May News and Events

Highlight Epic Rides, Epic Impact Epic Rides, founded in 1999, organizes mountain bike races across the nation, including several in Arizona. The Whiskey Off-Road, held every April in Prescott, is one of their most notable races. Mountain bikers from across Arizona, the nation, and the world gather to partake in what is not only an athletic event, but a charitable one, too. Every year, Epic Rides donates a portion of the proceeds to Prevent Child Abuse Arizona and other local charities in order to benefit the community that hosts the race. While Epic Rides was forced to cancel this year’s race due to COVID-19, their commitment to Prevent Child Abuse Arizona continued. Epic Rides donated an incredible $7,000 to Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, which is a 68% increase over their 2019 donation. We are in awe of Epic Rides' commitment to not only continue their consistent donation to help Prevent Child Abuse Arizona in its mission, but to also increase it in order to help us better respond to families during COVID-19. Read More

Training Director Meghan Hays-Davis presents to 500 attendees on the Unique Needs of Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care

Impact Story Learning Goes Virtual As a statewide organization, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona has accrued many highway miles to reach all four corners of Arizona and everything in between. However, the current COVID-19 pandemic has limited these options for in-person trainings and travel. To adapt to the crisis, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona has begun hosting online webinars for the first time ever, kicking off during April’s Child Abuse Prevention month. Within the month of April, we hosted 13 webinars, reaching a total of 2,578 child welfare professionals, parents and foster parents, and teachers. That output is 380% more than the number of people Prevent Child Abuse Arizona reached during Child Abuse Prevention Month last year.  Read More

Today in Prevention Supporting Children and Family Well-Being During COVID-19 Arizona's Collective Impact for Child Safety and Well-Being team is made up of several of Arizona's key leaders in child welfare, including Prevent Child Abuse Arizona Executive Director Claire Louge. They’ve collaborated to create a resource guide on how to support children and families during COVID-19. Click the link below to access the list of resources.   See Resources Arizona’s prosperity depends on the healthy development of children. Prevention of abuse and neglect promotes childhoods that allow kids to grow into successful adults. A new study conducted by Prevent Child Abuse America estimates the economic impact of child abuse and neglect by state. In 2018, there were about 88,000 investigated cases of child maltreatment in Arizona. The estimated economic burden resulting from the lifetime costs of this maltreatment is more than $73 billion. Read More

Fundraising Child Abuse Prevention Month Campaign Comes to a Close  To celebrate Child Abuse Prevention Month, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona launched the #PreventionMakesCents campaign, with the goal of raising a penny for every child in Arizona. The bar was set high, and you helped surpass the goal! Your support helped raise more than $18,000 and, in April alone, reach more than 2,500 professionals and nearly 40,000 families. Because of you, families will learn how to better cope with stress so that their homes can be safe, stable, and nurturing environments for their children. While April is designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month, families need your support year-round. Consider a gift today, because #PreventionMakesCents.  Donate

Director's Corner To Help Families be a Hope-Bringer T wo weeks ago, I had the chance to be on a webinar discussion with Dr. Bruce Perry, who, if you haven’t heard of him, is basically THE authority on neuroscience and healing child trauma . He’s also an authentic, genial guy. Dr. Perry talked about what we can do to help families get through this seemingly interminable crisis. His answer? Offer hope.   Hope is knowing there is a possibility of a positive outcome . Those without hope have no reason to try. Despair, the opposite of hope, locks our minds in the dungeons of our stress response, and when we live there, we are biologically unable to access our wisdom, our compassion, and our resourcefulness - our resilience . Hope is the foundation of resilience, and families need to be resilient now. Children need their families to be resilient now.  I acknowledge it might be hard for you to feel hope right now, but I’ve got some tips for you.  Read more on how to be a Hope-Bringer.

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As a 501(c)3 organization, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is eligible to receive bequests. Please contact Rebekah Prieto at rebekah@pcaaz.org if you would like to discuss including Prevent Child Abuse Arizona in your legacy. Tax ID #86-0832901 Prevent Child Abuse Arizona can only accept donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations located in the State of Arizona.

Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is shifting the public conversation about child maltreatment so that prevention is the priority. The organization provides research-based prevention services, education and training to help promote strong families and safe, healthy children. For more information, visit pcaaz.org.