About the Advisory Panel

In 2004, the Collins Center received a Virginia Department of Social Services grant to target sexual assault prevention efforts to young children and their parents.  This advisory board is part of this effort.  The renewal of this grant has been due, in part, to the successes of the advisory board’s activities.

Some highlights of this group’s outreach to the community include:

  • Promoting prevention programs in the community, with an emphasis on sexual abuse
  • Participating in local and national events such as the Valley 4th of July parade & the International Race to Stop the Silence in Washington D.C.
  • Developing educational resources such as the Parent Resource CD for parents and other adults
  • Distributing awareness materials as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month in April
  • Prevention booths for Fridays on the Square, Children First Day, and other child/family events locally
  • Participating in focus groups to help with the development and implementation of new prevention programs
  • Connecting with other child-serving professionals to spread knowledge & resources about child abuse prevention
  • Assisting with Blue Ribbon Coalition campaign activities

Our Mission

  • To reduce child abuse & neglect in Harrisonburg & Rockingham County
  • To educate others about child abuse prevention strategies
  • To educate parents & community members about what they can do
  • To seek new prevention opportunities in Harrisonburg & Rockingham County
  • To connect & collaborate with schools/agencies/individuals int he community working with children
  • To involve parents in the planning & implementation of prevention programming
  • To pursue new funding sources to sustain our prevention efforts

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

In the spring of 1989, a Virginia grandmother began the Blue Ribbon campaign as a memorial for her 3-year-old grandson, who had been murdered by his mother’s boyfriend.  She tied a ribbon on her vehicle and encouraged her friends to do the same.  By the following year, the blue ribbon had become the symbol for child abuse prevention in the state of Virginia.  Today, Prevent Child Abuse America and other national organizations use the blue ribbon and blue pinwheels as reminders of the positive steps that can be taken to prevent child abuse before it occurs.

For Child Abuse Prevention Month, in Harrisonburg & Rockingham County, a group of local community organizations serving children and promoting healthy families has collaborated to form the Blue Ribbon Coalition. The current group is comprised of:

  • Collins Center
  • James Madison University Department of Graduate Psychology and JMU Child and Family Support Foundation
  • Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge
  • Success by Six
  • Valley Association for Education of Young Children
  • Virginia Association for Play Therapy

The group hopes to expand and plans to be involved with blue ribbon activities each April.  The Advisory Panel members will also provide support to and have opportunity to volunteer with this coalition.

FAQs

Who participates in this community group?

Parents, teachers, counselors, college students, faith community leaders, members of local law enforcement, social services and business professionals have all been participants of this advisory group since its inception in 2004.

What qualifications do I need?

Persons with a strong commitment to our community’s children and who want to learn more about abuse prevention make excellent members of this advisory panel.

What will be required of me as an advisory panel member?

The panel officially meets twice a year, with several additional events that members sign up to take part in.  Meetings are facilitated by the Collins Center Prevention Specialist who maintains contact with members through email and mailings.  Participation in events outside of meeting times is encouraged but not required.

Valuable ways members participate are by learning new prevention philosophies, taking educational resources into their spheres of influence, and sharing ideas of how to better outreach to the community on the issue of child abuse.

How do I join this group?

For more information or to be considered as a new member, contact Laura at 540.432.6430 / laura@thecollinscenter.org

We look forward to working with you!