An 8-year-old girl is giving every penny she has to help other children from being abused.

Tabitha donated all of the $21 in her piggy bank to the Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in Poughkeepsie.

“I think all kids should have a fun and safe childhood, and not a childhood full of stress,” Tabitha says. 

According to the CPCA, around 1,000 cases of child abuse are reported each year in Dutchess County with a possible five times that many going unreported.

More than 500 children came to the CPCA of Poughkeepsie in 2020, a big increase from the year before.

Executive Director of the Poughkeepsie CPCA Kim Haight says the increase is likely due to the pandemic forcing children to be out of school, and at home.

“Most importantly once someone learns the warning signs and how to respond,” Haight says. “You may just save a child’s life.”

Tabitha’s grandparents also donated to the CPCA, which goes to pay for training.