Day 96: Child Advocacy

I had the pleasure of getting to Jordan quite well during Miss Washington week because she was contestant #8 and I was #9. She is incredible young lady and I know she will do phenomenal things in the future.

Meet Jordan Donahue, Miss Tahoma 2012

What is the title of your platform?
JD: My platform is Children's Advocacy: Helping Abused and Neglected Kids

How can others get involved with your platform?
JD: Just being aware of how common abuse/sexual abuse is can change your perspective. My message to adults is to not be afraid to trust their gut feeling, and to always stand up for individuals who don't have a voice whether it by child, women or  the elderly just to name a few. My message to children when I go to speak is that they are not alone. I share my personal story about how I lost everything and my family fell apart, but how I chose hope. I chose not to let someone else dictate what my future would be. Every statistic says that I would be a failure and not pursue higher education. Other people can hurt us, but we can choose to not let that control us. I found comfort in dancing and I encourage children to find something they are passionate about. It can change the lives of kids who have been neglected or abused. 

How did you choose your platform?

JD: I chose my platform because it is something that is very near to my heart. I consider it my life purpose and I know it is something I will always be involved with. My younger sister was sexually abused throughout her childhood. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men are sexually abused before their 18th birthday. This means there are more than 42 million adult survivors of child sexual abuse in the U.S. My goal as a titleholder was to advocate for children without a voice. I work with children who have been abused, neglected and in foster care, etc. One of my main focuses during my year was getting the prevention training program "Darkness to Light" into Whatcom Community College and promoting it in my community. Every adult who receives the training can protect up to 10 children from abuse by learning the signs and what to look for. I was able to facilitate over 60 future teachers to receives this training, and as a future educator I could not have been more excited. Currently, I work with a local family support center and I speak at different events to advocate for children. This is a very difficult, emotional and draining platform to have but I would not have it any other way. I want to fight for these children who do not have a voice and talking about the difficult and uncomfortable situations is the only way to protect our children. 

You can learn a lot about Jordan's platform by doing some research. I looked more into the program Jordan had mentioned titled "Darkness to Light" and I liked the Facebook page. Their mission is simply to end child abuse. 

Then I looked at their official website and found a pledge everyone can take. You too can take the pledge by clicking here. According to the site, there are 7 steps to protecting our children. They are as follows: 1) Learn the facts, 2) Minimize opportunity, 3) Talk about it, 4) Stay alert, 5) Make a plan, 6) Act on suspisions and 6) get involved. 

God bless,

Kailee