Attendees Describe Value of Child Sexual Abuse Conference

By Carly Schaller
Centre Daily Times
November 1, 2012

http://www.centredaily.com/2012/10/30/3386726/attendees-describe-value-of-child.html

Even the high winds and torrential rains of Hurricane Sandy couldn’t keep people from attending the Child Sexual Abuse Conference held Monday and Tuesday at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.

Of the 500 people scheduled to attend, 420 made the journey despite the inclement weather. About 20 percent of attendees were from the Penn State community, but the remaining 80 percent came from all over the country — as far west as California and as far south as Florida.

The majority of attendees can agree that the trip was well worth it.

Faith Ingraham, of Corning, N.Y., works with her church’s ministry to help raise awareness on child sexual abuse. She has been to similar events in the past, but said this one was unique in the fact that the issue is so relevant to the area.

“It’s been very good, very informative,” said Ingraham, who came to the conference with her husband. “They’ve had so many enlightening speakers with a lot of diverse backgrounds in the field — I’m really impressed.”

Mary Terese Lopata and Catharine Glatts, both faculty members at Mercy Vocational High School in Philadelphia, arrived to learn more about mandated reporting and community awareness.

“We’re really learning a lot,” said Lopata. “There’s so much information to take back to the school — not only to the students but to the parents as well. It’s overwhelming.”

Lopata and Glatts agreed that Penn State’s involvement in the issue of child sexual abuse is extremely important. A conference like this really shows that the community is moving forward and developing a great future, they said.

“I’m so impressed with Penn State stepping up and really putting the time and resources into this kind of research,” said Glatts. “It’s a big, well-known university, and getting behind the issue is really going to help the cause.”

Members of the Penn State community showed their support of abuse victims and conquering the issue by attending the conference. Joe Destefano, an employee at Penn State Justice and Safety Institute, said the conference was a great way for the university to start to heal.

“I think this is part of the process, not an end — but a part,” said Destefano. “So far it’s been great. They’ve really done an amazing job and the speakers are fantastic. I hope, however, that people don’t think that this is it. The healing process has a multipronged approach, and this is just one key part.”

Katherine Showers, a Bellefonte resident and Penn State employee, attended the conference because she is a survivor of sexual abuse.

“I haven’t really talked about it much,” said Showers. “I’m hoping that this conference will help me defuse a lot of my issues.”

Showers said it was very hard to listen to all of the victims’ stories — being one herself. But she said at the same time it was very helpful. On Monday, she was able to express some of her issues in front of others, something she’s never been able to do before.

“It’s been so great. I hope in the future we continue to have these types of conferences. Everyone can gain something from them,” said Showers. “…I’ve learned that it’s OK to tell and to not feel ashamed.”