Dear Friends,  

Children bring a unique sense of peacefulness, simplicity and innocence to our ChildSavers building.  I have always enjoyed knowing they were close by.  The suffering being carried by so many of the children we see here is not generally readily apparent. 

The same is true in our families and communities.  When tragedy or a violent event occurs, the last ones we may pay attention to are the children who witnessed or experienced it.  Somehow, if we comfort them or tell them “it’s all right”, we believe they will be fine.  In truth, their dry tears, compliance and silence can hide terrible wounds.  We now know that childhood trauma has a major impact on adult life. 

One of the great threats to positive development is the loss of feeling safe, the loss of a sense of protection that adults provide. This loss goes deep and leads a child to compensate in ways that become destructive.  

Trauma does not have to take a child there; the right help can turn this journey in a different path, one that leads back to joy and childhood.  

We have twelve full-time therapists who do this work and an average of 60 children waiting for them, 85% of whom will have experienced this kind of trauma.  

Your financial gifts improve the odds that the right help will be there at the right time. Find out more about the value of your gifts by going to this link. Be a ChildSaver.  

Many thanks.  

Mark Hierholzer
CEO