Beacon82

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We are dedicated to defending all God’s children and preventing sexual exploitation through education.

11/02/2026

In 2025, 2,968 Illinois children were indicated victims of sexual abuse. Here at home, 125 children in Effingham County had a substantiated maltreatment report, and 20 experienced another substantiated report within 12 months. To be clear, the Effingham County number includes all forms of substantiated child maltreatment, not sexual abuse alone.

These aren't simply allegations. “Indicated” or “substantiated” means an investigation found credible evidence supporting the finding. These are real children. Real families. And yes, it happens right here in our communities. Please educate yourself, talk with your children, and help us continue bringing awareness to child abuse and exploitation.

Sources:
Illinois sexual abuse data:
https://datacenter.aecf.org/data/tables/11065-substantiated-cases-of-child-abuse-and-neglect

Effingham County data:
https://dev.cfrc.illinois.edu/data-center-tables.php?area=Effingham&areatype=county&met=ind1a

11/01/2026

Colder days are here, which means more time indoors… and more time online. 🍂📱

Gaming, YouTube, social media, group chats and apps can quickly become a bigger part of our kids’ downtime this time of year. As the screen time goes up, let’s make sure our awareness does too. 💛 Know what they’re playing. Know what they’re watching. Know who they’re connecting with.

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween from Beacon82! 🎃👻

Today is all about costumes, candy, and making memories. While the kids are having fun, it’s also a great reminder that keeping them safe happens both offline and online. 💛

Have fun, stay safe, and enjoy all the sweet treats! 🍬

10/15/2026

What would your child do if something felt wrong online? 📱

PlaySafe gives kids a chance to practice those decisions before they’re faced with them in real life. This FREE interactive game walks kids through realistic online situations, helps them practice safer choices, and teaches them when it’s time to ask a trusted adult for help. Plus, they can earn their PlaySafe Detective Badge! 🛡️

Parents, play it together and see how your child responds. 💛

🎮 Play PlaySafe for FREE:

10/14/2026

📣 A great opportunity for families in our area!

Jaco Booyens will be in Arthur this Friday, October 16 at 6:30 PM for an evening focused on equipping families and protecting our communities.

📍 Penn Station, Arthur
💛 RSVP appreciated, but not required!

We encourage parents, grandparents and community members to attend!

10/13/2026

AI is changing quickly, and parents need to understand what that can mean for our children. Deepfake technology can create fake images and videos using a real person’s face, making something appear real when it isn’t. When this technology is misused, the risks to children can be especially serious.

This isn’t about creating fear. It’s about being informed and prepared.
Episode Three of Jaco Booyens’ Prepared Parent Training Series covers deepfakes and what parents need to know.

🎥 Watch the series and find more parent resources here:
Prepared Parent Training Series: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FSek61Bi7/
Educate. Empower. Prevent. 💛

10/13/2026

An important opportunity for families in our area. 💛

Jaco Booyens will be in Arthur this Friday, October 16, sharing about sexual exploitation, human trafficking, online grooming, and how we can better equip ourselves to protect our children and communities.

📍 Penn Station, Arthur
⏰ 6:30 PM

RSVP (217) 273-2380 (appreciated, but not required.)
We encourage parents, grandparents, educators, and anyone who cares about protecting children to attend.

10/07/2026

Just because a message disappears doesn’t mean the risk does. 👻📱

Apps like Snapchat, Instagram and Messenger offer disappearing messages or “view once” features. Make sure you know how they work and what your child may be using.

🚩 Pay attention to anyone asking your child to move conversations to another app, send disappearing photos/messages, or keep conversations secret.

Know the feature. Know the risk. 💛

10/04/2026

Quick question: Who can see your child’s location right now? 📍

Location sharing can happen through more places than you might realize. Take a few minutes and check their phone and apps for who has access. Look at Snap Map, Find My, Life360, social media location settings, and location permissions for individual apps.
And don’t forget about photos. Avoid posting real-time locations that tell others exactly where your child is, especially school, practices, activities, or places they visit regularly.

Today’s challenge: Do a location-sharing audit together. 💛

10/03/2026

Knowing which apps your child uses is only the first step. 📱

Take five minutes today and actually check the settings. Is their account private? Who can message them? Are parental supervision tools available and turned on?
Snapchat, Instagram, Discord, Facebook and Messenger all have safety and supervision features worth exploring.

A few minutes of prevention today can make a big difference tomorrow. 💛

Address

Service Area:
Effingham, IL

Website

http://www.beacon82.com/

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