Project Sunlight is a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Missouri, Chapter 352, RSMo, with a mission to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect in St. Francois County, to facilitate community initiatives aimed at prevention, and to coordinate resources so assistance is readily accessible for those who need it.

Under the umbrella of the St. Francois County Community Partnership, Project Sunlight is a Missouri non-profit organization and is lead by a volunteer board of directors.  The “task force” meets regularly and focuses on six areas: faith community, health/mental health and substance abuse, public awareness, youth activities and mentoring, economic and transportation concerns, and alternative care. 
 

History
 

The idea for Project Sunlight was born in November 2003 in response to the 2002 Kids Count numbers for child abuse and neglect in St. Francois County.  The numbers were bad – St. Francois County ranked 105^th out of 115 counties --- almost the worst in Missouri.  A group of diverse community members representing a wide array of agencies started meeting in February 2004, and the grass roots effort to raise awareness and implement projects to help prevent child abuse and neglect was begun.

In addition to the invaluable opportunity for communication and networking among those involved, a number of successful projects have been implemented.  For a listing of Project Sunlight’s successes, click here.

The Kids Count numbers are getting better for St. Francois County (see a comparison of Kids Count numbers by clicking here).  Together, many who are concerned about our children and families are making a difference.     

 Future Goals

The future goals of Project Sunlight include efforts to continue raising the level of awareness of issues relating to child abuse and neglect in St. Francois County by continuing what we have been doing.  We hope to continue holding public forums regarding child abuse and neglect.