Not One More Child (Feel Empowered as a Child)

I was invited by good friends Amy and LaDonna from Let's Bring Them Home to attend a day training on the PRIDE program at a county sheriff's office.  Little did I know the education I was going to receive on the missing and abused children within our communities around this great nation.

Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth, shared his testimony and passion for both the PRIDE and RAD Kids programs.  He is a current member of The Surviving Parents Coalition. Ed shared the following, " We want kids to be prepared and NOT scared."  After Ed set the tone for the training, Erin Runnion, mother of Samantha, introduced, trained and qualified 20+ attendees as PRIDE Facilitators.  PRIDE is a neighborhood plan to watch out for our children.   Learn more at The Joyful Child Foundation. Steve Daley, leads the radKIDS Personal Empowerment Safety Education Program.    #1 Rule of radKIDS:  No one has the right to hurt you.  radKIDS goal is to empower children by TEACHING them what to do, not just tell them.

Additionally, a representative from Arkansas Attorney General's office and Colleen Nick, mother of Morgan, participated in the event.  The Morgan Nick Foundation was started 14 years ago after Morgan was abducted at a softball field complex.  Colleen's message was simple, we need to be proactive as families.

I was privileged to be a part of a great day to listen, learn and be trained in an area I was not familiar with.  S.A.F.E. TEAM is a great parent/family program to support our children and schools on campus and at school events.  But it also takes parents/families and programs like PRIDE and radKIDS to take it home to our neighborhoods.