Having been victimized in her own childhood, Starr Pierce is particularly sensitive to the damage that abuse causes and the scars that it leaves. But today she focuses herself on preventing other children from being subjected to harm. Starr has been a volunteer with the Child Assault Prevention Project (CAPP) in Union County for over four years. CAPP is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to develop programs to help children at risk of abuse or neglect.

The Child Assault Prevention Project was developed in Ohio in 1978 after a second grade student in Columbus was raped and the student's teacher observed changes in the behavior of other students in response to what occurred. The organization has developed educational materials for children of all ages that have proven successful in schools across the country and additionally provides workshops for parents. Through these workshops, parents learn to look for signs of abuse in their own children and are informed of how to respond, and what actions need to be taken, if a child reports abusive conduct to them. "The training of children and parents brings more opportunities for proper intervention in families," the organization's materials note, "many of whom have suffered for generations the debilitating impact of child abuse, through lack of proper reporting."

Starr has furthered the organization's outreach efforts by bringing in other volunteers to conduct CAPP initiatives and strengthened the program's overall mission by expanding its programs to include internet safety awareness for adolescents. When her local chapter of CAPP in Union County needed additonal financial contributions, Starr stepped up and took over much of the organization's grant writing, accessing new sources of funding for day-to-day operations. She has also taken on much of the CAPP's day-to-day operations, including research to help provide the program with the latest information in government social policy and funding.

Starr Pierce has dedicated hundreds of hours ensuring that teachers and students have the knowledge to identify and combat destructive patterns of domestic abuse and neglect. Above all, she conveys to each child that they deserve to grow up in an environment free from harm.

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