Today a second-grade teacher in Monongalia County, West Virginia, messaged me about a body safety education presentation in her classroom. What a thrill to hear how my newly-published children’s book, The Brave Knight, “performed” in a class-room setting! Here’s her “book-report.” Each year in West Virginia schools, a body safety education lesson is presented in all […]
Your Story Is Your Glory: How survivor stories help with child sexual abuse prevention
Your story is your glory. My boss, Karen Haring—founder and executive director at the nonprofit Libera—loves that saying. Personally I’m fond of an offshoot of this idea: “Your mess is your message.” These two sayings took on new meaning for me recently when… I volunteered as a “Listener” at a body safety assembly in a […]
Protecting Your Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Quite possibly the most important project I’ve ever been a part of.)
Question: How are you protecting your children during the pandemic situation we’re currently experiencing? During the pandemic, child abuse statistics have fallen. In West Virginia, and no doubt, all 50 states. You may think that’s a good thing. I did. But it’s not a good thing. Over half of all reports of child abuse are […]
Lessons from The Thousand-Year Flood
Beneath the photo of her flooded home, my friend DeeDee’s June 23, 2016 Facebook status read: “One day can change everything.” My heart sank. Over the course of more than a year, via Instagram, I watched DeeDee and Bobby Lewis build their dream home on the banks of the Elk River in Clay County, West […]