HARRISBURG, Pa. — Young performers raised voices of hope at the PA State Capitol as Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, a leader in child protection, PA’s largest credit union, PSECU, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of Pennsylvania honored five PA Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids during National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

(Pictured above: Winners of the 2018 PA Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids)

Miss Pennsylvania 2017 Katie Schreckengast, students from Capital Area School for the Arts, and Newport High School Innovation choir summoned Pennsylvanians to protect children. The setting featured 4,416 blue ribbon flags, each representing a child scarred by abuse, and a display of empty shoes honoring 46 children who lost their lives to abuse in one year in the commonwealth. The PA Department of Human Services declared it #WearBlueDay.

“The toll of child abuse is almost too much to bear,” noted Angela M. Liddle, MPA, president and CEO of PFSA. “But we cannot let these failures defeat us in the mission of protecting children. May these heroes we celebrate ignite the spark within each of us that can save more children.”

“At PSECU, we were founded on the belief that everyone deserves opportunities for a better life. That’s why, working with Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, we are committed to help build communities in which children can safely grow and thrive,” said PSECU Assistant Vice President Karen Roland.

An independent panel of judges, chaired by Pittsburgh attorney Ira Weiss, selected the honorees from nominations submitted statewide. Awardees are:

• Jen Spry, RN, Philadelphia, Pa., for her advocacy as a nurse, educator, and motivational speaker who survived childhood sexual abuse and teaches others how to keep children safe from sex trafficking.
• Megan King, Deputy District Attorney, Chester County, Pa. for her leadership of the county’s Child Abuse Unit and the Child Advocacy Center’s Multi-Disciplinary Team to investigate and prosecute child abuse crimes.
• Darryl Gibbs, SBS Prevention Educator, The Cynthia Gibbs Foundation, Ephrata, Pa. for turning his sorrow over the killing of his baby daughter into advocacy to save other children from Shaken Baby Syndrome.
• Joyce Seitz, Volunteer Group Facilitator, Children’s Aid Society-The Lehman Center, York, Pa. for 17 years volunteering at weekly parent support meetings.
• Jo Ciavaglia, Reporter, Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer, Levittown, Pa., for her dogged reporting of violence committed against children and exposing shortcomings in PA’s Child Protective Services Law.

PA Human Services Sec. Teresa Miller said, “It is important for us to stand together and support this critical cause. We must continue to be the voice for these individuals who are often unable to be heard. All Pennsylvanians have an obligation to protect and keep our children safe.”

Harrisburg businesses, the Capitol, and schools in the Philadelphia Archdiocese shine blue lights in April for child abuse prevention. The PA Turnpike’s 17 Service Plazas feature digital messages that mirror PFSA’s statewide billboard campaign, “Learn How to #ProtectPAKids.”

For more information, visit pa-fsa.org or call 800-448-4906.