Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness
Hillsdale County

History of Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Hillsdale County

 

 In October of 1983 Steve Murphy Director of the Hillsdale Department of Social Services, put a classified advertisement into the Hillsdale Daily News. He invited anyone interested in the prevention of child abuse to come to a meeting.  Community members attended the meeting and soon a working group was formed. Comprised of members from this initial group, Hillsdale County Council for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (HCCPAN) was formed.

 

The organization was in need of structure and a board was formed with  Dr. Keith Meyers at its head. He was the first Board President. It was under Meyers’ leadership that the Council received its establishment as a 501 (c) 3 organization as well as its legal framework budget and by-laws. The first board of directors also hired the first coordinator (now known as Executive Director).

 

At a later date, for the sake of brevity, the Council changed its name to Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness of Hillsdale County (CAPA for short). Many changes were made since the time of CAPA’s inception decades ago including an alliance with the Children’s Trust Fund of Michigan that garnered support for the organization. Today, the board of directors proudly boasts 17 members that are drawn from all corners of the community. The board of directors and the executive director, supported by the community, work hand in hand to sustain and create programming that, through education, seeks to prevent child abuse in Hillsdale County.