The St. George Exchange Club recently partnered with Intermountain Healthcare and the Washington County School District to produce Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) resource cards. The CAP cards include contact info for schools, emergency services, and community human services ranging from recreation to victim advocacy. The intent of the CAP cards is to provide families with access to services and make them aware of resources that could alleviate family stress and the incidence of child abuse. These will be distributed to local school children in the fall through the school district as well as through local agencies and offices affiliated with Intermountain Healthcare.
“We’ve received tremendous feedback about the popularity of these cards among parents and families,” said Neal Smith, an Exchange Club member who has been involved in providing the cards for nearly a decade. “However, producing them costs money, and we’ve not had an update for several years.”
Dixie Regional Medical Center’s Community Partner Fund donated $4,000, and the Washington County School District will distribute the updated cards at the beginning of the school year. Brian Tenney, another Exchange Club member, designed the cards.
“We’re excited to get them into people’s hands and hanging on their fridges and making them useful to the community,” Smith said.
Smith added that the cards originally were created by a committee chaired by the late Annie Ashcraft with the Department of Child Protective Services who championed the cause and got the project off the ground.
“I appreciate that we get to carry on this great project and make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors,” said Smith. “I’m grateful for a community who knows how to pull together and protect our most valuable assets.”
The St. George Exchange Club has actively served Southern Utah for over 40 years with members who are local business owners, community leaders, and volunteer citizens. In addition to the Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival, the St. George Exchange Club also sponsors and hosts the St. George Mayor’s Walk, Iron Kids Fun Run, Student of the Month Recognition, Freedom Shrine installations and dedications, the Give Me Liberty program serving area fifth graders, and Give a Kid a Flag to Wave at the annual Veterans Day Parade in Washington City. The St. George Exchange Club, in cooperation with Dixie State University, also awards each area high school’s top graduating senior with First Year Tuition Grants. In 2015, the club contributed over $100,000 to help the City of St. George build the All Abilities Park.
PTSD is still a reality for so many
