“There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” — Amanda Gorman. There’s one team out of Mt Pleasant, South Carolina that’s brave enough to see the light and be the light. Katelyn N. Brewer, President & Chief Executive Office, Darkness to Light, joins Raise Nation Radio to talk about how their light protects children.

SHOW NOTES:

March 9, 2023 – Episode # 78

A Ray of Light featuring Katelyn Brewer

Child sexual abuse affects more than just children and their families – it affects entire communities. It’s terrifying to hear that child sexual abuse is one of the most prevalent public health issues facing society. One in 10 children will be the victim of sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. Even more alarming is acknowledging that 90% of survivors are abused by someone they (or their family) know and trust.

Darkness to Light, a nonprofit based in South Carolina with national impact, is changing the narrative on child sexual abuse through a unique lens and 360 degree approach to preventing these horrific acts of child mistreatment. The nonprofit utilizes a Social Behavior Change (SBC) framework to guide their work. SBC is a proven methodology for enabling change at the individual, community, and societal levels to improve health and overall well-being.

Darkness to Light focuses on three pillars of support for the prevention of child sexual abuse.

  • Comprehensive Prevention Programming
  • Advocacy for Stakeholder Engagement and Ownership
  • Training to Improve Awareness and Skills Among Adults

Through their various programming, Darkness to Light engages adults throughout society to actively prevent child sexual abuse within their circles of influence. The nonprofit proactively targets four main audiences: Adults with Political Power and Social influence, Adults in the Community, Adults in Youth Serving Organizations, and Adults in Family.

In this new prevention paradigm, programmatic reach is essential. And fundraising to support expansion, growth, and reach is critical. The intense demand created urgency for the development team to acquire and budget for best-in-class fundraising software to improve giving experiences and opportunities. Their research led to the OneCause Cares Corporate Grants Program to accelerate their fundraising initiatives. On February 7th, 2023, OneCause awarded a technology grant to Darkness to Light.

In this episode, Katelyn discusses:

  • What the OneCause Grant Award means for Darkness to Light.
  • Myths about child sexual abuse.
  • 5 Steps to protecting children.
  • Why EVERYONE should have training to learn how to prevent, recognize, & react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

Connect with Katelyn on Linked In: Katelyn Brewer
To learn more about Darkness to Light visit their web site: Darkness to Light

Related Reading and Resources

OneCause Awards Technology Grants to Rapidly Growing Nonprofits

(If you are a nonprofit and would like to be a guest on Raise Nation Radio to feature your mission and impact, contact Dawn Lego.)