Living Outside the Stacks

Today was the Children’s Advocacy Center 6th Annual Moonlight Run and I did it! Well, I ended up having to walk it because of some health issues but I still did it and I’m pretty darned proud of myself. 

I started not to do it ~ all the way to Scranton, I kept trying to come up with excuses for why I shouldn’t do this.  My nerves were getting the best of me…  I hadn’t eaten anything since 9:30 this morning and I was starving but I was too afraid to eat.  Honestly, you’d think I was running a marathon, it was just a walk to raise money for a worthy cause…. 

The mission of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Scranton, Pennsylvania is to provide medical assessment and treatment of abused children, reduce the trauma of abuse and promote prevention education.  Tonight’s run was dedicated to the memory of Zachary Christopher Scott, who died as a result of abuse at the tender age of 14 months.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, so taking this walk was important to me as a mother and as a person who cares a great deal for children.  When I read the statistics, my heart breaks: 

*A report of child abuse is made every ten seconds, totaling over 3 million reports every year
*Almost five children die every day as a result of child abuse.  More than three out of four are under the age of four
*90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way; 68% are abused by family members

Please, I beg you, if you know of a child who is being abused or if you are abusing a child, get help.  Love doesn’t hurt.

By the way, I completed the walk in 47 minutes!

Click here to see pictures from my walk…

I have the research skills of a librarian, the preservation skills of an archivist, the organizational skills of a mother and the domestic skills of a Stepford wife. I have the research skills of a librarian, the preservation skills of an archivist, the organizational skills of a mother and the domestic skills of a Stepford wife. Read more from this author