $78,075 in grants to cover costs associated with more than 1,000 child sexual abuse medical exams. The funding will be shared among the state’s 15 Children’s Advocacy Centers.
Beshear reminds Kentuckians that everyone has a moral and legal duty to report any instance of child abuse to local law enforcement or to Kentucky’s Child Abuse Hotline at 877-597-2331 or 877-KYSAFE1.
