Hawaii Call To Action: Support The Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii Benefit Concert/Art and Fashion Fundraiser will be held on May 16, 2009

Jacie Katsuda, Contributor

How can a mom or dad, the one who is supposed to nurture and protect, take advantage of that privilege by inflicting intentional pain on their innocent little boy or girl? Molesting them? Raping them? Neglecting them? Scarring them, for the rest of their child’s life?

We all know that tonight in Hawaii children are being subjected to physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Other kids are being neglected, isolated and harmed in ways that take a toll inside – a toll that will scar the child forever. Pain is inflicted with malicious intent but neglect may or may not be intentional. The result may be the same to the child at the receiving end whose young mind and innocent emotions feel the behavior as cruel. Neglect by denying food or medical care can kill.

Child abuse is about life and death.

We know that most children who were abused in childhood develop emotional insecurity causing problems throughout their adult life. Abused children are most likely to resort to violence as adults when problems arise because they saw it close up in their formative years. To them violence is the norm. The emotional and physical pain suffered in childhood often results in low self-esteem, drug addiction, juvenile delinquency, crime and immeasurable wasted human potential.

Fortunately, there is hope and people who care. You can make a difference on May 16, 2009 from 6 to 11 pm. at Diverse Art Center on 1030 Queen Street. Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii holds an important fundraiser that night for all of the kids who are trapped tonight in an abusive situation at home in Hawaii. You can make a difference.

Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii is a local non-profit organization that wants to create and spread awareness of this problem. PCAH gives struggling parents hope and encouragement and education to parent more healthily.

April was Child Abuse Awareness month, the busiest time of year for PCAH. They hosted and sponsored many events in the month of April, gathering a record 10,000 teddy bears for abused children. Another project consisted of pinwheels for each phone call received to their Child Abuse Prevention Hotline (called The Parent Line). Each pinwheel represented each phone call that was made when a parent, caregiver, or professional needed help on what to do with a child they were having difficulty with. These pinwheels were displayed at the State Capitol, totaling to 5,000 pinwheels, signifying 5,000 phone calls received. Last year they were planted on the lawns at McKinley High School, where Aileen Deese, Program Director of Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii described the pinwheels as“the winds of change.” With the untimely and recent passing of Jonathan Won, Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii’s Executive Director, PCAH needs all of your help to make this funfdraiser a success.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-QIFM7rjl8

Wondering what you can you do? Have a heart to serve your community? Want to get involved? Want to have fun with a great cause?

If you’re looking to serve your community, PCAH is always looking for volunteers. Please email adeese@preventchildabusehawaii.org for more information. In the meantime, two concerned citizens, Juliann Chen and Jacie Katsuda wanted to take a hands-on approach. They wanted to directly raise and donate money to PCAH while showcasing some of Hawai’i’s very own talent. If you would like to get involved in and for this event for PCAH, email Jacie at jacieka@msn.com. This PCAH Benefit Concert/Art and Fashion Fundraiser will be held on May 16, 2009 from 6 to 11 pm. at Diverse Art Center on 1030 Queen Street. $5 cover fee will be donated to Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii. It will be a great time of music, art, fashion, and networking. Parking is available in the Ward Center Industrial Parking lot.