October 2000 Fighting For Our Rights The Parents For Megan's Law Clearinghouse Resource and Support Center

Parents and caregivers have successfully been organized as a force on a grass roots level to combat childhood sexual abuse. With over 60,000 members nationwide (and internationally) and with our perseverance and commitment we have made everlasting changes in the lives of children nationwide.

In a very short period of time we have become a national resource and support center for childhood sexual abuse prevention and Megan's Law questions. We provide services such as Advocacy, Education, Policy Analysis/Improvement and Legislative Support. On a small scale we were able to service all of you across the nation but now it has become impossible. Our resource and support center has become so overwhelmed with requests for assistance. I now see why so many of you have cried out to us for help...because there is little to no help out there.

Many of you have made contributions to our organization and that has helped us to offset the telephone expenses we incur calling throughout the nation to advocate. Thank you for your generosity.

Many of you have also expressed great interest in volunteering your time and effort to assist with the cause. This too is greatly appreciated but we have to have more staff to assist you in the first place.

Here is the plan. All 50 states have reached out to us for either advocacy, education, policy or law assistance and many for establishing a Parents For Megan's Law and childhood sexual abuse prevention effort in their communities. Our plans are to hire representatives at a home base and assign a group of states to each rep so they may give you more individualized attention.

Under my supervision those representatives will be servicing each state and providing Advocacy, Education, Policy Analysis/Improvement and Legislative Support.

Many of you have grown impatient because we were unable to provide you answers to your questions or guidance in your volunteer efforts. Please understand that we want to but cannot. We have serviced the nation and helped to prevent children from falling prey and now we need your help to build the organization so we can continue to not only keep up with your current needs but to plan and implement future strategies for childhood sexual abuse prevention.

I believe that the answer is corporate sponsoring. We are a 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization. Contributions are tax deductible. We have a page on our site where sponsors are added. We have decided that we will allow those sponsors who contribute to put their logo on that page. We shy away from business advertising but if a sponsor is willing to make a contribution of 10,000 dollars or more we will give them space for their logo on that sponsor page. Folks we have had over 580,000 searches in less than five months so this is a really good opportunity for our corporations to help especially those who support us but have not yet made a contribution.

We have a proven track record so it is really going to be up to all of you to determine how hard you want me to fight back for you and for our kids.

Sex offenders fighting to prevent justice from being served fight ferociously because what they do is no longer being kept a secret because of Megan's Law. They are fighting back harder than ever. Many can because they have the funding to hire the attorney's to do so. Ironically, the one's who can't afford an attorney are often being defended with our OWN tax dollars through legal aide!!!!

We have the same rights to fight back under the same constitution that gives them their rights. But the playing field is not equal!! I can fight just as hard but I do not have the funding I need to win the battle. The courage of my commitment is not the problem...the limited resources is.

How will corporate funding help?

The Parents For Megan's Law Resource and Support Center provides many different services for our communities that ultimately bring justice to kids who were brutally abused and justice to their families who think they have no rights. We provide advocacy services on any issue related to childhood sexual abuse even if that means that we sit in a courtroom just to put court staff on alert that we're watching over this child. Our presence always makes a difference and we want to be able to make that difference more broadly. Even a phone call from one of us matters but phone calls cost money that we don't have.

Our educational, policy analysis/improvement and legislative support are also valuable services to the community because they are all preventative strategies. As we continue to advocate for families whose children fell prey to sexual predators we become more educated about their grooming techniques which we pass along to parents and caregivers to help prevent children from being abused. We also become very intimately involved with laws and polices which if changed may better protect our children.

I hope that with just a brief overview you can have a sense of the valuable services we provide and why we need your help to secure more substantial funding from corporate sponsors.

I have a dream that many of you share, to prevent children from being sexually abused and bring justice to those children who have been sexually abused. Together we can fight for the rights of our children.

Two types of volunteers are needed:

Volunteers needed For Securing Corporate Funding and EXPERIENCED Volunteer Grantwriters needed for grantwriting.

Corporate Funding Volunteers:

Send a self addressed stamped envelope with 4.00 dollars in postage affixed to the envelope and we will send you back up material to assist you in your pitches to corporations. Email me at lasb2@aol.com with CORPORATE FUNDING in the subject area to give me a heads up. Although I would enjoy providing training to many of you I am unfortunatley to busy and in no position to do so. Please do not agree to partake in this process if you are not independent and not able to pitch a corporation. I will be able only to act in an advisory role. Mail your envelope to Parents For Megan's Law PO Box 145 Stony Brook NY 11790.

Experienced Grantwriter Volunteers:

Call me at 631 689-2672. I can not return calls so try me from 9 - 2 Eastern/Standard time. I need someone who can take charge because I am in no position to train you. Please do not call if you are not experienced or willing to work very independently.