On March 25, Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia honored five heroes from across the region as “Allies in Prevention” for their inspiring work to prevent child abuse and neglect and support the growth of strong, nurturing families in our community. ABC7’s Leon Harris, an Honorary Board Member at SCAN, presented the awards.

In Prince William County, the honor was given to Kristiana Poole, a victim advocate for Marine Corps Base Quantico’s Family Advocacy Program. In just three years at the FAP, Poole has made an impact on both its programs and the families it serves.

Bringing experiences from Child Protective Services and Empower House, where she was a community victim advocate, Poole now facilitates the highest number of groups ever offered by the FAP. In addition to workshops and classes, she is also the primary abuse prevention trainer for the base’s two Child Development Centers.

Poole also piloted a SAFE Dates program for students last year, and has been instrumental in other programs for children including a psycho-educational group called Stepping Up to the Challenge and a REAL Talk for Girls Group.

“Kristiana always presents as enthusiastic and flexible,” according to her nomination, “with a contagious positive attitude towards her duties.”

Those duties have included everything from absorbing cases and on-call duties to organizing training on human trafficking with Department of Homeland Security.

During Poole’s work, Marine Corps Headquarters recognized Quantico FAP as leading the Marine Corps in providing direct services to children.

The Allies in Prevention Awards Luncheon serves as a region-wide kick-off for National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which began Wednesday.

SCAN’s Kids Need Connections campaign will continue throughout the month, with a focus on educating all adults about the critical importance of a child having multiple, positive connections with adults in their life.