Jason’s Story

There is so much shame, doubt, and confusion attached to being a survivor. When I was a kid, I never told anyone what happened to me because I was afraid. Would my friends shun me? Would the police believe me? (My abuser said they wouldn’t.) Would my family help me? So, I stayed silent and …

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Bent Not Broken

Before my personal experience with abuse, I lived in a household in which my father abused my mother. I do not recall times when I witnessed him hitting her, but our home was filled with fear, anger and disappointment. When my parents finally separated, my mother took my siblings and I to live with my grandmother. …

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Leigh Ann’s Story

I first participated in Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children® 5 or 6 years ago. Since then, I became an Authorized Facilitator of the training and I have facilitated this program too many times to recall. Each time, something would spark a light in my mind that something was just not right with my history. Each time I watched the training, I picked up something different from each brave …

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The Memphis CAC

As the Prevention Director at the Memphis CAC, I see the devastation of abuse on children and their families firsthand. But I also get to see the hope and resilience of the children that come through the CAC. And even better, I get to be a part of the solution – by working to educate …

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Emily’s Story – Everyone Can Become an Advocate

I’ve been a competitive gymnast for 13 years (since I was just 5 years old!), and my teammates are like my family. Not just the teammates in my age group, either– competitors down to the youngest tumblers make up my tight knit community. That’s why I decided to become an advocate.  Gymnastics has been a large …

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