PCAK, Lotus, Kentucky DCBS Aid Western Kentucky Families through Geaux Bag Delivery
On January 5, 2022, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky (PCAK), delivered 200 Geaux Bags to Lotus Children’s Advocacy & Sexual Violence Resource Center in Paducah, Kentucky. PCAK facilitated this donation via the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services, whose representatives traveled from Baton Rouge to personally deliver the bags. The Geaux bags will be distributed to children impacted by the December 10, 2021 tornado that devasted the Western Kentucky area.
The Geaux Bags, generally used in Louisiana for a child’s first night in foster care, include many necessary supplies for children, including a pillow, blanket, personal care items, and an age-appropriate toy. Lotus and the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) will distribute the bags and other resources, including essential supplies, coping tools, and information about traumatic stress, to various area donation distribution zones and through direct deliveries to children and families.
“We are so grateful to our friends in Louisiana for reaching out with their offer of assistance, and for their personally making the trip to deliver the Geaux bags. Our spirit of partnership spans across state lines, and we know this donation will make a difference in the lives of children who have been uprooted because of the tornado in Western Kentucky,” said Jill Seyfred, Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky.
“Our community and statewide partnerships have played a key role in our efforts to address the needs of survivors, children, and families in our region impacted by the tornado,” said Lori Wells Brown, Executive Director of Lotus. “We are grateful to PCAK and the Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services for coordinating this donation, and to the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, for their partnership in supporting impacted survivors, children, and families in building resilience as our communities continue recovery efforts.”
Founded in 1987, Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky is the leading statewide child abuse prevention organization. They are the Kentucky chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and offer statewide programs and services.
Lotus is Kentucky’s designated Children’s Advocacy and Sexual Violence Resource Center for the Purchase Region. Lotus’s mission is to support survivors, strengthen families, and empower communities. Committed to ending child abuse and sexual violence, Lotus works to cultivate safe, equitable, just communities where all persons thrive.
The Kentucky Department for Community Based Services provides services and programs to enhance the self-sufficiency of families; improve safety and permanency for children and vulnerable adults; and engage families and community partners in a collaborative decision-making process.
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To learn more about Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, visit www.pcaky.org.
To learn more about Lotus Children’s Advocacy and Sexual Violence Resource Center, visit www.hopehealgrow.org.
To learn more about the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services, visit https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dcbs/Pages/default.aspx.
200 Geaux Bags from Louisiana, on their way to Western KY children.
Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services, Emergency Preparedness Team
Members of the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Team, LOTUS, and PCAK
