The Crisis Center & Children’s Advocacy Center is launching a bold, community-wide prevention initiative aimed at equipping families, youth, and community members with the tools needed to prevent abuse before it occurs.
At the center of this effort is a newly developed interactive “Child Safety & Teen Relationship Safety” website, designed to provide practical, easy-to-access guidance for parents, caregivers, teens, and children.
The platform includes information on grooming behaviors, warning signs, healthy and unhealthy relationships, online safety, key statistics, and actionable prevention strategies.
“This initiative is about shifting the conversation from response to prevention,” said Crisis Center Executive Director Kelli Wright-Nelson in a press release.
“We want to ensure that families have the knowledge and confidence to recognize risk, have important conversations, and take action to protect children and teens in our community.”
To expand the reach of this resource, the organization is implementing a large-scale awareness campaign across Matagorda and Wharton counties.
The campaign includes:
Placement of billboards and large signage in high-traffic areas
Deployment of 5-foot mobile banners throughout local businesses and community spaces
Distribution of yard signs for homes and businesses
Targeted prevention materials for caregivers, teens, and children
Each sign, banner, and billboard features a QR code that connects directly to the prevention website, allowing individuals to instantly access critical information.
The Crisis Center is also calling on the community to get involved.
A “Signs of Change Community Volunteer Day” will be held from 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, at the following tree locations:
3010 6th Street, Bay City
620 N Fulton, Wharton
107 E Monseratte Street, El Campo
Volunteers are encouraged to pick up signs and help distribute them throughout local businesses, churches, and public spaces.
Additionally, business owners are invited to participate by hosting mobile prevention banners at their locations.
“The more people who see these messages and scan the QR codes, the further our prevention efforts reach,” Wright-Nelson added.
Property owners are also being sought to host permanent signage installations, with all costs covered by the organization.
“This is more than a campaign - it’s a movement,” she said.
“If one parent learns how to better protect their child, or one teen recognizes an unsafe relationship, we are making an impact. Prevention starts with all of us.”
For more information, to volunteer, or to partner in prevention efforts, contact Wright-Nelson via email at kelli@crisiscnt.com or by phone at 979-245-9109 x 101.
