Chattanooga’s Kids on the Block recently received a $2,500 grant from Chattanooga Kappa Delta Alumnae Association to help continue to provide personal safety education programs including child abuse prevention programs to local and area children.
The grant funded CKOB’s recent 6th Annual Pinwheels for Prevention community event held at the Creative Discovery Museum. The event, free to the public, provided educational information on child abuse prevention. Kappa Delta sorority members and alumnae were available during the event to assist children in making sock caterpillars. “This event gave kids in the community the opportunity to learn, create, and have fun, all while being educated on the important subject of abuse awareness. Interacting with them was so much fun, the chapter members and alumnae really enjoyed helping out!” said Lissa Murrah, president of the Kappa Delta Alumnae Association.
Kelly Williams, executive director of CKOB, said, “The Personal Safety educational program helps children understand on their level what child abuse is and what it is not. It helps them to understand that child abuse is never their fault and to communicate with trusted adults. This is such a sensitive topic. But, one that is vital for children to understand so they can communicate with adults and receive help if they are victims of or know a victim of child abuse.”
In pre and post tests of third grade students on personal safety and child abuse issues, students showed a 19 percent increase in overall correct responses after seeing a CKOB personal safety program, indicating a positive change in knowledge, attitude and behavior of the topic.
Ashley, a third grade student said, ‘I liked the show very much. It was a wonderful show about how to keep yourself safe in different ways.”
A local teacher said, “We had a student come forward and report sexual abuse because of your Personal Safety program. The student said, ‘It was like they were talking about my life.’ We’re grateful for what Kids on the Block stands for and the things you teach children.”
‘We appreciate the support of the Chattanooga Kappa Delta Alumnae Association. These women really are making a difference in our community through their continued community outreach efforts to keep children safe,” said Williams.
Last year Chattanooga’s Kids on the Block performed 138 Personal Safety educational programs and served over 18,000 children and adults in the 15 county service area of Southeast Tennessee, Northeast Alabama and North Georgia through the unique use of puppets and Bunraku style puppetry.
Source: Kids on the Block