April is Child Abuse Prevention month, and at MountainStar, it’s what we do every day, all year. We work alongside parents facing tough challenges to ensure their child gets the best start possible. It is a big moment when a family reaches out and asks for help. Parents recognize their child is struggling, and they lack the resources they need to help them. Asking for help is an act of courage, and that is the precise moment when MountainStar steps in, providing hope when it’s needed most. It takes a village to keep kids safe. MountainStar’s services are possible because of YOU! As an individual, business, or foundation, your decision to invest in young children during the critical time of early childhood changes the outcomes of their lives. MountainStar is proud that 98% of children in our programs stay safe from abuse and neglect. Yet, we know there are more children in our community in need of support.
At just 10 months old, Maya was not thriving. Dad was working two jobs and rarely home. Mom suffered from severe post-partum depression and did not give Maya the attention she desperately needed. Dad realized Maya no longer cried for attention and knew something was wrong. Maya had been neglected, and they needed help. At their next doctor visit, Dad was given a brochure about MountainStar. In their initial home visit with MountainStar’s outreach coordinator, Dad was anxious. He feared his daughter would be taken away for any reason. He was worried his family would be judged and tried to prepare to say all the right things. He was afraid to ask for help. By the end of the first meeting, those fears all disappeared. Dad realized MountainStar was there to understand what they were going through and figure out how best to help his family.
“Everything I worried about was inaccurate. They have been nothing but wonderful, protective, supportive, and loving. They’ve treated my kid like their own.…I’ve never seen a group of people rally behind children the way these people do, and all without judgement of the parent or situation, they just want to help. It’s a genuine, honest, sincere love they have for what they are doing.…Now [Maya] is a social, fun, happy little girl, and that’s all I was hoping for, for her to be a happy little
girl.” – Dad
