The RAACE Foundation November Newsletter

The RAACE Foundation and its programs are based on the knowledge that child sexual abuse is totally preventable. We must take away the ability an abuser has to manipulate our children, this is truly what most people don't understand and has caused such a caustic reaction to the situation at Penn State. To look at the chart above, it is impossible to imagine that child sexual abuse has grown to be so vast. Even with the recent scandal at Penn State, we still do not hear enough about child sexual abuse.

Why don't we hear about child sexual abuse? Child sexual abuse has been called the silent epidemic because it is so vastly underreported and because it is a topic so seldom discusses and often avoided.

This is due to several contributing factors. Among victims - Indirect or implied threats by the abuser and the various stigmas associated with being the victim of sexual abuse. "When I had heard about Penn State, I cried for those victims," said five time world champion boxer Sugar Ray Leonard recently. "Because I knew what they'd dealt with, what they lived with ... It's such an awful thing that eats away at you, that makes you feel that you're to blame."

But asked what advice he would pass on to victims, Leonard said it would be to "surrender. And surrender means, 'Yes it did happen,' but now deal with it. Speak up, speak out. Because if it happened to you, you can prevent it from happening to somebody else," he said. "It's being of service." Leonard revealed last year in his autobiography The Big Fight: My Life in and out of the Ring, that as a young boxer he was the victim of sexual abuse from an Olympic trainer.

The sensetive nature of the subject, misconceptions about the nature of sexual abuse, social biases and the prejudices and myths associated with sexual abuse are all reasons we don't hear about it among the public. Elizabeth Smart, asked what advice she could draw on from her own recovery to pass on to the accusers at Penn State, told reporters at a news conference: "Life is never over. You can only live once. ... Never feel like because of someone else's actions, never feel like you're less than what you are." A positive from the Sandusky abuse scandal is that the issue has gained national attention, she said. "Maybe," she said, "it's starting to talk about what we can do to prevent it instead of picking up the pieces afterward."

The RAACE Foundation hopes that informing the public of how widespread child sexual abuse is, will inspire the courage to fight the ongoing victimization of our children. "Sexual abuse does a lot of collateral damage... It's not uncommon in the wake of sexual abuse for whole communities to lose their sense of trust," said University of New Hampshire researcher David Finkelhor.

Child sexual abuse is shockingly prevalent in our society. Below are just a few of a multitude of statistics indicating that child sexual abuse occurs in epidemic proportions in all communities. The statistic of 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys being sexually abuse before 18 applies to all children, even the ones you know.

The RAACE Foundation Selects Incite Creative to Help Race Against the Abuse of Children Everywhere

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The RAACE Foundation is dedicated to eliminating the epidemic of child sexual abuse by raising public awareness. Its volunteers, advocates and members of TeamRAACE achieve the organization's mission by competing in all forms of sports at venues coast-to-coast, as well as at business and community events nationwide. The RAACE Foundation also conducts speaking engagements and distributes awareness materials, all in the effort to keep children safe from abuse. Incite Creative, a local marketing and graphic design firm, has been selected to lead the Foundation's brand building initiatives.

Statistics show that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 7 boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. Furthermore, in 95% of reported cases, the abuser is someone the child knows and trusts. Founded in 2004 by Baltimore businessman Kenneth Smith, The RAACE Foundation's primary purpose is to educate - educate parents, children, and those who serve them - all in an effort to protect them from becoming one of these staggering statistics. In an effort to build upon the Foundation's existing brand awareness and put a "circle of trust" exercise into every parent's/caregiver's hands, Smith and Executive Director Brad Brickel reached out to Incite Creative to help further their mission.

"Over the past ten years, we have been working hard to situate The Race Against Abuse of Children Everywhere Foundation in the public eye," states Smith. Every September we take a strategic look at the organization, specifically aligning our discipline and values with our needs and goals to understand our next step. The result this year was that in order to get to the next level, we needed a fresh look at The RAACE Foundation; one from the outside  - with more experience in marketing and social media skills, one that could support and understand our core beliefs and core markets. After meeting with Dina Wasmer and her Incite Creative colleagues, the one thing that stood out was their ability to listen. They offered solutions and said that they could help without an extensive sales pitch. Simply put, we understood right away that they heard us loud and clear. They know our market and how to reach it. Their experience speaks for itself and we are very excited to get started. We are looking forward to a long and storied relationship."

As the Foundation's outsourcedChief Marketing Officer (CMO) Incite Creative will kick things off by launching an Annual Fund campaign, then develop and implement a strategic marketing plan for 2013 that includes tactics for building ambassadors who are willing to take part in The RAACE Foundation's "Time to Talk" program.

"We're fortunate to work with a number of child-servin g organizations, including schools, autism awareness initiatives, and child advocacy organizations", states Wasmer. "Therefore when we were first introduced to The RAACE Foundation, we were excited and confident that we could play a pivotal role in helping this worthwhile organization succeed. After meeting with Kenneth and Brad, my colleagues and I absorbed their passion and tenacity to drive child sexual abuse out of the shadows, and are honored to be part of their team."

For more information about contributing to The RAACE Foundation or to obtain your free copy of the "Time to Talk Parent's Guide," go to: www.raace.org.

ABOUT INCITE CREATIVE (www.incitecreativeinc.com)

Approaching its 13th year in business, Incite Creative is a marketing and graphic design firm that specializes in strategic positioning, brand development and creative implementation services for Mid-Atlantic, small-to-mid-sized companies and organizations that have regional, national and international reach. For more information, log onto http://www.incitecreativeinc.com or contact Dina Wasmer at 410-366-9479 ext. 101 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Awareness - The Real Winner of Image removed by sender.

The Speedway Motors

Central Pa Sprint Car

Point Series

As part of the 2012 TeamRAACE Awareness Campaign, The Speedway Motors Central PA Sprint Car Point Series Presented by

Hoseheads.com with associate sponsors; Winters Performance, Maxim Chassis, Ben Cook Racing Ltd, The RAACE Foundation, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, BR Motorsports/King Racing Products, Don Ott Racing Engines, BioBased, Conroy Pneu-Control, and Fatheadz Eyewear has come to an end on Saturday, November 10thwith Don Kreitz Jr. winning "The Final Showdown" at Susquehanna Speedway Park.

While Greg Hodnett finished third on Saturday, he is the 2012 Speedway Motors Central PA Sprint Car Point Series Presented by Hoseheads.com champion, a title he has earned an impressive four seasons in a row. There were 35 different winners for the 2012 season with a total of 93 drivers collecting series points.

Greg Hodnett will receive a check for $5,000. Danny Dietrich finished 124 points back in 2nd place and he will receive $3,000. 3rd through 10th will also receive money including TeamRAACE driver Daryn Pittman who finished fifth. Product certificates will also be sent to the top 20 drivers in series points which include TeamRAACE members Brian Leppo and Stevie Smith. Other TeamRAACE members earning points in the series include: Danny Lasoski, Davey Sammons, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Curt Michael, Stevie Buckwalter, Justin Henderson, Dave Ely, and Nick Schlauch Jr.

The Series will kick off once again in February of 2013 with The RAACE Foundation continuing its association with the series. For more info on the Speedway Motors Central PA Sprint Car Point Series Presented by Hoseheads go to http://www.hoseheads.com/speedwaymotors.html.