Greetings, and thank you for joining us for Stand Up for Kids 2024! 

I am Antony Sheehan, President & CEO of Aspire Indiana Health, and I have the pleasure of participating in this special event for my very first time after joining the company a few months ago. Kids Talk Child Advocacy Center has been helping abused and neglected children in Madison County since 2014, and has expanded to also include advocacy for vulnerable adults, seniors and sex trafficking victims, as well as sexual abuse prevention education in area schools.

In the decade Kids Talk has existed, it has served an astonishing 5,000 children. Additionally, more than 1,800 non-offending adult caregivers have been connected with emotional support, social services and advocacy within the criminal justice and child welfare systems.

Why a comedy show? It’s a question we often get asked about a program involved in such very serious work. And the simple truth is that laughter really can be the best medicine. The specially trained staff at Kids Talk works with local law enforcement and governmental agencies united by the common goal of protecting children. All of these dedicated individuals are called upon to bear witness to the worst humanity has to offer, and as you can imagine it’s quite a tremendous emotional strain.

So what better way to support them, both spiritually and financially, than with comedy?

We’re very pleased to present nationally touring comedian Zoltan Kaszas as the headline act for tonight’s festivities. We’re also thankful to Harrah's Hoosier Park Casino and Racing for stepping up to host us for the first time. And of course, our gratitude extends to all of you for showing up to support Kids Talk.

Your presence, generosity and laughter serve as a bright flame of hope. We thank you!

Antony Sheehan

President & CEO of Aspire Indiana Health

Welcome to the eighth annual Stand Up for Kids! We are grateful to have you here with us. Can you believe that in 2024, we are celebrating 10 years of hard but gratifying work – 10 years of serving some of the most vulnerable children in Madison County? I am fortunate to work with a group of passionate people who give their all to make sure that children are comfortable, safe and secure when they come to Kids Talk.

We are grateful to work with an amazing multidisciplinary team in Madison County. This team of prosecutors, detectives, DCS workers, forensic interviewers, advocates, mental health and health care workers are equally passionate and work tirelessly to ensure that children and their non-offending caregivers receive the best care and to ensure that offenders are held accountable. 

Much of the money we raise tonight will be dedicated to our child abuse prevention program that we teach in schools. I can’t think of a better way to protect children than to teach them about body safety rules and how to report violations to trusted adults.

Tonight is our night to honor children who are brave enough to tell us about some of the worst things that have happened to them. They deserve our support, and you are doing just that by choosing to laugh with us tonight. We hope you will take your support a step further by bidding on our silent auction items, participating in the opportunity drawings, buying merchandise or making a donation. Your support could make the difference in the safety of a child’s life.

Enjoy your evening and, on behalf of the children and families we serve, thank you for being here!

Denise Valdez

Director of Aspire Indiana Health Kids Talk

A lot has happened in the 10 years since we opened our doors at Kids Talk. Ten years of providing a safe space for over 5,000 children to speak with us, many of whom tell us about the most horrific things they have seen and witnessed in great detail. We started with a staff of one and have grown to a staff of six people over the years. To be honest, we could use more help!

While this work can be emotionally taxing, we know that these children need someone who can listen to them. So often we are asked how we could possibly do this work. The truth is we are passionate and we don’t understand people who wouldn’t want to help these children. That’s where you come in. Helping kids doesn’t mean you have to do the investigation but you can have a profound impact on their lives just through donations. We get the gift of seeing the relief in children’s eyes when they can finally tell their story to a safe person. We get to see nervous children calm down when given fidget and comfort items we are able to provide through your support. We get to see children who are hungry get their fill of food. We get to see children who sometimes have not been able to bathe in weeks receive hygiene items just for themselves. We get to see a little bit of respite through their eyes and we get to see our hardworking multidisciplinary partners work hard to make those children safer. That’s how we do the work we do. We keep our eyes on the end game.

So thank you for being here with us tonight and thank you for doing the work with us in the ways that you can. It means a lot to all of us!