Pre-dawn Stoughton Walk For Darkness To Light’s Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program

[Rabbi David]

STOUGHTON, MA (June 7, 2009) __On Sunday, June 21, the longest day of the year, the sisterhood of Ahavath Torah Congregation (ATC) will walk from ”darkness to light” to bring attention to one of its community projects, Darkness To Light's child sexual abuse prevention program, Stewards Of Children. The group will walk 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) in support of Darkness To Light's "7 Steps To Protecting Our Children." They will begin walking in the dark and greet the light at 5:07 a.m.
“Our synagogue is proud to support this walk and this initiative to bring this important issue to the public's attention. Protecting our children needs to be of the highest priority in the Greater Stoughton community and every community in our country,” said Michelle Glickman, President of Ahavath Torah Congregation. “Stewards Of Children is all about adults' ‘relentless compassion’ in keeping children safe.”

Darkness To Light, based in Charleston, is one of the nation’s leaders in keeping kids safe from child sexual abuse. ATC Sisterhood became the first sponsor in the Boston area of a trained Stewards Of Children facilitator several years ago, Susan Komisar Hausman. Now she and two other ATC members, Inez Springer and Lynne Rosenbloom each run the powerful 2.5 hour workshop for adults on how to create environments that make child sexual abuse difficult to occur. More recently, Ms. Hausman wrote a book, “Kisses From Dolce: A Book for Children About Trusting and Telling,” that opens the door for conversation with even the youngest children about feeling safe and their personal boundaries. The book deals with this sensitive issue by telling the story of a little girl called Sophia, her daycare pals, and a dog called Dolce.

A percentage of each new book sale is donated to the ATC Sisterhood D2L Workshop fund.
"Learning what child sexual abuse is, its devastating consequences, and how adults can create safer environments that minimize risk is key to mitigating this terrible problem," said Ms. Hausman, noting the statistics that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted before they are 18 years old.. It is estimated that for every one person educated in the Stewards Of Children program, ten children might be spared being victims of child sexual abuse.

"It's very important for anyone working with and around children to be aware of abuse possibilities, as well as empowered with a plan for action," commented Ms. Hausman.
Walkers for this event will meet at Ahavath Torah Congregation at 1179 Central Street, Stoughton, at 4:30 a.m., and will begin the walk at 4:45. Refreshments, flashlights, first aid and an auto escort will be provided. Those who cannot walk or can only walk part of the way are encouraged to come and support this important prevention program and learn how to make a difference in keeping kids safe.

For more information about the walk or bringing the workshop to your organization or community, contact Susan Komisar Hausman at [e-mail] or 781-264-0181. To learn more about Darkness To Light and its program, Stewards Of Children, please visit their

website at www.D2L.org. More information on Ms. Hausman’s book can be found on her blog, www.kissesfromdolce.blogspot.com, at Amazon.com or, from the publisher, at Trafford.com.