Cited as a "perfect example" of child abuse treatment by the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

FRC Granted $222,817 in State Tax Credits
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2008

Family Resource Center Granted $222,817 in State Tax Credits
Missouri Dollars to Fund Non-Profit’s New Initiative to Reduce Chronic Child Abuse and Neglect

St. Louis, MO – Family Resource Center (FRC) has been awarded $222,817 in Youth Opportunity tax credits by the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The state funding is designated to support the non-profit’s initiative to significantly reduce chronic child abuse and neglect in St. Louis and surrounding Missouri counties.

“Our goal is to significantly reduce the number of chronic child abuse cases in the region over the next decade,” says FRC Executive Director Greg Echele. “We believe that a new evidence-based approach will enable us to break the generational cycle of violence and neglect in many of our region’s families. The state tax credits will go a long way toward helping us raise the funds needed to address this ambitious and important goal.”

Over 80,000 hotline calls each year report child maltreatment in Missouri. To prevent children from suffering the emotional and psychological effects of abuse, it is necessary to provide resources and alternative coping skills to at-risk families.

To address this issue, FRC is developing an innovative approach which focuses on the psychological and environmental risk factors that contribute to chronic abuse, with an understanding that all factors must be addressed for truly successful intervention. The agency’s programs will provide direct therapeutic and parenting education services for families. FRC will also collaborate with additional community resources to help families move beyond their crises and toward long-term self-sustainability. A key collaborator, Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work, has already agreed to partner with FRC in developing this ground-breaking initiative.

The Youth Opportunity Program, administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, provides tax credits to organizations administering positive youth development or crime prevention projects. FRC will pass along its Youth Opportunity tax credits to high-level donors supporting the agency’s new initiative to significantly reduce chronic child abuse in the area.

About Family Resource Center
Family Resource Center, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, is one of Missouri's largest family counseling agencies dedicated to preventing and treating child abuse and neglect. Established in 1974, the accredited agency has served more than 100,000 children and family members in St. Louis City and surrounding counties. In 2007, FRC served more than 10,000 children and parents - strengthening families through therapeutic, educational, mentoring and support services. Additionally FRC offers consultation and training for social service professionals who work with families and children, as well as support groups through Parents Anonymous®. For more information, visit www.frcmo.org. Family Resource Center is based at 3309 South Kingshighway Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63139-1101.

Note: April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.