Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN) - 786

Tonight's special guest is Rene Howitt from St Louis, Missouri, a returning NAASCA family member and Executive Director of COPE24, dedicated to providing educators, physicians and advocacy agencies & organizations tools to assist in reaching our youth in a meaningful way. Through videos and curriculum, the organization prompts dialogue about positive parenting during the most challenging of situations. Our new video is the first in a series of documentaries, and shares the heart-wrenching stories of four families whose children survived tragic incidents of shaking and severe head trauma. The reality is that dealing with a crying baby is very stressful. When parents or caregivers react violently to that stress, they create a new reality. Rene Howitt, founder of COPE24, reaches out to students in communities around the Country, educating them on the stress and responsibility of being a parent to an infant, a toddler, young child and a teen. The COPE24 mission is to equip young adults with skills to become better parents. It is the belief of this organization that very little time is devoted to preparing young adults for what to expect when bringing home a baby. COPE24 has put together, with input from the Missouri Department of Education, a 2-week Parenting Skills Program to be presented in classrooms around the nation. To date some 20,000 students have been reached, after presentations at nearly 200 schools and universities in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Rene writes, "Let’s stop the cycle of child abuse with education that makes an impact."