“This grant is a very special gift from a family who knows the pain of international parental child abduction all too well, and is just the boost we need to help us become more viable and help more families,” said Noelle Hunter, PhD, iStand Parent Network co-founder and president.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (PRWEB) October 08, 2019
When she was fighting to get her daughter back home to Kentucky from thousands of miles away in West Africa, Dr. Noelle Hunter wished she had an organization like iStand Parent Network, Inc. to turn to for guidance and emotional support. Now, a $10,000 grant to the nonprofit she co-founded after her ordeal will allow the organization to help other families recover their children from international parental child abduction.
International Parental Child Abduction (IPCA), a federal crime, is a growing issue nationwide. More than 1,000 new cases are reported each year in part because there are no exit controls at borders and airports to prevent children from being taken out of the country by parents defying court orders and custody agreements.
Hunter, who navigated federal and international red tape to recover her daughter after she was abducted by her father to Mali in 2011, will join other advocates in New York City and Washington, DC this week to push for stricter international abduction laws and penalties.
The grant from the Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation will help the organization become more sustainable, said Hunter. Founded in 1990, the foundation has provided more than $11 million in support of education, arts and community initiatives, primarily in Henderson, KY and Western Kentucky. Bart Critser, who serves on the foundation board of directors, is a victim of IPCA. His daughters were abducted by their mother to Denmark and have not been recovered.
“This grant is a very special gift from a family who knows the pain of international parental child abduction all too well, and is just the boost we need to help us become more viable and help more families,” Hunter said. “The funding will help us strengthen our organizational capacity and further engage critical stakeholders to return America’s Stolen Children home.”
About iStand Parent Network, Inc.
iStand Parent Network, Inc. empowers parents to recover their children from international parental child abduction and wrongful retention and advocates for domestic and international policy reform that returns children home.
