HISTORY OF HERO

In 1998, a group of eight Westmoreland County organizations banded together to encourage adults - parents, relatives, caregivers and acquaintances - to become community heroes by protecting children against sexual abuse. With the leadership of the Blackburn Center Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and Red House Communications, the HERO Project launched a powerful media campaign and 24-hour HERO hotline. In 2003, the HERO Project was evaluated in Westmoreland County and was shown to have been effective in increasing hotline calls by 22%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized the HERO Project as a "promising practice." HERO has also been piloted in seven additional Pennsylvania counties - Philadelphia, Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, Lebanon, Clearfield and Lawrence - before being launched on a statewide basis in 2008.