Although January felt like it lasted a lifetime, it’s hard to believe that February is already here. There is a lot happening at PCA Iowa. Staff are busy preparing materials and social media messages for Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, registering teams for our upcoming Bags tournament, engaging potential donors and sponsors for our 50th birthday celebration in June, promoting registration for our annual Child Abuse Prevention Conference in April, tracking legislation, and providing educational trainings for community members and board members. Unlike the groundhog, our team hasn’t stayed in one place long enough to see their shadows!
In December, I had the privilege of witnessing an interview with Marti Anderson, one of PCA Iowa’s founding members and board members. She graciously agreed to be interviewed for our 50th birthday video. It was an incredible hour filled with rich history, meaningful stories, and invaluable wisdom. Here’s a brief excerpt from our conversation. Enjoy!
Tell me a little bit about how PCA Iowa got started.
PCA Iowa emerged from a grassroots effort to identify and prevent child abuse in Iowa. A multidisciplinary team came together to brainstorm solutions from our diverse perspectives, experiences, and professions. I was one of 24 individuals who traveled across Iowa, working with various communities. We organized people that cared and wanted families to be healthy. Our original goal was to establish community groups that would continue working on child abuse prevention long after our initial meetings.
Tell me about your various roles with PCA Iowa.
I started as one of the original volunteers and later transitioned into a paid staff person. I think my title was Community Child Abuse Organizer and later, I transitioned into a board member after leaving employment at PCA Iowa. As the Community Child Abuse Organizer, my role was to establish child abuse councils across the state. I helped create over 34 different child abuse councils, which required a tremendous amount of effort and dedication. It was a lot of hard work. It was an effort that came from our hearts. The work was eye-opening, intense, and fulfilling. Over the span of every month or two, I think I put over 1800 miles on my yellow Volkswagen beetle traveling across Iowa.
Why was prevention so important then, and why is it still important today?
Adults who interact with children need to understand what child abuse is, how to recognize it, and what actions to take if they suspect abuse. They also need to know how to support both children and parents in difficult situations. Unfortunately, child abuse hasn’t gone away over the past 50 years. It remains critical to plant seeds of awareness within parents and communities to ensure children receive the support they need. Families continue to need resources that will empower them to help their children grow up in safe, nurturing environments. PCA Iowa fills a gap in our state by fostering those community relationships and sharing resources with everyone that has a child in their lives.
