BARBARA SINATRA CHILDREN'S CENTER PARTNERS WITH GOLD MEDAL GYMNAST, ALY RAISMAN FOR "PASSION TO PREVENT" CAMPAIGN RAISING AWARENESS FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE PREVENTION, EDUCATION, & EMPOWERMENT

Raisman to be Named the 2024 Champions Honoree in Recognition of Her Ongoing Abuse Awareness & Education Advocacy

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif., March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center (BSCC) - one of the nation's foremost treatment, education, research and resource centers for child abuse prevention - in affiliation with FightChildAbuse.org, is partnering with gymnast and sexual abuse survivor, Aly Raisman, to launch the "Passion to Prevent" campaign. This is the third time Raisman has partnered with BSCC on their ongoing efforts to raise awareness surrounding child sexual abuse and the need for prevention, education, and empowerment to help ensure every child's right to a healthy and secure upbringing. Additionally, BSCC will be tying "Passion to Prevent" to fundraising efforts, as the Center is expanding with new facilities to offer more and enhanced services to patients. The campaign will also fund new animated videos as part of fightchildabuse.org and fund more research into child sexual abuse prevention.

Raisman will be the 2024 Honoree at the Champion Honors Luncheon on March 26, 2024 at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, CA. Raisman continues to advocate for systematic changes within sports and the safety of children, making her an obvious and well-deserved recipient of this year's Champion Honoree. Previous recipients of this award include other decorated athletes such as Michael Phelps and Lindsay Vonn.

"We are thrilled to recognize the immense dedication and unparalleled bravery of Aly Raisman, at the Annual Champion Honors Luncheon," said Executive Officer at Barbara Sinatra Children's Center, John Thoresen. "We cannot thank Aly enough for her contributions to our shared commitment to ensure the safety and security of children around the world and look forward to our work together in the future."

"It's an honor to be recognized as the 2024 Champions Honoree, as the work I've done with Barbara Sinatra's Children's Center means so much to me on a personal level," said Raisman. "It's critical that abuse awareness and prevention is discussed openly and as adults, it's our responsibility to provide children and teens with tools, resources and strategies to recognize unsafe situations and encourage help-seeking behavior," I am very thankful to have a partner in this fight to help bring more awareness to this staggering issue, not just this month, but all year around."

To support her partnership, Raisman will visit the Center on Monday, March 25 to read aloud her upcoming children's book "From My Head to My Toes," to a small group of patients and their guardians. The book, which covers consent and body autonomy in a positive way, will be available for purchase on April 2.

This ongoing partnership between Raisman and BSCC began in December 2020, when Raisman headlined the first episode of FightChildAbuse.org's Virtual Event Series. She shared her own journey as a survivor and highlighted child abuse prevention tools and resources for children grades fourth through sixth. Additional episodes featured American Ninja Warrior star and child abuse survivor, Flip Rodriquez, and pop icon, Lance Bass.

About the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center: Founded in 1986 by Barbara and Frank Sinatra, the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center is dedicated to ensuring every child's right to a normal, healthy and secure childhood. Since its creation, about 25,000 children have received outpatient mental health and counseling services at the Center. The Center provides individual, group, and family therapy and special programs that address issues associated with children suffering the effects of child abuse and neglect. An estimated 700 children are counseled annually on an outpatient basis, and no child is ever turned away because of a family's inability to pay. For more information, visit BarbaraSinatraChildrensCenter.org. An animated video series, funded by the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation, has reached over 200 million children worldwide and generated over 70 million individual and group viewings on YouTube throughout the United States and abroad, with India as the second largest user behind the U.S. For more information and resources, visit FightChildAbuse.Org and view the Protect Yourself Rules and Teen Series Videos at https://www.youtube.com/@fightchildabuse1913/videos

SOURCE The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center Foundation