“A Champion for Children.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CHICAGO, IL, March 15, 2013 – As a culture we are more likely to celebrate sports heroes and movie stars than champions for children. Those who work on behalf of child and family well-being and the prevention of child abuse and neglect know that this comes with the territory, and the satisfaction of building healthier futures is enough of a reward for them.

Still, there are times when we need recognize that even among champions, there are those among us who deserve more than personal satisfaction. Their work has made such a profound difference in the lives of children and families that we are obligated to pause and honor the impact of their life’s work.

One such champion was James S. (Jim) Cameron. Jim Cameron who recently passed away, was a tireless advocate for healthy child development, and played a significant role in enhancing the lives of New York’s children and families in ways both big and small, including, the development of Prevent Child Abuse New York, Healthy Families New York, and the NYS Children and Family Trust Fund.

To pay true homage to the work and legacy of Jim Cameron, however, we should not stop with a mere recitation of his accomplishments. Nor should we stop at raising awareness of this unsung champion’s presence in our lives. Instead, what we need to do is emulate his passion and commitment to children and families, all of us, and all the time.

We may not start groundbreaking organizations, nor be hailed as visionaries ourselves, but we all play a role in the lives of children and families, and there are so many things we can do:

• Support families as Jim once did; offering to babysit, make meals, or help with homework; 
• Volunteer at the types of children and family serving organizations that Jim founded; and 
• Advocate for the kinds of prevention programming that Jim championed.

“Most of us will not be recognized as trailblazers or innovators during our lifetime,” said James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America, “but we can still do great things, we can still enhance the lives of children and families, and we can still strive to be recognized as champions, even if only by those whose lives we impact for the better.

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA
Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1972 in Chicago, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide. The organization promotes that vision through a network of chapters in 50 states and 581 Healthy Families America home visitation sites in 41 states, all the territories, Puerto Rico and Canada. A major organizational focus is to advocate for the existence of a national policy framework and strategy for children and families while promoting evidence-based practices that prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring. To learn more about what we’re doing to prevent child abuse and neglect and how you can help, please visit our websites, here and here.