Every day in Michigan, there are more than 375 reports of child abuse and neglect. The worst part? The majority of child abuse and neglect cases stem from situations and conditions that are entirely preventable in an engaged and supportive community.

For example, a community that cares about early childhood development, parent support and mental health also see families with children who are born healthy, nurtured and enter school ready to learn. That is where the Children’s Trust Fund comes in – and there is an easy way to support this non-profit organization.

Michiganders have the chance to help protect children when they file their state income tax returns. A checkoff box on the state income tax return form allows residents to donate $5, $10 or more to go toward preventing child abuse in Michigan through the Children’s Trust Fund.

The Children’s Trust Fund – a nonprofit within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services – serves as a voice for Michigan’s children and families and promotes their health, safety and welfare by funding effective local programs and services that help prevent child abuse and neglect.

A $40 donation provides one hour of respite care for parents of a child with special needs. That same donation also pays for the distribution of safe sleep materials for 20 families with new babies. The list of how a little bit of money goes to help Michigan’s children is seemingly endless, fund officials say.

“The Children’s Trust Fund relies on the generosity of donors to help fund important programs in local communities,” said Michael Foley, director of the Children’s Trust Fund. “We hope that Michiganders who are filing their state income taxes will consider supporting efforts to protect our most valuable resources – our children.”

The Children’s Trust Fund checkoff box is on the Voluntary Contribution Schedule Form 4642. Michigan income tax return forms are available on the website for the Michigan Department of Treasury.

“All tax check-off contributions made to the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) will be returned to the communities that made the contributions” said Foley. “We are confident that this plan will be an incentive for tax payers throughout Michigan to support child abuse prevention efforts in their communities.”

The CTF is the only statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. The CTF relies heavily on the contributions donated through the state income tax campaign to fund direct service and local prevention programs across the state of Michigan that help build strong, healthy families and keep children safe. Since its creation in 1982, CTF has raised over $70 million and provided support to more than six million children and families.

Find more information about the Children’s Trust Fund tax campaign on its website.

  child abuse, child neglect, Children’s Trust Fund, CTF, Michael Foley, tax campaign