At Denver Children’s Advocacy Center (DCAC), we believe that every child deserves to grow up in a safe, supportive environment where they feel belonging and hope. Yet, thousands of Colorado children experience abuse every year. DCAC is working to change this. We prevent child abuse, strengthen families, advocate for children who have suffered abuse, and work tirelessly to ensure all children have the childhood they deserve–one filled with optimism, joy, and happiness.
Our Hope Starts Here campaign raises awareness about child abuse, provides education about how to prevent child abuse and inspires others to show up for children who need us. But we can’t start hope here without you. We need your support this April and always.
The Need for Action During Child Abuse Prevention Month
Did you know that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience sexual abuse? And most don’t tell anyone for years—if ever. In 2023, 6,354 children in Colorado received supportive services from Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) like DCAC throughout Colorado, and DCAC provided services for 1,178 children (18.5% of all children who received services from a CAC). Roughly 9 out of 1,000 children in Colorado suffer from abuse or neglect, and yet we know this number is well lower than the actual cases of abuse as underreporting of child abuse is still high post-pandemic.
These children are your neighbors, the kids playing in the park and the children talking loudly in the grocery store. They did nothing to deserve abuse that leaves them feeling hopeless, uncertain and alone.
And the impact doesn’t stop at childhood.
- Children who are abused are 25% more likely to experience a teen pregnancy.
- 30% of children who are abused and neglected will likely abuse their own children.
- Children who are neglected have a more than 40% increased risk of dying in early adulthood.
DCAC Hope Starts Here Campaign to Fight Child Abuse
That’s why DCAC created the Hope Starts Here campaign. Every child deserves a childhood filled with hope; where they look forward to what’s ahead; where they laugh and learn; where they feel safe and seen; where they experience joy, happiness and playfulness. With hope, children can dream and imagine. With hope, children can be children.
DCAC works relentlessly to prevent abuse, strengthen families and restore childhood.
- Our outreach team leads the Denver Safe from the Start bilingual school-centered sexual abuse prevention program for children ages 3 to 10 to help children understand personal safety, touching safety and assertiveness and support. We offer robust training on abuse prevention, trauma, intervention and more for adults as well.
- Our Rapid Response team coordinates multi-disciplinary crews of first responders when child abuse is reported. Our staff provides crisis management for child victims and their families.
- We provide a developmentally-sensitive, biologically-respectful approach to coordinated health and mental health care for child trauma victims and their non-offending family members.
DCAC does this difficult, heavy work because we know it makes a difference. It’s how we ensure hope starts here for every child.
How You Can Join the Fight Against Child Abuse
DCAC cannot start hope here without you. Our children need us to speak up, step up and show up. Here’s how you can do so this April:
- Share information about child abuse. Reshare our social media posts (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn) or create your own. Talking about child abuse isn’t easy, but it’s necessary.
- See something, say something. Every case of reported abuse is taken seriously and investigated. Often children don’t know how to speak up. Be their voice. Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline: 1-844-CO-4-KIDS (1-844-264-5437)
- Create a fundraising campaign for Hope Starts Here. We provide you with all the tools you need to create the page and share it with your friends, family, and co-workers. Visit our Hope Starts Here fundraising page to get started today! In addition to helping fight child abuse, if you raise $500, you will receive a ticket to Swing for Hope Celebration on May 8th. Swing for Hope features an award ceremony, happy hour drinks, two hours of Topgolf play, and a delicious catered buffet dinner. Raise $1,000 and receive limited edition DCAC Art Coasters. Raise $4,000 and receive 6 tickets to Swing for Hope. Download this fundraising toolkit to get started.
Interested in other ways to support DCAC? Visit our Swing for Hope page, download our complete sponsorship package, visit our Donate Page or reach out to Michelle Davis, DCAC Development Director, at mdavis@DenverCAC.org or 720.974.7231.