Human Services Council to Host Charity Hockey Game to Support Children’s Connection, Honor Child Abuse Prevention Month, April 27

In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Human Services Council will host its first annual "Pucks for Prevention" Charity Hockey Game, on Sunday, April 27, 3:30 p.m., SoNo Ice House, 300 Wilson Avenue, Norwalk, CT. At this family-friendly event, the Norwalk Police Department will face off on the ice against the Danbury Police and Fire Departments, to raise funds for the Children's Connection program and secure the ultimate bragging rights. As one of eight Children's Advocacy Centers in CT, the primary goal of Children's Connection is to coordinate the investigation, prosecution and treatment of child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse, while helping victims and their families heal.

"We are excited about Pucks for Prevention", shared Kari Pesavento, Director of Children's Connection. "It's a fun way to bring community members together to help us continue to support local victims of abuse and their families and shine a spotlight on the need for education around child abuse awareness and prevention."

Children's Connection offers a research-based, collaborative methodology for forensic interviewing that enables a full investigation of child abuse without re-traumatizing the victim. It is the coordinating 'hub' of the Multidisciplinary Team of Greater Norwalk, which is a cooperative effort involving public and private resources which work together to identify, substantiate, and treat cases of child abuse. Team members include: the CT State Attorney's Office; the Department of Children & Families; Family & Children's Agency, the New Canaan, Norwalk, Westport, Wilton and Weston Police Departments; Norwalk Hospital, the Office of Victim Services, and The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling & Education.

The Multidisciplinary Team of Greater Norwalk makes every effort to provide services to all youth who live, work, or were victimized in the communities of New Canaan, Norwalk, Weston, Westport, and Wilton, who have made a disclosure of sexual and/or physical abuse. It offers coordinated wrap-around services such as counseling, forensic interviews, forensic medical exams, as well as significant support to family members, from initial disclosure through post conviction.

Pesavento shared: "Our team works together very closely on these cases, and we are a tightly knit family that looks out not only for the clients and families we serve, but for the continued high-quality of our program." This family spirit was recently shown when the Norwalk Police Department came to Pesavento with the idea of an ice hockey charity benefit. And, Pucks for Prevention was born. For more information on Children's Connection and Pucks for Prevention, visit www.hscct.org.

About The Human Services Council

The mission of the Human Services Council is to create and foster programs that educate, safeguard and empower the people of our communities. With a primary focus on helping children and families, its five programs address child abuse and advocacy, school-based medical and mental health services, mentoring, alcohol & drug prevention, and homelessness. The Human Services Council is home to: Children's Connection, the Dr. Robert E. Appleby School Based Health Centers, the Mid-Fairfield Substance Abuse Coalition, the Norwalk Mentor Program, and 40 South Main Street Housing. In 2013 alone, the Human Services Council provided direct services to over 1400 people, and positively impacted the lives of over 8,000 people in the communities of New Canaan, Norwalk, Westport, Wilton, and Weston.