Prevent Child Abuse Annual Conference April 11
Advocate Ashley Bendiksen keynotes conference and evening session for teens, parents
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The Family Service Association of Howard County will host its annual Prevent Child Abuse Conference on Thu., April 11. This year’s theme is entitled, “Children Are the Future.”
The event begins with registration and a continental breakfast at 8 a.m. The morning session follows at 8:30 a.m. with featured speakers Trisha Pickett and Carla A. Carlisle.
Carlisle is executive director of The Compassionate Companion in Charlotte, NC, though she originally hailed from Kokomo. She studied at American University and Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School. She is an author, trauma expert, and child advocate.
The event breaks for lunch at noon and resumes at 1:30 p.m. for the afternoon session, featuring keynote speaker Ashley Bendiksen.
Bendiksen is a survivor of abuse, an activist, an author, a life coach, a national speaker, and founder of the Blue Hearts Project. A victim of multiple abusers, the former beauty queen turned tragedy in her early life into motivation to help others recover and emerge stronger from the trauma of their past.
Bendiksen will close the conference, which concludes at 4 p.m.
Later that evening, an additional program for teens and adults will center around mental health and healthy relationships. At 5:30 p.m., Bendiksen will speak again, this time to middle school and high school students, about taking care of their mental health and developing healthy relationships.
At the same time, a session for parents will be held in a separate room with a panel of local mental health experts as they provide information and resources.
The conference and the evening program both take place at Northview Church, 3409 S, CR 200 W (South Dixon Road). The events are free and open to the public. For additional information, email grubers@fsahc.org or call 765-457-9313.
The FSA Prevent Child Abuse Annual Conference is sponsored by SCAN Community Partners, the Indiana Department of Child Services, and the Center Township Trustee’s Office of Howard County.