I know that many of you reading this blog may live in a different part of the world than I do, but it’s important for me to share about child advocacy happening locally. Perhaps writing about these efforts will inspire people elsewhere to start similar projects.

Last year, in El Paso County, in which Matthew and I are licensed foster parents, 17 children (six under one year of age) died as a result of abuse or neglect. To combat these tragedies, County Commissioner Sallie Clark and District Attorney Dan May have formed an advocacy group whose mission is to ensure “Not One More Child” suffers the same.

In partnership with the “Not One More Child” initiative, our foster/adopt agency Hope and Home has become a liaison to the faith based community. Hope and Home has produced a film titled “Kyndra’s Hope”. Kyndra is a baby in our community who was shaken and beaten nearly to death by her birth parents, but survived and was adopted by a Hope and Home foster family. The goal is for faith based communities throughout El Paso County to show this film, provide resources, and raise awareness within their congregations.

This Friday, Matthew and I will be attending the premier of “Kyndra’s Hope”. As people of faith, we have a duty to participate any way we can in protecting children. This drives not only our decision to become foster parents, but also to promote dialogue about issues such as this.

If you live in El Paso County, and are interested in attending, visit Hope and Home’s Facebook page for more information.