4 | APRIL 21 • 2022 

essay
The Time to Talk About Child Abuse 
and Neglect Prevention is Now
S

ometimes the most difficult issues 
to face are the ones in the direst 
need of attention.
Child abuse and neglect are indiscrim-
inate and complex problems. They seep 
into every corner of society without regard 
to race, gender or socioeco-
nomic status. They’re also 
challenging and uncomfort-
able topics for many to open-
ly discuss because the subject 
matter — the destruction of 
innocence — is a dark and 
weighty talking point for 
polite conversation.
However, there is no better time than the 
present to continue addressing the need 
for these conversations because prevention 
now brings hope for a brighter future for 
all of us. 
April is National Child Abuse 
Prevention Month, and for the past 40 
years, Children’s Trust Fund of Michigan 
has been the only statewide agency solely 
dedicated to ending cycles of child abuse 
and neglect by supporting local councils 
in all 83 counties that strengthen families 
through education, awareness and pro-
gramming. 

I have been blessed to dedicate a signif-
icant portion of my time to area nonprof-
its striving to help children and families. 
Children’s Trust Fund has always held a 
special, personal place in my heart because 
of the work it performs to provide hope and 
happiness across Michigan. So, when I was 
asked by the governor to serve on CTF’s 
board of directors in March 2020, I jumped 
at the opportunity to play a part in produc-
ing positive outcomes not only for individu-
als and households but for society as a whole 
as well. 
Unfortunately, the negative ramifications 
of abuse and neglect extend far beyond 
the boundaries of childhood. Numerous 
studies have shown the ripples of adverse 
childhood experiences stretch into adult-
hood, creating even further societal ills 
such as repetitive cycles of violence, drug 
abuse, and mental and psychological con-
sequences.
It’s why the importance of early, often 
and unyielding prevention efforts cannot be 
understated — and it also highlights why 
prevention is an issue where we all have a 
shared invested interest.
But what can we do as individuals?
The first step is simply awareness. CTF 

has a valued partner this year in Blue Cross 
Blue Shield of Michigan to help spread the 
message that prevention matters. There are 
a variety of events taking place in local com-
munities across the state to highlight Child 
Abuse Awareness Month, and our hope is 
that you take note of them.
The second step is to get involved and 
take an active role. One way to get involved 
is by volunteering or donating to programs 
and services offered in your community. 
Another is to take part in CTF’s 20th annual 
Pam Posthumus Signature Auction Event 
on May 17. The annual gathering is being 
held virtually as well as in-person this year 
at the Breslin Student Events Center in East 
Lansing. 
The more we talk about and implement 
child abuse and neglect prevention, the less 
power the issue holds as an uncomfortable 
and awkward topic. It’s time to open the lines 
of communication and have a dialogue of 
empathy, understanding and action.
Every voice matters. 

Amy Tattrie Loepp is chair of the Children’s Trust 

Fund board of directors. The CTF’s 20th annual Pam 

Posthumus Signature Auction Event is set for May 17 at 

the Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing. For 

more information, visit michigan.gov/ctf/.

Amy Tattrie 
Loepp 

PURELY COMMENTARY

statement
Russian War Crimes in Ukraine
M

useums are bearers of 
history. By housing 
the artifacts and docu-
ments of the past, we ensure that 
the truth, both 
noble and horrific, 
of what humanity 
has done remains 
shared and acces-
sible.
We at Holocaust 
museums around 
the world have a 
particular mission. The stories 

we tell are ones of destruction 
and pain, and of the nobility 
of upstanders who risked their 
lives to do what was right and 
help others. We not only aim to 
educate, to honor our survivors’ 
wishes that their stories are not 
forgotten, but to make a better 
future where the stories we tell 
are no longer repeated.
So it is with sorrow that we see 
yet another atrocity in Ukraine, 
80 years after the “Holocaust by 
Bullets” in which Jewish men, 

women and children were shot 
and buried in shallow graves. 
We are angered by today’s stories 
of children with their hands 
zip tied and buried in shallow 
graves. We are angered by the 
horrific reports of rape and wan-
ton destruction of lives by the 
Russian army. 
These are war crimes, and 
if we, as the bearers of history, 
do not speak out, then we have 
failed in our mission.
We call upon our governments 

around the world to do more to 
stop these atrocities and assist 
those who have been brutalized. 
We support the International 
Criminal Court’s investigation 
of war crimes, crimes against 
humanity and genocide. 

Seventeen museums from four countries 

across the world released this joint 

statement condemning Russian war 

crimes in Ukraine. Rabbi Eli Mayerfeld 

of The Zekelman Holocaust Center in 

Farmington Hills was one of the 

signatories.

Rabbi Eli 
Mayerfeld

