Lourdes Students pose with Kimberly Kochem, Executive Director for The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Row 1:  Isabella Llano... Lourdes Students pose with Kimberly Kochem, Executive Director for The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Row 1:  Isabella Llano, Jaxon Super, Kaleigh Hilal. Row 2:  Brian Antonio, Joe Scaglione, Dan Ruiz, Kevin Alcoforado, Kimberly Kochem (CPCA)On Tuesday afternoon, The Center for the Prevention for Child Abuse honored Kevin Alcoforado, Brian Antonio, Kaleigh Hilal, Bella Llano, Dan Ruiz, Joe Scaglione and Jaxon Super for their commitment and support as “Champions” against Child Abuse.

Last summer, Kaleigh Hilal worked with CPCA on The Great Teddy Bear Round-Up. Teddy bears are used constantly by the center as a source of comfort to the children they work with.

<em>Courtesy Photo - The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.</em>

According to CPCA Executive Director, Kim Kochem, “When our supplies were low last summer, Kaleigh stepped forward to lead this initiative with unparalleled energy and determination to help our community’s most vulnerable population. She set an ambitious goal of 500 fuzzy friends, worked with our team to create the vision for The Great Teddy Bear Round-Up and built a strategy to engage our community  What happened next was a true outpouring of support and love from our community… more than we ever expected!”

Last fall, Joe Scaglione, Dan Ruiz, Bella Llano, Brian Antonio, Jaxon Super and Kevin Alcoforado put together a Christmas concert that played to a packed house in early December. In an amazing display of talent, these musicians and performers entertained for over two hours to a sold-out auditorium, raising almost $1,200 for CPCA. A tremendous success, juniors Jaxon, Brian, and Kevin plan to continue this tradition.  

This afternoon’s visit to CPCA gave the students a first-hand view of the many services offered to children, parents, educators, and schools all aimed at identifying and eliminating child abuse in our area. During the tour, special needs programs, parenting programs, and educating children were amongst the many services discussed. Truly an impressive organization that we are proud to lend our efforts to.

Well done Bella, Brian, Dan, Jaxon, Joe, Kaleigh, and Kevin!