The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports more than 14,000 Kentucky kids were abused in 2023.A Louisville organization is fighting the problem one child at a time."Child abuse will never go away until we really dig deep and do what we got to do here," said Executive Director Sonja Grey with the Exploited Children's Help Organization.ECHO has been fighting child abuse since 1983."In 2017, Kentucky was ranked as No. 1 as having the highest child abuse rates in the nation. And I know a lot of my allies and a lot of individuals in Frankfort, we really took a hard look at that, and that is not where we want to be. We do not want to be No. 1 in child abuse, you know, abuse, and so, over the course of the years, we are now ranked No. 14, and so we are making strides to make sure that we are minimizing those numbers," said Grey.The proof is in the numbers.From July 2022 to June 2023, ECHO helped 6,151 children and 2,800 adults 19 and over."If you care about kid, then you should care about us because that is our main mission is to make sure that we are providing protective skills for kids," Grey said.Grey said ECHO partners with public and private schools through a program called Transforming Our Communities.It uses evidence-based tools to teach kids and adults."We go into the classroom, and we talk to the kids about body safety and internet safety, and in addition, as we are training and teaching kids, we think that is also the ultimate responsibility of adults to also learn as well, and so we also we offer presentations and trainings for adults to be able to recognize, react and report child abuse," said Grey.Those adult programs include Parent Cafes to facilitate support systems and offer resources to foster healthier and safer communities for everyone. "It's an opportunity for parents to gather together and really talk about the challenges, the struggles, the triumphs of parenthood and building that network and so that we collectively can all learn together, but also be able to feel safe and safe spaces and be able to protect all of our children and the community," Grey said.ECHO depends on donations and public support.The public is invited to learn more about the organization during the Pancakes and Pinwheels Breakfast from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 24.