Child Protection Center Named ‘Community Hero’

April 28, 2021

Child Protection Center named “Community Hero” – 1 Community 1 Team alongside Sarasota Ford named the nonprofit “Community Hero” for Child Abuse Prevention Month in April

The Child Protection Center (CPC) was honored to receive the “Community Hero” award from 1 Community 1 Team in partnership with Sarasota Ford. This award was given for Child Abuse Prevention Month in April.

The 1 Community 1 Team outreach project, funded by Sarasota Ford, partners with Sarasota organizations in order to bring awareness “by spotlighting the stories of amazing people, their hard work, and the impact and sacrifices they make every day,” explained Sally Ratner, the 1 Community 1 Team Outreach Liaison. “Through ‘The Hero of the Month’ program, our production team honors nonprofits, community driven organizations and local individuals. Our mission is to recognize these heroes that go above and beyond by selflessly giving back and inspiring others to also make a difference through positive change.”

The Buchanan family, who owns and operates Sarasota Ford, has a long history of involvement in the community, including supporting the Child Protection Center and numerous other organizations. Diana Buchanan presented the award to CPC in recognition of their work in building “a life free from violence and fear. Thank you for helping provide that beautiful life for children in our community.” Diana commented that it was “an absolute joy to celebrate CPC and all of the critical work you do in our community! I couldn’t think of a more deserving group!”

Since its inception in 1980, the Child Protection Center has grown in service capabilities to become the only DeSoto and Sarasota service provider with a multifaceted approach to the prevention, intervention, and treatment, of child abuse. The four core programs that work towards the mission of CPC include: Personal Safety and Community Awareness (PSCA), Child Protection Team (CPT), Children and Families Supervised Visitation Program (CFSVP), and Therapy programs. PSCA educators facilitate workshops for children and caregivers with a focus on sexual child abuse prevention, internet safety, and properly identifying and reporting suspected abuse. CFSVP facilitates supervised visitation between children and families who have been identified as being at heightened risk of physical or emotional harm due to parenting behaviors. CPT evaluates alleged child abuse and neglect, evaluates risk factors, and provides recommendations for interventions. The Therapy program utilizes its highly trained, clinical experts in all treatment services provided, for optimum healing and recovery for victims of child abuse. In fiscal year 2020, CPC provided 66,698 services to individuals. To learn more, please call 941-365-1277.