JACKSON – Southeast Missouri Network Against Sexual Violence’s – The Green Bear Project is the proud recipient of a Union Pacific Railroad Community Ties Giving Program grant, which will help educate thousands of children and adults throughout southeast Missouri on the dangers, warning signs, and prevention of child abuse through various programs.
Leasa Stone, Prevention Education Coordinator and Green Bear Founder, knows the importance of abuse prevention education. The Green Bear Project was first created in September 2001 following the tragic death of a former foster child after being returned home to his biological parents.
“The Green Bear Project was created to educate children on what abuse is and what to do if abuse occurs. Green Bear helps make that conversation easier for kids and their families,” says Stone, “We must give our children tools to keep them safe. Talking to children early and often about child abuse is key to prevention.”
Union Pacific’s Community Ties Giving Program provides small and medium-sized grants that align with The Railroad’s priority cause areas in safety, workforce development, community vitality, and environmental sustainability.
“Local grants have the power to create meaningful change within the communities our tracks touch,” said Beth Whited, Union Pacific President and Union Pacific Foundation President. “We are proud to partner with nonprofit organizations who are making an impact on the future – creating safer places for children and families; bringing economic prosperity to communities; building vibrant, inclusive areas for people to thrive; and instilling sustainable practices.”
Grant funding from Union Pacific’s Community Ties Giving Program will help cover costs for The Green Bear Project, specifically travel and mileage expenses for our Prevention Specialists. Because The Green Bear Project provides free programming to such a large service region (eight counties in southeast Missouri), travel and milage expenses are a large part of The Green Bear Project’s budget. Prevention Specialists travel all over eight-counties in rural southeast Missouri to provide this much needed prevention messaging to public and parochial schools, head-starts, and community organizations.
Just under 30,000 children and adults participated in programming during the 2023-2024 school year. If you’d like to see the Green Bear Project offered at your school, please contact Leasa Stone at lstone@semonasv.org.
For more information about The Green Bear Program or to support the program, please visit www.greenbearmo.org, or for SEMO-NASV at www.semonasv.org. If you have or are experiencing sexual violence, you can call SEMO-NASV’s 24-hour crisis hotline at (877) 820-6278.