Start Talking

April is Sexual Abuse Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month. No one really wants to talk about sexual abuse. We would rather pretend it isn't happening. However, if we want to protect kids, we need to start talking about it. Kids need to know what they're up against and how to fight back. Education is the key.

Sexual abuse is extremely damaging to kids and it is more prevelant than most people imagine. More than one in four girls in the U.S. today will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. More than one in six boys today will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. Some of that could prevented if kids were better prepared and if caring adults created relationships of trust where kids felt safe to talk about hard stuff.

What can you do?

1.Talk to the kids in your life about abuse. Be calm. Teach with clarity and avoid scare tactics. Remind kids that the only way to stop an abuser is to tell a trusted adult if someone tries to molest them.

2. Cultivate a trusting relationship. Talk to your kids about all kinds of things. Be a safe person for kids to talk to. Make it easy for your kids to come to you when they are worried or confused.

3. Copy the poster at the top of this post and pass it along. Email, facebook, twitter, whatever. Right click and copy or save. It's easy. Spread the word.

Click here for more detailed information. You can download a free Parents Guide and What To Do.

The only thing worse than finding out that your child has been sexually abused is not finding out.

Start Talking.

Linda Garner

Could you make it $1.50?

Have you heard the news? A Healing Place has a home in Fitts Park. This beautiful monument is soon to be real. Now the serious fundraising begins. Bronze statues are expensive and so is cement. We have a lot of work to do. We expect the monument to cost about $300,000.00. That’s a lot of money, but all we need is 300,000 people to each chip in $1.00. How easy is that? You can go to our website ahealingplacemonument.org and donate your dollar today. Unfortunately, paypal takes a share so could you please make it $1.50 to cover their costs as well.

Meanwhile, we’re throwing a party. August 21 in Fitts Park we are having an awesome benefit concert with Crash Pontiac and the Hubcaps headlining from 8:00-10:00. Sons of Other Mothers will open from 7:00-8:00. From 5:00 -7:00 we are having food, drawings, and other entertainment. We would love for you to join us. We are hoping to raise enough money to buy the cement. Buy your ticket today here.

A Healing Place will help prevent child abuse and promote healing for those who have been abused. Won’t you be a part of it? Buy a ticket, donate, volunteer. Take a stand. Find out more here. Tell your friends.

Make a difference.

Linda Garner

p.s.

Of course if you are able to give more, we can take larger donatations. If you are feeling generous, the sky's the limit. Think about the innocent children who are living with abuse or trying to heal from previous abuse. Dig deep. Do it for them.

Thanks!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the No More Secrets Walk/Run on Saturday. We had nearly 250 participants. Awesome!!! We had a great time and we hope you did too. Thanks to those who walked and those who donated. Thanks to those who cooked and served the food and thanks to those who entertained. Thanks to our fabulous sponsors. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you for making a difference. We have more pics. We'll put them up soon on http://ahealingplacemonument.org. See you next year!

Linda Garner

P.S.
A big thank you to S.A.F.E. Network for being our co-sponsors. Check them out at www.safenetwork.org.

Come back next week for an interview with Michael Young, author of Canticle Kingdom.

Sunny with a high of 70. Can't Wait!

I’m so glad it’s snowing today. I want to get it over with, so we can have fabulous weather on Saturday for the No More Secrets Walk/Run. Sunny is Saturday’s forecast, with a high of 70. Whoa! What a day for a walk.

Can I just tell you, I believe in miracles? We put this walk together in about two months, with no knowledge and no experience. Every time we ran into a roadblock we just stepped back and waited for a miracle to happen. We were never disappointed.

The walk is just the beginning. We have some fabulous entertainment and activities lined up. If you’re not into walking, come just for the other stuff. We have some great prize drawings, and some cool activities for the kids, along with some really awesome performers. You don’t want to miss this.

Here are some of the prizes that will be given away: A gift certificate to Olive Garden, A wardrobe consultation from Glamour Connection, A Harmon’s Gift Certificate, A windshield replacement, A Foot Zoning from Happy Feet (ooh, I love to have my feet zoned), plus lots of books and other goodies.

Here are some of the books that will be given away: Pingo by Brandon Mull, Mother’s Daze by Jane Still, Change It Up by Amanda Dickson, The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum, My Ridiculous Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite, and Seven Miracles that Saved America by Chris and Ted Stewart.

There are also several dvds in the mix, including Forever Strong.

There will be animal balloons for the kids, along with face painting, an art project, and a game or two.

I can’t wait for you to see our fabulous entertainment. Elias Carress of Outlaw Entertainers will do a magic show, and we have some great musical talent as well.

Sons of Other Mothers will be giving us something to smile about. They will start us off, and send us home.

Carrie Wrigley will touch our hearts with her incredible voice and her unforgettable songs.

You’ll be mesmerized by a group from Notable Youth, and I’m so excited to introduce Kramer Morton to you. This fourteen year old boy has only been performing about a year. He’ll knock your socks off.

You can also meet Nick Ryan and see his sculptures for A Healing Place.

This is a non-competitive family friendly walk. You can run. You can walk. You can limp. You can push a stroller. You can stand on the side and cheer. You can wait in the pavilion and greet the runners as they come in. It’s all good. 5k is 3.1 miles, and it’s in three loops. The young, the squeamish,the frail,the lazy can choose to do only one or two loops. It’s all up to you.

Whether you walk, run, or sit it out, please join us for the kids, and for the fun of it.

Can’t wait.

Linda Garner

P.S.
If you pre-register it’s cheaper. You can register at the park for $10.00 or you can register online through Friday for only $5.00. The first 200 to register get a free t-shirt. There are just a few left, so register today at www.ahealingplacemonument.org.

And the Winner Is.........

Thanks to everyone who has spread the word about the No More Secrets Walk. This is going to be a fun day. Following the Walk/Run which starts at 11:00 we will have free food and entertainment, interspersed with drawings for some great prizes. There will be face-painting, balloons, and games for the kids. You won’t want to miss the magic show, or the fabulous entertainment. The fun lasts until 3:00. If you can help us with the weather, we would really appreciate it.

This morning friend-husband and I had a private drawing for those who entered our advertising contest. Thank-you, thank you for spreading the word. And the winner of a $25.00 Barnes and Noble Gift Card is….(drumroll please)…Stacey. Thank you everyone. Stacey please send me your address, so that I can send you the gift card. You can send it to lindagarner@somesecretshurt.com.

I hope that y’all have marked April 17 on your calendars and that you will join us in preventing child abuse. You can still register for $5.00 at ahealingplacemonument.org. On the day of the walk, registration is $10.00, so be sure to register early. We still have a few t-shirts, so hurry. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Check back tomorrow for details about our fabulous entertainment.

Remember: Together, we can make a difference.

Linda Garner

You CAN make a difference

Everyone wants to make a difference. When we hear about children who have been abused our hearts ache. “How did it happen?” we wonder. When it ends in tragedy we feel deep sorrow, and regret. Could something have been done? Can we do something to prevent child abuse? Can we make a difference?

Because I believe that we can stop this madness, I am involved in child abuse prevention. I invite you to join us in that effort. You can start by participating in the No More Secrets walk/run. You can sign up today. You can help us spread the word. You can encourage your friends and family to sign up.

Our contest for a $25.00 Barnes and Noble Gift Card is still open. You have until Friday at midnight to block, twitter, or facebook about the walk. Each of those earns you one chance to win. Respond to this post to tell me how many chances you have earned. I’ll throw in an extra chance to anyone who does a mass email about the walk. Send it out to everyone in your address book. If you get us a spot on the radio or in a newspaper, I’ll give you three chances to win.

I could use your help lining up entertainment. Some of the folks we expected to come through for entertainment haven't, and so I am scrambling to fill some time slots. After the walk we will have free food and entertainment, along with drawings for cool stuff. This is a family friendly walk, so we want family friendly stuff. Do you know any performers who would enjoy the chance to make a difference?

We also need sponsors of every kind. If you know of a business or an individual who would like to donate food, prizes for drawings, or money, let me know. Everyone who donates will get their name on our website and be recognized on the day of the walk. Anyone who donates $100 will also have their name on the back of the t-shirt. Good advertising. Sponsors for the t-shirts need to be in this week, so that we have time to print the shirts.

Do you have a service or a product that you could donate for our drawings? Do you have a business who could use this kind of advertising?

I would love for you to come participate in the walk on April 17. It's just $5.00 if you pre-register. At the walk it will be $10.00. You can pre-register any time before April 17. If you register by Friday, you get a free t-shirt. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Why not walk with us to prevent child abuse? Register at ahealingplacemonument.org.

Oh and by the way, did I mention…We’re gonna have a good time! Come join us. We’re gonna make a difference, and we're gonna have fun!

Our goal is No More Secrets, because Some Secrets Hurt.

Linda Garner

Contest!!! Win a gift card to Barnes and Noble

Please help us spread the word about our No More Secrets Walk. If you mention our walk and link to the No More Secrets post and ahealingplacemonument.org you will be entered in a drawing to win a $25.00 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Cool, huh?

You can do the magic on your personal blog, twitter, or facebook. If you do all three, you get three chances to win. Reply to this post, telling me how many chances you have earned. Be sure to say we are walking to prevent child abuse. The deadline is April 1. Go bloggers!

P.S.
The walk is a 5k. It takes 3 loops to make 5k, so if you want to do only one or two loops, you can.

If you missed the No More Secrets post, It's right here. Just scroll down.