Pleasanton proclaims April as Child Abuse Prevention and Sexual Assault Awareness months; local advocates outline services, trainings

The mayor of Pleasanton issued proclamations on April 10 declaring April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and local advocates described services, statistics and community training opportunities during the meeting’s public-comment portion.

A representative of the Children’s Alliance of South Texas (presenting during the Child Abuse Prevention Month proclamation) said the center serves five counties in the 81st Judicial District (Atascosa, Frio, Karnes, LaSalle and Wilson) and provided recent local service statistics: in the prior fiscal year Atascosa County had 116 new child-abuse cases; the center performed 16 forensic medical exams (sexual-assault nurse exams), provided 274 child-based trauma-therapy hours and 32 adult therapy hours, and the organization invested $292,925 in services across the five-county area. The representative emphasized that many cases go unreported and urged residents to learn the signs and report suspected abuse to law enforcement and Child Protective Services. The Children’s Alliance representative also invited residents to an online training, “For the Love of Our Children,” scheduled for April 22 at 6:30 p.m., and offered to present training to local organizations on request.

During the Sexual Assault Awareness Month proclamation, a representative of Safer Path Family Violence Shelter described services offered by the shelter—24-hour intake, a 60-day stay policy for shelter residents, eight bedrooms and 20 beds—and said all services are free to survivors and their families. The Safer Path representative gave shelter statistics for the past year: 75 sexual-assault survivors received services at the shelter; 30 of those were sexual-assault–only cases and 45 were both sexual assault and domestic violence. The presenter described the shelter’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), which coordinates law enforcement, medical personnel, advocates and prosecutors to provide trauma-informed care, and announced a community event and fundraising activity: a denim-drive collection through April 19 with a Denim Day sale on April 30.

The proclamations also incorporated national statistics included in the mayor’s remarks and the written proclamation language read into the record, including national child-victim counts and reporting statistics cited by the mayor. Speakers at the meeting emphasized community partnerships — CASA (court‑appointed special advocates), the child-welfare board, Safer Path, and other local providers — and encouraged residents to pick up informational flyers, register for training, and report suspected abuse.

Why it matters: The proclamations formally recognize prevention and services efforts and provide residents with direct contacts and training opportunities; local service providers noted both the prevalence of abuse and gaps in reporting that community awareness and training aim to address.

Ending: Advocates asked the public to register for the April 22 training and to collect or donate denim through April 19 for the Denim Day fundraiser; contact details and event dates were announced during the meeting.