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City proclaims April observances; local nonprofit leaders report increased demand and new shelter opening
Summary
On April 14 the council issued proclamations recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month and Earth Day; representatives of local nonprofits described rising service demand and plans for a new shelter opening in 2026.
Mayor Neil Leonards issued proclamations at the April 14 New Braunfels City Council meeting recognizing Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Child Abuse Prevention Month and Earth Day.
Why it matters: The proclamations formalize the city’s recognition of ongoing local and statewide prevention and awareness efforts and provided a platform for nonprofit providers to report service levels and upcoming resources.
Scribe Center of Comal County: Rebecca Wieland, chief program officer for the Scribe Center of Comal County, spoke after the sexual-assault proclamation and thanked the council. She told the council the center supported 944 clients in 2024, including 58 survivors who received sexual-assault nurse exams and 93 who received trauma-informed counseling; its hotline answered more than 1,000 calls. Wieland said the center plans to open a new shelter in early 2026.
Children’s Advocacy Center: Stacey Dufer, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center, cited prevalence statistics during the child-abuse-prevention proclamation and urged continued community partnerships. Dufer said 1 in 10 children will be abused by their 18th birthday and noted Comal Independent School District anticipates enrolling about 30,514 students next year; she used those figures to illustrate local need and praised the work of professionals who deliver services.
CASA and conservation partners: Jade Dimitri of CASA of Central Texas described CASA’s role in training community volunteers to advocate for children in foster care and said CASA served about 392 children in the group’s four-county region, roughly 80 percent of children in care there. Ryan Spencer of Headwaters at the Comal and COMAL Conservation thanked Parks and Recreation and event sponsors for a successful Earth Day/Growing Green event and reported attendance of more than 600 people.
Context and caveats: The statistics reported by nonprofit speakers were presented as organization figures and should be verified with the providers for formal reporting. The proclamations are ceremonial recognitions and do not, by themselves, create new city programs or funding.
Ending: Each speaker encouraged residents to learn about prevention resources and to connect people who need services with the named local organizations.
