“It’s essential to know that you don’t have to pass this on to the next generation,” explains Alana Walczak, executive director of CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation), about the nonprofit’s mission to end child abuse. “All families and children, with the right support and care, can break the cycle. It’s really important work.”
Prior to starting at CALM in 2015, Alana spent more than 20 years working with nonprofits to help at-risk women, children, and families. “Before, I’d done good work, but I’m aligned in such a way with CALM like I’ve never felt before,” she tells me over lunch. “I knew I came from a family with childhood trauma. I was spared physical and sexual abuse, but still had to deal with emotional abuse and domestic violence. I minimized the power of that trauma, for I wasn’t physically or sexually abused.”
She acknowledges that there’s so much secrecy and silence around the subject of abuse. “It’s important to write and tell my story,” she states. “As long as one person can find some comfort, that’s a powerful thing.”