688 children's shoes lined the Grand Staircase of the State House, representing the average number of confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Massachusetts every week. As part of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the event kicked off a 30-day #StepUpStopAbuse step challenge to raise awareness and grow the movement to stop child abuse before it starts.

The Children’s Trust honored Senator Vinny deMacedo and Representative Paul Brodeur with the 2018 Valuing Our Children Award, recognizing all their work to benefit the children and families of Massachusetts. Two outstanding young parents shared their stories of how the Healthy Families Massachusetts parent coaching program gave them the support they needed in order to thrive in their role as parents.

WCVB investigative reporter Karen Anderson emceed the event. The Boston Bruins wives and girlfriends showed their support. Shoes were donated by the Two Ten Footwear Foundation and SHOES.com, then given to families participating in Children’s Trust programs across the state.

WCVB covered the event and aired a “wake up call” as an EyeOpener segment. They are also featuring our #StepUpStopAbuse challenge on their “Walk, Run, Ride” page.

For more photos of the event, see our Facebook album.