WHAT WE DO
We provide a means for community involvement and improved awareness of emergency service providers. We also look to help victims of abuse or tragedy find resources to aid in their recovery.
HELP US TO SPREAD THE HUGS
Some of the problems:
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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an estimated 139,042 children were injured in traffic crashes in 2020, 380 children were injured every day.
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Domestic Violence Services, Inc. states that approximately five million children witness domestic violence each year in the United States. A research paper titled “Police intervention in domestic violence incidents where children are present: Police and children’s perspectives” examines police intervention in domestic violence incidents involving children drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from police records and interviews with young people and police officers. The quality of police communication with children and young people emerged as key, and police officers evinced reluctance to engage with children at domestic violence incidents. Providing the police with training and information designed to improve their skills and confidence might promote communication with children in this context.
Richardson-Foster, H., Stanley, N., Miller, P., & Thomson, G. (2012).
Children from homes with violence are much more likely to experience significant psychological problems short and long-term. Children who have experienced domestic violence often meet the diagnostic criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the effects on their brain are like those experienced by combat veterans. Living with domestic violence significantly alters a children’s DNA, aging them prematurely 7-10 years. Children in homes with violence are physically abused or seriously neglected at a rate 1500% higher than the national average. Those who grow up with domestic violence are six times more likely to commit suicide and 50% more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.
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It is estimated that there are about 70 million Deaf people who use a sign language as their first language, and it is also the first language to many hearing individuals .
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An extrapolation from a John Hopkins study and census bureau data from 2016, shows approximately 5,976,407 (12yr old and above) Marylanders. Of those, 759,000 (approx. 12.7%) are deaf or hard of hearing in both ears.
With your support, we can provide tools to help emergency service providers deal with children involved in or facing the above-listed problems. Tools such as Teddy Bears, American Sign Language (ASL) and other language training. Please Donate Today
Your donations are tax deductible! THANK YOU!