Someone Protect Us, Prevention Organization, To Be Formed By Abused Scouts

CHERAW, SC, December 26, 2012 (Press-News.org) Two South Carolina brothers, Rodney & Kenny Michael, have announced today that they will establish a non-profit organization to promote Scout safety and to educate existing and potential Scouting families about the warning signs of potential sexual abuse, self defense mechanisms, and empower Scouts to speak out if sexual abuse is attempted or, even worse, if it happens.

"We want to provide pro-active resources to Scouts and parents that will help prevent abuse.. if we can stop this from happening to just one young man, our cause will have been worth it," say the two brothers.

This is a project that is very near to them, having suffered abuse themselves as youth, at the hands of two former leaders. Rodney, "the abuse has affected me for 35 years, it has been the navigator of decisions throughout my life. Don't get me wrong, I take responsibility for my actions, however, the abuse has played a significant role in my financial ruin, legal issues, broken relationships, and mental illness. Sadly, there are few resources available to equip Scouts and potential Scouts from recognizing potential abusers."

Boy Scout sexual abuse, while it has long existed, has gained national attention recently, due in large part to the efforts of Oregon Attorney Kelly Clark. As a result of Clark's tireless efforts, the Scouting organization was forced to release thousands of records of potential abusers across the nation.

Rodney gives Kelly Clark credit for setting him on a path of discovery and recovery. "It was Kelly who took the time from his demanding schedule, to help me, a total stranger, he on the west coast, me on the east. I can't thank Kelly enough for what he's done for me.. it was through his encouragement that I was able to seek understanding, access to resources and now healing.. only God knows where I would be today without that access. The indicators in my life and my past history did not paint a bright future for me, however, because I have been able to embrace tremendous resources, and through the strength of a very powerful and nurturing support system that includes my family, friends, and counselors, I am able to embrace life anew. While I still have many hurdles ahead, I am confident that continued healing will have me prepared. Fortunately, my brother is now able to take advantage of these same resources to begin his healing process. My personal experience has been devastating, it's included a lifetime of accomplishment, followed by mysterious quits, burn out, major depression and other emotional issues. I can't begin to tell you the effect it has had on my family and those around me. It was a process that fed off of itself and one that I could not stop. Now that the cycle has been broken, I can finally live a meaningful life." Kenny, "we've given a lot of thought and research to this matter and found that there are resources for the after affects of sexual abuse, but we want to prevent abuse, our focus will be on education and other strategies that cause an awareness of the potential so that scouts and parents can be in front of this monster." The brothers say "the most effective way to avoid having a community of victims is to have an army of preventers."

The brothers have given their cause a name, Someone Protect Us and have secured a domain for an internet presence, http://www.someoneprotect.us. They are in the beginning stages of assembling a leadership team and are aggressively moving forward with a goal to be active by the third quarter of 2013. They can be contacted at help(at)someprotect(dot)us.