Groups Campaign to End Child Abuse in Kentuckiana

Kosair Charities and several other organizations are launching a ten-year campaign to bring an end to child abuse in the Louisville area.The announcement of the partnership at Louisville Slugger Field downtown coincides with April being Child Abuse Prevention Month. Of the 17,000 cases of child abuse and neglect reported in Kentucky last year nearly 3,000 were in the Louisville region, said Kentucky Youth Advocates executive director Terry Brooks.Kosair Charities already supports nearly a dozen child abuse prevention organizations, but the collaboration announced Thursday will be closely monitored to measure its success.Last year the foundation provided $18 million to various organizations, said board chair Jerry Ward, and $21 million the year before.“This year in May we will announce our grants for the year. We provided funding for over 80 organizations in the community last year that are strategic partners we work with to support children," he said.Around a dozen of those organizations will be directly connected to the campaign and will release annual progress reports, said Ward.Partners including the following: Kosair Charities, University of Louisville, Kentucky Youth Advocates, Family & Children’s Place, Home of the Innocents, Boys and Girls Haven, Bellewood, Maryhurst, CASA and the Louisville Metro Police Foundation