SEARCY — The Child Safety Center is striving to send a message of hope with its first Celebration of Survival benefit on Tuesday. The featured speaker for the event will be Elizabeth Smart, whose harrowing abduction and rescue made hers one of the most followed cases of its kind in recent history.
“She is a survivor, and that’s what we are celebrating,” said Robin Connell, Child Safety Center executive director.
Smart’s presentation will be from 7:30-9 p.m. in the Benson Auditorium at Harding University in Searcy.
The Child Safety Center serves more than 275 abused children every year, Connell said. It is one of 13 such organizations in Arkansas and works in conjunction with law enforcement, the Department of Human Services and prosecutors in child-abuse cases, she said.
“We are with the child and family throughout the investigation,” Connell said.
“Putting people in jail is not what heals a child. It has to start spiritually and mentally,” she said. “Through services we offer, these young victims receive the help they need to overcome adversity and begin the healing process. Our mission and greatest desire are to help them and give them hope for the future. Elizabeth Smart is a tremendous inspiration for us all.”
At the age of 14, Smart was taken from her bedroom and held captive for nine months, during which she was subjected to abuse daily at the hands of her abductors. Since her rescue, she has triumphed over tragedy and now works as an advocate for abused and missing children.
“Despite the repeated abuse she endured, Elizabeth Smart did not allow her past to dictate her future,” Connell said.
Because of Smart’s uplifting story, the Child Safety Center decided she was the perfect choice to put forth a positive message for those who are dealing with child abuse. Members of the center’s staff are also hopeful that the benefit will increase perception of the services of education, awareness and prevention that they provide to the community.
Tickets for Smart’s presentation, which is being sponsored by First Community Bank and BHP Billiton, are $10 and will benefit local children who receive services at the Child Safety Center. The group has a goal of $500,000 for funding to build a new center, Connell said.
Although there is no assigned seating for Smart’s presentation, tickets will be necessary for admittance. They are available for purchase by calling (501) 268-4748, or by visiting childsafetycenter.org. Tickets for the benefit can also be purchased at First Community Bank locations in Searcy.
Copies of Smart’s book My Story, a memoir of her experience, will be available for purchase at the benefit. Because of the subject matter, parents are advised to not bring children younger than 12 to the event.