Angie Craig: “events of the day may turn our attention overseas, but it is essential to remember those who are fighting an ongoing…”

“events of the day may turn our attention overseas, but it is essential to remember those who are fighting an ongoing battle right here at home. This battle has been raging for generations and consists of fighting to protect this Nation's most valuable resource: our children. Youth are the future of the Nation; they need to be both valued and protected. Sadly, however, as my colleagues know, this precious resource is threatened daily. I come to the Senate floor today to talk about a tremendous initiative between the public and private sector that has been reaching out to youth for nearly twenty years. Project Safe Place is a program that was developed to assist our Nation's youth and families in crisis. This partnership creates a network of private businesses trained to refer youth in need to the local service providers who can help them. Those businesses display a Safe Place sign so that young people can easily recognize a ``safe place'' for them to go to receive help. In his State of the Union Address President Bush called for every American to commit at least two years or 4,000 hours to the service of neighbors and our Nation. The goal of National Safe Place Week is to recognize the thousands of individuals who work to make Project Safe Place a reality.”