I recently received an e-mail from Kids Are Waiting to alert me to an upcoming news conference. I’m sure everyone on their e-mail list received this e-mail but it is worth sharing.

On Tuesday, January 29, at 9:30 AM Eastern time Kids Are Waiting will be holding a press conference to reveal the results of a the study by Prevent Child Abuse America and Kids Are Waiting. They will discuss the financial cost to the country of child abuse and neglect.

The numbers are shocking. In 2007 the financial cost was a staggering $104 BILLION. Yes, billion with a “b”. I did not type that wrong. Even more amazingly, only $742 million is spent on child abuse and neglect prevention. Don’t those numbers seem out of proportion? Shouldn’t we be spending the billions of dollars on prevention instead of the after effects?

The press conference will take place in Washington, D.C., but there will be both parents and children from several different states that will be participating. Those states are California, Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and West Virginia. If you’re going to be in our nation’s capital on the 29th, plan to attend the press conference. It will take place at:

The National Press Club
Murrow, White and Lisagor Rooms
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045

If you can’t be there, be sure to write your legislators and let them know that more money needs to go into child abuse and neglect prevention, instead of waiting until our kids are harmed. Better yet, call or e-mail them and make them aware of this press conference, and ask them to attend. The information can be found through this link.

Kids Are Waiting is a bi-partisan group of organizations throughout various stages of foster care and adoption. You can find a full list of the organizations here. I am familiar with, or have been personally involved with about half of the organizations. These are people who really care about helping our kids.

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