The Smoke Trail S1 Episode 37: John D'Attoma Helping Kids and Family Victims of Child Sexual Abuse
https://kidsaresacred.org/donate/
Guest Bio
John D’Attoma is a nonprofit founder and executive leader with decades of experience in entrepreneurship, executive management, and business development. Throughout his career, he has built and led organizations with an emphasis on strategic growth, operational efficiency, and strong leadership—experience he now brings directly into his nonprofit work. He is the co- founder of Sexually Abused Children’s Relief Endeavor (SACRED), the only nonprofit in the country providing immediate financial assistance to families after a child discloses sexual abuse. SACRED was born from personal experience, after John’s granddaughters were sexually abused by their father and his family faced an unexpected financial crisis. Working exclusively with accredited Child Advocacy Centers, SACRED provides 30 days of essential living expenses, with approvals made within hours and funds distributed within 24 hours. Since its founding, SACRED has helped more than 1600 children and 589 families, ensuring families can focus on healing without the added burden of financial instability.
Setting
Recorded in the transformative red rock landscape of Sedona, Arizona, evoking renewal and strength amid heavy topics. The serene environment contrasts with the episode's focus on trauma and healing, creating a supportive space for open dialogue on child advocacy.
Summary
In this heartfelt episode, Smoke interviews friend and SACRED co-founder John D’Attoma about the nonprofit's mission to provide immediate financial relief to families after child sexual abuse disclosure. John shares the origin story—sparked by his granddaughters' abuse by their father, leading to family crisis—and how SACRED fills a critical gap by covering 30 days of essentials within 24 hours via Child Advocacy Centers. They discuss the devastating impacts of abuse, the need for quick support, SACRED's growth (helping 1600+ children), and future expansion. Smoke reflects on his involvement, emphasizing empathy, awareness, and collective action to protect children and aid healing in turbulent times.
Learnings Healing After Abuse - John D’Attoma on SACRED's Mission
- Immediate Relief Model: Provide fast financial aid (within 24 hours) for essentials like rent and food, allowing families to prioritize healing over survival during crisis.
- Partner with Experts: Work exclusively with accredited Child Advocacy Centers for verification and distribution, ensuring aid reaches verified victims efficiently.
- Focus on Family Stability: Cover 30 days of living expenses to prevent added trauma from financial ruin, enabling focus on therapy and recovery.
- Raise Awareness Proactively: Educate communities on child abuse signs and resources; early intervention can prevent cycles of harm.
- Scale Through Empathy: Build nonprofits from personal experience—turn pain into purpose by mentoring and expanding to serve more families nationwide.
Universal Truths
- Trauma demands swift support: Immediate aid transforms crisis into healing, preventing financial burdens from compounding emotional pain.
- Empathy drives change: Personal experiences fuel impactful action; turning suffering into service creates lasting good for others.
- Children need protection: Abuse thrives in silence—awareness and resources break cycles, fostering safer communities.
- Healing is holistic: Address financial, emotional, and legal needs together; stability enables true recovery and resilience.
- Collective responsibility elevates: Society's role in child welfare is sacred—empathy and action from all create a world where victims thrive.
Examples
- Granddaughters' Disclosure: John's older granddaughter revealed abuse in a cab, leading to family crisis and SACRED's founding after financial hardships.
- Rapid Aid Process: SACRED approves funds in hours via CACs, distributing within 24 hours—e.g., covering rent to prevent eviction during investigations.
- Impact Stats: Helped 589 families and 1600+ children, focusing on essentials to allow therapy without added stress.
- Personal Motivation: John's liquor industry background shifted to nonprofit work, inspired by his family's ordeal to prevent similar suffering.
- Expansion Vision: From one state to nationwide, partnering with CACs and donors to scale aid and awareness.
Smoke Trail Threads
- Echoes Episode 29 on health and consciousness, linking trauma healing to financial stability for wholeness.
- Builds on Episode 31 (Tony Denison) by addressing recovery from abuse, emphasizing empathy and action in healing journeys.
- Connects to Episode 30 (Seth Streeter) on purpose-driven lives, showing how personal pain fuels nonprofit leadership.
- Ties to The Smoke Trail’s Guide to Raising Consciousness for Leaders sections on resilience and emotional processing, offering SACRED as a model for service.
- References solo questions from Episodes 1-15 on forgiveness and purpose, as pathways to turning trauma into impact.
Episode 37