The 5th annual Every Child Matters Dinner in Salina is Tuesday night. According to the Child Advocacy and Parenting Services agency, the evening aims to connect the community to child abuse prevention and intervention work completed by CAPS staff in eight programs.

The featured speaker is Darrell Scott, the founder of the Rachel’s Challenge program. Rachel’s Challenge exists to equip and inspire individuals to replace acts of violence, bullying, and negativity with acts of respect, kindness, and compassion.

Rachel’s Challenge is based on the life and writings of his daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, who was the first victim of the Columbine school shootings in 1999. Through her example, Rachel’s Challenge is making a positive impact in the lives of millions of people every year.

Rachel’s inspiring story provides a simple, yet powerful example of how small acts of kindness and acceptance motivate us to consider our relationships with the people we come in contact with every day. Rachel’s Challenge renews our hope that our life has meaning and purpose. Rachel’s story gives us permission to start our own chain reaction of kindness and compassion, which positively affects the climate in our schools and communities.

Scott has spoken to over five million people in live settings around the world, not counting the millions he has spoken to through programs such as Oprah, Larry King Live, CNN, and the Today Show. He has authored or co-authored five books and meets with politicians and educators regularly concerning issues of school violence.

October is Bullying Prevention Month, so reflecting on Columbine 20 years later is befitting of CAPS work with students in this area.

The plated, steak dinner will be served at 6 pm and CAPS Executive Director, Lori Blake, will share an agency update before the featured speaker begins.