Attorney General Steve Marshall was the keynote speaker Friday for the Children's Trust Fund grantee training at The Lodge at Gulf State Park.

The AG was introduced by his wife, Tammy, who serves as a program specialist for the Children's Trust Fund of Alabama, a part of the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention. The purpose of the organization is to advocate for children and strengthen families by securing resources.

Marshall said in his years in office and as a prosecutor, he has been motivated to do his job by seeing the pain children suffer due to abuse and neglect. When speaking to those who advocate for children, he said their motivation is similar to his own. While they don't do it for the money, there is still a payoff in the results they obtain by helping children cope. 

Marshall used the biblical stories of Eli and David to express how few are willing to participate in the most challenging fights.

"When we are acutely aware of the facts of this problem of child abuse and neglect, I think that's one of the things that motivates us to do the job," he said.

Marshall shared statistics on the impacts on the mental health challenges of those who have experienced abuse.

"Females with sex abuse are three times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders than those that were never harmed," said Marshall. "Among male survivors, more than 70% seek psychological treatment for issues such as substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide."

Marshall encouraged those in attendance to continue using funds for successful programs that directly impact others. He said he has seen firsthand how child advocacy centers have changed lives. In fact, one young lady who survived abuse by her father ended up in college to become a counselor to help others.

"Sometimes I know that when you look in the mirror, you question whether or not all of the effort is worth it," he said. "And I hope in those moments you can draw upon those success stories that you have to know that you're truly making a difference because you stood up, you stood tall, and you pushed through the rough patches that we all faced."

In fiscal year 2021-2022, 63,403 adults and youth were served by  ADCANP/CTF funded programs. For more information, go to ctf.alabama.gov.