Protecting children from harm

Proud to be part of the solution

Dan Thompson, owner of Dan Thompson Agency, first got involved with SAFEchild sixteen years ago when his agency sponsored a bowling fundraiser event. In the years that followed, Thompson became a mentor for the Nurturing Group, which helps parents and their six- to eight-year-old children break cycles of violence within families. Other Dan Thompson Agency employees joined as SAFEchild mentors, too.

Through groups, classes and evaluation services, the organization serves parents within the community who may be court ordered for treatment or who are proactively seeking out resources to improve their children’s lives and their family home environment. “We’re proud to be part of the solution,” says Thompson. “SAFEchild works with families who are often in very stigmatized situations and offers them the support and guidance they need in order to grow and thrive.”

“SAFEchild works with families who are often in very stigmatized situations and offers them the support and guidance they need in order to grow and thrive.”

– Dan Thompson, owner of Dan Thompson Agency

Programs that work

SAFEchild, which stands for Stop Abuse for Every child, is Wake County’s leading voice for child abuse prevention and is the only organization in Wake County that offers a full range of child abuse prevention and intervention services to children and families at no cost. Annually, SAFEchild protects 13,000 children and empowers 2,000 caregivers with more than 20,000 hours of parent education.

Additionally, SAFEchild works in partnership with the Wake County Public School System to train more than 200 school counselors to present the Funny Tummy Feelings (FTF) program to approximately 12,000 first-grade students in 119 public elementary schools annually. The FTF program helps children understand how their emotions speak to them through their bodies and is an integral part of SAFEchild’s programming.

“I’m still there because of the children,” says Thompson, who also served on SAFEchild’s board of directors for three years. “Year after year, I’ve seen the results of what we do, whether in current groups or when I run into families from past groups. Some of the kids we’ve helped are now volunteers themselves.”

Supporting families through the pandemic

Although some of the programs have been implemented differently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, SAFEchild’s engagement with caregivers and children has not been interrupted. The programs continue over Zoom and provide parents with much-needed support during this stressful time. As a follow-up from COVID disruptions during the last school year, an additional 12,000 second-grade students will receive the FTF program during the 2021-22 school year.

“Making sure we’re still supporting families through the pandemic has been top of mind for our organization,” said Cristin DeRonja, executive director of SAFEchild. “Dan Thompson Agency is a remarkable community partner who has loyally supported SAFEchild’s mission and whose involvement is an admirable example of why SAFEchild’s programs will prosper for years to come.”

“Dan Thompson Agency is a remarkable community partner who has loyally supported SAFEchild’s mission.”

– Cristin DeRonja, executive director at SAFEchild

A $10,000 donation from Liberty Mutual and Safeco Insurance would help fund the Nurturing Program, additional facilities and additional resources to help empower parents and protect children from harm. It would also allow SAFEchild to expand its FTF program into more schools across North Carolina. As Thompson notes, “there have already been many moments to celebrate, and the future holds many, many more.”

Vote below by sharing or commenting on this story. Your vote gets SAFEchild one step closer to a $10,000 donation, which will help families across Wake County thrive. Visit Dan Thompson Agency and SAFEchild to learn more.