Walks will heighten child abuse awareness
DuPage County Children's Center leaders will join the inaugural Champions for Children Walk 2008 May 16-18 to increase awareness of child abuse.
Walkers are meeting at the children's advocacy center in Springfield Friday morning, where they plan to walk 15 miles. Saturday they'll meet at Bloomington's center and walk, Sunday they'll walk a section in Joliet and Monday they plan to walk along Lake Michigan in Chicago.
In total, the Champions for Children Walk 2008 consists of 55 miles.
David Day, director of the Children's Advocacy Center in DuPage County, plans to walk at all four locations. He said the event should bring out at least 200 people.
"There are 38 centers in the state," he said. "It'll be kind of neat that all the centers are going to meet for one common purpose."
Day said the mission is also to get out into the public and inform people that the center is available to provide child sexual abuse investigations while recognizing victims' special needs. They also demand accountability for the abuse.
"Help and protect children is what we do," Day said. "We want to make sure everybody knows they have a place to come to if they need help."
If you would like to pledge a walker or make a contribution, call (630) 407-2750.