The Lids Indiana Bulls, the baseball affiliate at Grand Park, is taking a proactive approach to protecting the youth involved in their programs. They have partnered with Chaucie’s Place, a Hamilton County child advocacy organization, for an annual child sexual abuse prevention program for adults called Stewards of Children. The training program is now required for all the Lids Indiana Bulls volunteers and paid coaches and staff. Officials said the Bulls are the first sports organization to adopt the program organization-wise.
“Our ‘Bulls Tradition of Baseball Excellence’ has always come from developing the top amateur baseball talent in Indiana,” stated Mike Mundy, executive director of Lids Indiana Bulls. “But I’ve never been more proud to be a part of this organization as it evolves into formally – through policies and ongoing training – making certain the young men who are entrusted to us are as safe as possible both on and off the field.”
Stewards of Children is a child sexual abuse prevention program developed by the national organization Darkness to Light. This program educates adults to prevent, recognize and react appropriately to child sexual abuse. This training program is designed for parents and any adults who work with children or adolescents. Stewards of Children is the only nationally available program scientifically proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes and change child-protective behaviors. Chaucie’s Place is an authorized Stewards of Children facilitator.
“Coaches and sporting organizations can sometimes seem to have a singular focus on performance,” stated Toby Stark, Chaucie’s Place executive director. “By mandating child sexual abuse prevention training for all its coaches and staff, I believe the Bulls leadership has just raised the bar for all sports organizations across Indiana.”
For more information, contact Chaucie’s Place at 759-8008.
