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A Glenn Dale-based nonprofit is asking for the community's spare change to aid in its ongoing fight against child sexual abuse.

Stop the Silence kicked off its first annual Change to Stop the Silence campaign in August with the goal of raising $10,000 for its prevention and awareness services.

Pamela Pine, of Bowie, founder and chief executive officer of Stop the Silence, said a handful of people have donated in the past two months but declined to say how much money has been raised so far. The campaign is ongoing, with no end date set.

Pine said that while national statistics show that one out of four girls and one out of seven boys report being sexually abused, abuse rates are likely higher in Prince George's County.

"It's a major problem in any community, and I do know it's a major problem in Prince George's County," said Pine, whose organization works with the Maryland state's attorney's office, police and the family court system.

Pine, a public health specialist, founded the organization in 2004 after reading an article about child sexual abuse from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly four years earlier.

"I was appalled — I couldn't believe the numbers. They're huge," said Pine. "I saw very little being done. The more I learned, the more disgusted I got."

The nonprofit works to expose and stop child sexual abuse at all levels, from locally to across the globe, as well as promote healing for victims and celebrate the lives of those healed. It offers support for services, advocacy, community education and outreach, among other things.

"I've been in classrooms — I typically bring people with me, survivors and counselors — and we've had situations where we've been presenting and a kid will start crying," Pine said.

"This is a tough issue – it's hard to raise money for," she added. "Everything we do with this program is to increase awareness while increasing support. It was another way to say ‘OK, this is an issue, we know it's an issue, let's admit it, support it and get involved.'"

The organization has sent e-mails to corporations and local businesses in Prince George's County and the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area about the campaign, Pine said. Companies selected are large enough that they can meet the requested $250 donation through employee contributions or can match that asking amount if employee contributions fall short.

In addition, change jars are being placed at local retailers so the public can donate money.

Tina Kennedy, 34, of Bowie is a Stop the Silence volunteer who helped develop the campaign.

"I researched the program and saw that other organizations were very successful from utilizing [this] particular program," Kennedy said. "Individuals and companies seem extremely interested in the program, probably because they haven't seen other programs such as this."

Kennedy said Stop the Silence has been received well.

"There aren't a lot of programs that really focus on children that have been sexually abused. We're extremely effective because not a lot of parents know there are services out there that [are] provided by the organization," she said.

LaQuisha Hall, an international spokeswoman for Stop the Silence and a board member, said the nonprofit is asking for people to give whatever they can, even pennies and quarters.

"It's about supporting children," she said.

E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski@gazette.net.

For information about Stop the Silence or to donate money, visit www.stopcsa.org.