April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

         April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. I will be honest with you all. I did forget about it until the 1st of April and that is when everything popped up on Facebook about it. To be honest, I kind of, did what to forget about it because I'm not in a spot where I can serve or work with those type of children right now. Then I have been thinking about if for the past 5 days and thought that I could write about how I feel now without working with those children. At least, I would be saying something and hopefully make it noticeably to people out there.
         I didn't think it would be a big deal or anything about it when I didn't work at the shelter anymore but it does still affect me. I think it affects me still because I still know that there are more children out there then ever that need our help. I still worry about the children that I helped. I wonder where they are today and if they have a better life yet. That chapter of my story will never go away because it was a lifetime experience that you can't forget. I say "they" I do mean the children that I met at the shelter and all the other abused and neglected children out there.
          I'm still looking for a way that I can help them plus do my everyday job that I have now. I have been thinking about volunteering at the shelter again once things change or doing the CASA program for a child or two. I have even thought about helping out at a ranch for troubled youth but I haven't been able to get an application from them yet. There are a lot of ways that you can help the children and do your everyday jobs too. I know that Foster Care is a big thing too. There are more children out there then there are foster homes and that is pretty sad.
          I even thought about doing a foster home once or twice while working at the shelter. To be honest, that is a thought that keep coming back to me over and over again. It might be something that I talk to my future husband about or maybe even adoption. I want to be in this field however I can because it has a place in my heart and always will. People that know me and will get to know me just needs to understand that part of me too. Even though, it is hard to be around 16 or more of those kinds of children a day and I may not be made out for that but I know deep down in my heart that I can help one or two or up to five at a time in some way.
          I will also write some websites and organizations on here that you can look at and see if you can do anything to help them out:

- http://www.nwacasa.org
- http://www.cacbentonco.com
-http://nwacs.org
-http://thecallinarkansas.org


         Just to let you know how I found out about these places. I have a friend involved with the first place and the shelter was also very involved with them as well.
         I have another friend that works at the second place. She has worked there for about 4 to 5 years now. I have been involved with it somewhat at times. I ran their "Glow Run" last year for the first time.
          Then, of course, I worked at the third place for almost 3 years. To be exact, it was 2 years and 7 months there for me.
           Last, I heard about the last program through my church at first and then been doing research on them ever since. They are very involved in the churches around NWA. They are the ones that help create foster homes for children.

         I hope this helped some people think about how they can prevent child abuse either in this month or in the near or far future. You can also look back on this blog and read my stories about the children that I have worked with at the shelter. Any entry that is about a child or children on this blog is about my experience at the shelter. Please take the time to look them up and read them. Thanks.