Philadelphia Children's Alliance

We are so excited for a special shopping event with Scott in Ardmore! They will be donating 20% of all sales in-store on December 13 and online from the 13 - 16th (using promo code GIVEBACK-FQNGP) to support our work. We can't wait. Let us know if you plan on shopping for good!

Help us support the children and families we serve in our annual toy drive! You can shop and ship directly to us from our Amazon Wishlist, make a donation on our site, our donate toys and gifts to our office. Find out more: philachildrensalliance.org/toydrive2023

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our virtual “Keeping Kids Safe Online” Caregiver Workshop! There is still time to sign up to learn more about the critical challenges around keeping our children safe on the internet and how we can support them. Reach out to Rayna Smaller, LSW to register: [email protected]

Our CFAR staffers had a wonderful time at the Philadelphia Children's Alliance (PCA) Mental Health Breakfast. Pictured from left to right are Vickie Melvin (PCA Associate Director), Jamica Cropper-Pam (CFAR Director of Outpatient Program-Northeast), Syeeda Martin (CFAR Together Through Trauma Program Director), Belen Gomez (CFAR Children Deserving Services Program Director), and Sharon Rice (PCA Program Manager.) We are so grateful to have an incredible partnership with PCA!

We are so grateful to our friends and partners at Aon Philadelphia for providing lunch for our entire staff on Friday. Not only did it give us all a chance to take a break and connect – it was also incredibly delicious!

Aon Philadelphia have been generous supporters of Philadelphia Children's Alliance since 2009 and play a critical role in the impact we have on our children. Thank you again, Aon!

We’ve just earned our 2023 Platinum Seal with Candid! Candid provides comprehensive data and insights about the social sector, helping people understand how organizations like ours utilize their donations and create impact. Thank you to our team for ensuring that we are consistently candid with our supporters and our families.

Last week, we hosted our “Risk Factors: Sexual Exploitation of Children” training for multi-disciplinary team members from various organizations across the city including our Special Victims Unit, Department of Human Services and mental health partners.

Thank you to Alicia Kozakiewicz, a motivational speaker, victim and missing persons advocate, internet safety expert and abduction survivor, who led our second session, as well as Shannon Trace, the Senior Program Manager at the Family Advocacy National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, who discussed the impact of grooming and technology on children.

Follow us here for more training opportunities and resources in Philadelphia and beyond.

Our kids are moving at a faster pace than ever and with that comes the challenge of keeping them safe in new virtual spaces. Our newest caregiver workshop, “Keeping Kids Safe Online” launches on December 6, 2023 via zoom and is free for all registrants. Facilitated by one of our family advocates, Rayna Smaller, LSW, this workshop is open to all caregivers and people who work with children of any age.

Find out more and register by contacting Rayna at [email protected] or at 215.528.0210

Today, on Giving Tuesday, Rite Aid Healthy Futures announced that Philadelphia Children’s Alliance has received a $10,000 neighborhood grant!

Rite Aid Healthy Futures’ Neighborhood Grants help nonprofits address the toughest health and wellness challenges facing kids. We are so grateful for their support.

If you’d like to support our mission, too, find out how at philachildrensalliance.org

On Giving Tuesday this year, Philadelphia Children’s Alliance is asking you to give your voice to help spread awareness of the reality of child sexual abuse. Day in and day out, our team navigates a journey of healing for families. Sharing our message with people in your network and community will help us continue to make all the difference in the lives of children.

Support us today by donating at philachildrensalliance.org and by sharing this post.

Everyday, we are grateful for you – our partners, our families, and our community.

Because of all of you, we are able to support the healing of children and families and help them move forward from their pain.

Because of all of you, we are able to create a space where children are safe, seen, and heard.

Thank you for all you do.

As the holidays approach, it’s important that we recognize our kids’ boundaries. When relatives pressure them for physical affection, it can make children feel uncomfortable and teach them that they can’t make choices for themselves about their bodies.

Visit philadelphiachildrensalliance.org for more resources and tips to keep our kids safe.

The Philadelphia Children’s Alliance would like to thank our good friends at Dunkin’ for supporting us with a $20,000 grant from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation! Announced yesterday at the Dunkin’ x Eagles pep rally, this grant was awarded to PCA as part of the Foundation’s commitment to bringing the simple joys of childhood to kids in need.

See the spotlight on 6ABC: https://6abc.com/14085379/

November 19 is World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse, and this year Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA) is teaming up with the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse (ISPCAN) to share resources and awareness about child abuse prevention.

To find out more about our work — specifically our Stewards of Children® training and our 10 Ten Tips To Protect Your Child From Sexual Abuse — visit our community resource page at philachildrensalliance.org/community-resources

We could not be more excited to announce that we are officially back at Lincoln Financial Field for the 2024 Bear Affair on Thursday, May 2, 2024!

Early bird ticket pricing is available now until December 15th. Get your tickets at bearaffair.org — you will NOT want to miss it!

We are back with our Safety Spotlight Series to talk about what it means to make your home a “no secrets” zone.

Secrets can seem so exciting and can make us feel a special bond with those we have them with, especially for children. The problem with secrets is that they lay the foundation for keeping our kids silent with more serious issues like sexual abuse and other inappropriate behaviors. Teach your kids to openly share about all their feelings and experiences.

Learn more on our site by checking out our resources page.

philachildrensalliance.org/resources

The work we do for children at Philadelphia Children’s Alliance takes a team of people dedicated to service, discretion, and detail.

Our Data Management Specialist tracks all our case data and case outcomes and works closely with our program and development teams to measure and report the impact of PCA for funding and prevention needs.

To qualify, you’ll need a Master’s degree in social work, psychology, or a related field, experience with data and reports, knowledge of the Philadelphia behavioral health system, and familiarity with child abuse reporting requirements.

For a full list of responsibilities and requirements, view our post at philachildrensalliance.org/jobs

Register today for the live, in person workshop, "They Are All Our Children: Understanding and Addressing Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children" offered through BHTEN (Behavioral Health Training And Education Network) and instructed by Renee Roman, LMSW and Tricia Gardener, BA, JD. Find out more and register at

https://www.bhten.com/dbhids-learning-hub

We are hiring! If you are interested in joining the team at Philadelphia Children’s Alliance, this is your chance. The work we do has a direct, positive impact on survivors of child sexual abuse and their families, and we are looking for the right people to support or work and mission.

Find out more and learn how to apply online at philachildrensalliance.org/jobs

On November 7, 2023, Philadelphia Children’s Alliance will partner with CHOP’s Center for Autism Research to present a Virtual Lunch and Learn for our MDT partners and other practitioners who want to develop strategies for supporting autistic individuals and their families. For more information and to sign up, visit tinyurl.com/lunchandlearnchop

A large part of the work we do at Philadelphia Children’s Alliance is prevention and protection. Throughout November (and starting today!), we’ll share our top 10 tips to protect children from sexual abuse.

Research consistently shows that teaching kids the accurate names for their private parts enhances their body image, confidence, and their openness. It helps them normalize conversations about their bodies and can help protect them if they do have an experience that they need to share with an adult.

For more resources, visit our site.

On October 11th, we had the privilege of hosting leaders from the City of Philadelphia and across our state for our annual Legislative Breakfast.

When we come together to talk about the reality of child sexual abuse and how it truly effects every neighborhood in our city, we are better able to understand the urgency and impact of our mission at PCA. Thank you to everyone who joined us – together, we make all the difference.

See all our pictures at: https://www.philachildrensalliance.org/legislativebreakfast2023

Thank you so much to the amazing members of the Faith and Hope Women’s Ministry of Mt. Pisgah AME Church for their support of PCA at their 5K/3K Fun Walk/Run To End Child Sexual Abuse last weekend. It was a great morning and we are so grateful for each and every one of you!

Join PCA on Saturday, October 21, for the first Youth Mental Health Fair at the NOMO Foundation on Broad Street. We are proud to share community resources alongside NET Community Care CUA 7 and other amazing organizations serving our city. We hope to see you there!

There are just 2 days until the 5K/3K Fun Walk/Run To End Child Sexual Abuse sponsored by Fath & Hope Women’s Minsitry of Mt. Pisgah AME Church! We will be at the starting line on Saturday at 8AM, walking in support of our mission. All proceeds benefit our work to help the children of Philadelphia, so sign up today and we’ll see you there! Visit mtpisgahamec.org for more!

What an amazing morning at Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA) for our annual Legislative Breakfast!

Legislators came to PCA to see the effects of our collaborative work firsthand and to understand how the Safety Collaborative comes together to benefit the children we serve.

Thank you to everyone who came today and for all who support the work we do! We can't wait to share even more photos later this week!

Join us this month for THREE exciting community resource events! We’ll be at the NOMO Foundation, Fairhill Square Park, and Tiffany Fletcher Rec Center talking to our Philadelphia neighbors about the work we do and the impact of PCA. Hope to see you at one or all of these events! More info to come!

We are so excited that the amazing members of the Faith and Hope Women’s Ministry of Mt. Pisgah AME Church have chosen to support PCA with a 5K/3K Fun Walk/Run To End Child Sexual Abuse.

You are invited to join either in-person or virtually and registration is open now at mtpisgahamec.org

All proceeds support our mission – we hope to see you at the starting line!

Our 10 Years Together Celebration of the Philadelphia Safety Collaborative -- which unites SVU, DHS, and PCA -- was so fun we want to keep sharing it! Enjoy these pictures from a day filled with good food, great memories, and our extraordinary community of passionate advocates for the children of Philadelphia. Link in comments for our full gallery!

National Hispanic Heritage Month pays tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have influenced and enriched our nation and our society. In Philadelphia specifically, our neighborhoods and communities are rich with the amazing impact of Hispanic and Latino families and culture.

From July 2022 through June 2023, PCA impacted the lives of almost 300 Hispanic and Latino survivors of child sexual abuse. Our bilingual staff members are available to ensure comfort and understanding through a family's entire relationship with PCA. We are committed to helping these children heal and thrive, so that they can continue to be shining lights in the world.

We can’t wait to join everyone at Community Day in Wissinoming Park tomorrow, September 30, at 11am. PCA will be there alongside other neighborhood and citywide resources, music, raffles, and more. We hope to see you there and thank you, CUA3 and Concilio for inviting us!

Thank you to Melany Nelson, Director of Forensic Services and Crisis Response and the Bucks County Child Advocacy Center (Nova Bucks) staff for visiting with us earlier this month. We love connecting with other CAC’s and getting to share with them all that our facility and team have to offer.

Last week, Philadelphia Children’s Alliance celebrated a decade of partnership alongside the Special Victims Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department and the Department of Human Services. For 10 years, all three organizations have been co-located and united as The Philadelphia Safety Collaborative at 300 E. Hunting Park Ave, committed to making our city a safer place to live and thrive TOGETHER.

We gathered for celebration, reflection, music, and food. Plus, our favorite detective, Raymond Smith, even volunteered to run (and be submerged in!) a dunk tank to raise money for our cause. We are all so honored to serve our beloved city.

Last week, Philadelphia Children’s Alliance celebrated a decade of partnership alongside the Special Victims Unit of the Philadelphia Police Department and the Department of Human Services. For 10 years, all three organizations have been co-located and united as The Philadelphia Safety Collaborative at 300 E. Hunting Park Ave, committed to making our city a safer place to live and thrive TOGETHER. We gathered for celebration, reflection, music, food, and fun. Plus, our favorite detective, Raymond Smith, even volunteered to run (and be submerged in!) a dunk tank to raise money for our cause. We are all so honored to serve our beloved city. #philadelphia #philly #phillykids #keystonecacs

We’ve said it before and we will say it again – the work we do truly changes lives and we are so lucky to have amazing partners like Highmark who commit to supporting us at events like our annual Golf Outing with Aon Philadelphia.

Thank you, Highmark, for choosing us and thank you for all you do. Highmark works passionately to deliver high-quality, accessible, and affordable experiences, outcomes, and solutions to over 7 million customers.

We can’t wait for next year!

As you all know by now, last week was a truly amazing week for us at PCA. We had a great time with Aon Philadelphia at our annual Golf Outing with friends old and new, raising integral funds to protect the children of Philadelphia.

Chubb, one of our gracious sponsors, really represented on the course at Springhaven with 6 foursomes! Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, and we are so lucky to have their headquarters right here in Philadelphia. Thank you, Chubb, for everything you do for us and for our beloved city!

Mercedes Ledesma, LSW, is a bilingual trauma clinician serving child victims of abuse and their caregivers at @philadelphiachildrensalliance and wants parents to know that #sanaresposible, and that the #ChildAdvocacyCenter provides #lamejorrespuestaposible. Thanks for being a part of #WHYWESHINE here in Pennsylvania, Mercedes! #supportsurvivors #helpkidsheal #bestpossibleresponse #KeystoneCACs

We are so excited to report that our annual Golf Outing hosted by Aon Philadelphia incredibly raised over $60,000 with an amazing 21 companies across the region. For over 20 years, Aon Philadelphia has chosen to host this event in partnership with PCA to continue to fuel our mission of providing healing and service to young, vulnerable victims of sexual abuse.

The support we get from Aon is truly transformative – not just at this event, but throughout the entire year. Special thanks to Aon Philadelphia’s Megan Bell, Alexa Stricker and David Bennink, passionate advocates for our children and their families, who always go above and beyond for us and our community.

Aon offers global professional services that provide a wide range of risk, reinsurance, retirement, and health solutions. Thank you, Aon for being an integral part of the PCA family!

Pictured in the second photo from left to right: Benita Williams (Executive Director, PCA) with our friends from Aon Philadelphia: Alexa Stricker, Megan Bell, Mary Margaret Taylor, and David Bennink.

Just two more days until we hit the course at Springhaven for our annual Golf Outing hosted by Aon Philadelphia! Thank you to Zurich, who has generously sponsored this event again this year and who we can’t wait to see out on the green. We appreciate your commitment and dedication to our work!

Zurich is a global insurance protection provider, focused on promoting wellbeing and the enhancement of climate resilience. Thank you, Zurich, for your support!

On Monday, PCA is hitting the green at the Springhaven Club for our Annual Golf Outing hosted by Aon Philadelphia! The money we raise from this event (and all the events we do) directly impacts the services we provide for Philadelphia victims and their families every day. Please join us in thanking unum, one of our amazing sponsors.

Unum helps millions of people gain affordable access to disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental and vision benefits through the workplace — benefits that help them protect their families, their finances and their futures. Thank you, unum, for your support!