Posted: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 2:00 pm

NASHVILLE – Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte has announced the dates for 13 AndreaWalks events in the months of March, April and May, including Rutherford County on April 16.

Conte, a longtime advocate for victims’ rights issues, launched the AndreaWalks initiative in 2004 to promote National Child Abuse Prevention Month and provide support for Tennessee’s Child Advocacy Centers.

“Child Advocacy Centers provide comprehensive support programs for children who are the victims of sexual or severe physical abuse and their families,” Conte said. “These organizations work diligently every day on behalf of children, and these walks are something we can do to raise awareness and increase support for our Child Advocacy Centers across Tennessee.”

Conte made promoting and providing support for the Tennessee Child Advocacy Centers a priority when she became First Lady in 2003. One goal was to help establish a Child Advocacy Center in each of the 31 judicial districts across the state. In 2003, there were 25 Child Advocacy Centers in Tennessee. Today, there are 42 centers statewide.

Tennessee’s First Lady has worked to serve victims of crime and abuse for more than 17 years. In 1993, she founded You Have the Power…Know How to Use It, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about crime and justice issues. In 2008, Conte received national recognition for her outstanding service to crime victims when she received the National Crime Victim Service Award from U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

In the inaugural year of AndreaWalks, First Lady Conte walked more than 600 miles from Memphis to Bristol and raised approximately $1.4 million in cash and in-kind donations for these organizations.

This year there will be 13 AndreaWalks events held in March, April and May in Knox, Wilson, Putnam, Davidson, Cannon, Rutherford, Sullivan, Anderson, Scott, Sumner, Robertson, Lincoln and Fentress counties. Interested participants in these locations may contact their local Child Advocacy Center for more information or to register.

To learn more about the work of Child Advocacy Centers, visit www.tncac.org.