Child abuse is not a pleasant topic. When we hear about the sexual, physical or emotional abuse of a child it’s easy to shake our heads, count our blessings and move on to a new thought, TV channel or conversation. But did you know that the state of Georgia receives 207 reports of child abuse and neglect each day or that thirty-three percent of these victims are age three and younger? These statistics are staggering, aren’t they?
What’s worse, many abused children have been so frequently exposed to violent and unhealthy environments they have a difficult time grasping concepts like love, hope and opportunity. Abused children are plagued with severe anxiety, depression, emotional instability, behavioral problems and hopelessness.
When compared with the general population, Childwelfare.gov reports children that have been abused are 59 percent more likely to be incarcerated as a child and 28 percent more likely to be incarcerated as an adult. They also are 30 percent more likely to commit a violent crime and have a much higher likelihood of abusing their own children later in life.
For the past three years, Cookerly Public Relations has provided public relations and financial support to Murphy-Harpst, a wonderful non-profit organization delivering care to Georgia’s most severely abused and neglected children.
Professionals at Murphy-Harpst provide around-the-clock-care, education and specialized therapy to break the cycle of abuse. Children at Murphy-Harpst are treated with dignity and respect by specialized psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and advisors that refuse to give in or give up. And the best part: Murphy-Harpst produces proven results.
Roughly 82 percent of Murphy-Harpst graduates will go on to lead normal lives. There are countless success stories that are all attributed to the continuum of therapeutic programs and care. And while there is no question that personalized therapy and 24-hour care is costly, it is the only proven method of ensuring abused and neglected children develop a sense of self-worth. At Cookerly, we see this as a small price to pay for the strength, hope and success these children are able to gain.
Our president, Carol Cookerly, serves on the Murphy-Harpst board of directors and her enthusiasm for this organization has caught fire. We are committed to spreading the word about Murphy-Harpst to garner greater recognition and financial support. If this blog post has inspired you to help the abused and neglected kids of Georgia, please consider donating by clicking here.
Find out more about Murphy-Harpst here: http://www.murphyharpst.org/how/index.php
“Like” Murphy-Harpst’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/MurphyHarpst
Or just spread the word. Thanks!
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman specializes in building and maintaining relationships with the media and has an excellent track record of landing significant placements in print and broadcast media including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Money Magazine.
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As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Matt helps organizations protect and advance their reputations and bottom lines through strategic communications programs. Using creativity, planning and flawless execution, he works with a team to deliver compelling public relations campaigns that produce results and support clients’ business objectives.