Kids Hub Executive Director Didi Ellis spoke about child abuse prevention during the Rotary Club of Picayune’s weekly meeting at Southern Char Steakhouse on Tuesday.

Kids Hub is a non-profit organization devoted to child advocacy and providing services for children and families dealing with abuse, Ellis said.

“Our vision is to provide a child-friendly facility that allows for child abuse victims to be heard, supported and protected,” Ellis said.

Currently, the organization is looking to build an advocacy center in Hattiesburg. Ellis said they’ve looked into various spaces and hope to have the center opened for business by August.

“But we need financial support for location space, office furniture and salaries to meet the needs of the victims of child abuse,” she said. “We also need support from the community. We need people to realize that child abuse is an issue. Often, people don’t like to think or talk about it.”

Ellis said the organization offers several services for children and families dealing with abuse, including forensic interviews, where investigators interview the victim following an allegation of sexual or physical abuse; family and victim advocacy, which provides counseling for children and non-offending family members; multidisciplinary team case review, where local law enforcement, mental health and medical professionals work with Kids Hub to provide services to victims; and child abuse prevention education, where Kids Hub provides information on child abuse through school programs.

“It’ll be nice to show these children that they aren’t alone and that they can be brave about it,” Ellis said.

In 2014, Pearl River County had 47 reported cases of child abuse, Ellis said.

“Even though there’s a lot of cases like this happening in Pearl River County, there is something being done about it by the local community,” Ellis said. “But there’s still a need to be met in all the counties.”

The organization also serves Lamar County, Forrest County, Marion County, Lawrence County, Jefferson Davis County and Covington County.

“In the end, we want these kids to have a normal childhood and bounce back from what happened to them,” Ellis said.

On April 18, Kids Hub is holding their First Teddy Bear Bike Rally to raise money for the organization. The motorcycle rally will begin in Hattiesburg and will end at Friendship Park in Picayune. The organization plans to make it an annual event.

For more information, contact Didi at didi.ellis@kidshub.com or register online at www. kidshubms.com.