Awareness | Prevention | Restoration
Creating an impact by increasing awareness, creative prevention strategies, and developing restoration programs.
$193,000
In grants awarded
20,000+
Parent guides distributed
$1M
Donations raised worldwide
Consistency on capitalization
Creating awareness through education and training
Child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking is a subject that can be extremely uncomfortable to talk about, and because of that, people do not realize how prevalant this issue really is. With our awareness efforts, our goal is to make it known so we can get ahead of it.
Community engagement
In 2021, kNot Today hosted its first community campaigns in Fairmount and Fishers, Indiana. In Fairmount, they were joined by partner #teamCHESNEYstrong, an effort started by abuse survivor Chesney Shonk. In Fishers, Colts players joined Coach Reich on-stage to address several thousand attendees on the mission of kNot Today in an effort to spread awareness and garner support for the issue. We believe one of the best ways to get ahead of this issue is with grassroots efforts to engage, inform and educate.
kNot Today + Colts pre-season game
kNot Today was selected as the Colts’ nonprofit partner during the Week 1 NFL preseason matchup between the Colts and Carolina Panthers. kNot Today distributed 59,000 magnets to fans with access to resources and education on the issue. During half-time, co-founder Linda Reich joined the Colts’ Larra Overton for a half-time interview on kNot Today’s mission and 60,000 fans watched a new PSA starring Coach Matt Rhule, DeForest Buckner, Carson Wentz and Coach Reich.
Colts community
kNot Today set up in “Colts City” for the duration of 2021 Colts Training Camp where staff and volunteers engaged tens of thousands of Indiana residents and visitors on kNot Today’s mission. kNot Today interacted with parents, caregivers, and children over the course of two weeks, distributing 500 Child Protection Guides which educate on the potential dangers and risks children have from predators, both in-person and online.
OUR WORK: PREVENTION
Ensuring strong preventive strategies
Our hope is not only that we can educate and engage the public on this ongoing epidemic, but that we can prevent it from happening. From educational pieces we have put together for parents and caregivers to buying an Electronic Detection K9 that can sniff out hidden technology, our mission is to see the statistics lower.
Law enforcement K-9s
We are encouraged by the innovation coming out of Jordan Detection, a K-9 training facility in Indianapolis. This year we purchased an Electronic Detection K-9 to work with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to assist in searching out sim cards/technology usually undetectable by humans. This alone has led to the recovery of countless pieces of incriminating evidence during Federal/State search warrants and has led to the implication and prosecution of suspected pedophiles and sexual predators targeting children and those who are most likely to become hands-on abusers. We will continue to pursue opportunities to place these K-9s with law enforcement handlers.
Law enforcement technology
Providing best in class technology to law enforcement that will speed the collection and unlock greater depth of data from digital devices. Specifically, this technology provides the most complete extraction for passcode protected iOS devices helping to solve more cases- faster.
Law enforcement forensics
It is our goal to continue providing mobile forensic response units that will allow investigators to work efficiently from crime scenes. The platform is equipped with tools that will help investigators at major scenes to process evidence on-site significantly shortening forensic turnover times, which can take months, leading to faster prosecutions. These units can also improve the intake assessments of rescued children.
Child protection guide
At the start of 2021, we began speaking with doctors, psychologists & service providers who work with children who have experienced sexual trauma. We wanted to know how kNot Today could make a difference quickly. The conversation kept turning to prevention and specifically education – of parents, grandparents, caregivers, teachers- who are in positions to stop abuse, exploitation, and trafficking before it begins. We set out to provide parents and caregivers with the basics in one, easy to consume resource; the Child Protection Guide. We created the Guide in partnership with experts in pediatrics with experience in sexual abuse care, lawyers, teachers, survivors, parents of survivors, the FBI, and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Indiana Task Force.
A TRAFFICKING FREE ZONE
The super bowl alliance
The alliance aims to educate the public on the perennial nature and warning signs of human trafficking, empower them to report suspicious activity, and provide resources to victims and those most vulnerable to exploitation.
The alliance against human trafficking & exploitation comprises the coalition of:
Leading up to Super Bowl LVI, the Alliance worked together to:
Curb demand for exploitation and trafficking by organizing with and supporting law enforcement operations
Prevent vulnerable people from becoming victims and help the general public to know the signs by running awareness and education campaigns throughout LA.
Leave a legacy for the Super Bowl in LA by organizing and supporting local, grass-roots organizations to sustain beyond the event.
Increase reporting by making the National Human Trafficking Hotline visible throughout the host city.
OUR WORK: RESTORATION
Programs for healing and
restoration
kNot Today is not a direct service provider, but we are aware of how important it is that child survivors get the help they need. kNot Today strives to provide resources, support, and funding to vetted service providers in caring for children in need.
01
Forensics
We are actively forming partnerships with Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) across Indiana to ensure that children and their families who are reliving their abuse and trauma, often for the first time, have access to an environment and experience where every child feels safe and comfortable. This year we gave $20,000 to support the renovation of three CACs.
02
Trauma-informed environments
Part of kNot Today’s model is to allocate funding every year to vetted, grassroots organizations who are providing restoration services in the form of case managers, therapy, life skill development, residential housing etc. Ascent 121 has been the beneficiary of grants that support the expansion of their services
to survivors in the Indianapolis area.
03
Film-based Therapy
We are always looking for innovative ways to serve and support survivors as they enter rehabilitation. Film has been extensively studied as a tool to address therapeutic stuck points having the power to decrease shame, evoke self-reflection and ignite body-based processing to bring about healing. This year, we formed a new partnership with Point of View Story who is developing short films and accompanying guidebooks to better equip therapists who are working with survivors including those under the age of 18.