Press Release
OKLAHOMA CITY—A local non-profit committed to providing services to child victims throughout Oklahoma was recognized with the 2019 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award. The CARE Center of Oklahoma City is one of 56 recipients from across the country chosen to receive the award. CARE Center CEO Stacy McNeiland accepted the award on the center’s behalf during a presentation today at the FBI’s Oklahoma Field Office.
The CARE Center was recognized for its work in providing direct services to child victims of abuse. In addition to providing recognition and reporting training for more than 2,000 participants throughout Oklahoma, the CARE Center created the ROAR program, which is a child-based education program that teaches children ages 4-8 to protect themselves from abuse. In 2019, ROAR program reached 9,700 children in more than 45 schools.
“Our children are society’s most vulnerable population, and the programs provided by the CARE Center have not only made our kids safer, but they have made our community stronger,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Melissa Godbold. “We are so proud to be able to recognize them for their dedication to serving the children of Oklahoma.”
“We are thrilled to bring this national recognition to Oklahoma,” said CARE Center CEO Stacy McNeiland. “The ROAR program’s goal is to prevent child abuse by empowering kids to speak up regarding their own body safety. We know it works, because kids commonly disclose abuse to our education team immediately following the ROAR presentation. When that happens, we work with law enforcement to investigate and, when warranted, to help prosecute abusers.”
The CARE Center is a nationally-accredited child advocacy center and the only child advocacy center in Oklahoma County. For more information, visit https://carecenter-okc.org/. For more information on the Director’s Community Leadership Awards, visit https://www.fbi.gov/about/community-outreach/dcla.