by Grant Oliphant
President and CEO
The Pittsburgh Foundation

The death of a child holds a poignancy that truly beggars description and strikes a sympathetic chord with even the most cynical among us. That’s why, while I didn’t watch even a second of the murder trial in the death of Caylee Anthony, I could understand the fascination her story held for those who followed it closely. As more than one of those who stood outside the courthouse commented, thousands of people around the country had come to think of little Caylee as “my own child.” But as our country dives into yet another seemingly pointless national debate about the verdict in the latest “trial of the century,” and as those outraged by the verdict organize a campaign to “light a porch light” for Caylee, I would ask us to think about channeling our anger and grief in a perhaps more productive direction.

Caylee Anthony’s road to being someone we cared about began with her horrible death and continued as her story came to life through months of telling and retelling in the media and in the courtroom. She became someone we could care about because we thought we knew her, but here’s the rub: she literally had to die for that to happen. Nothing we do now can bring her back or undo whatever injustice may have been done to her memory. But we can remember that Caylee’s story is hardly unique. Every day, thousands of children across America, every bit as sweet and innocent as Caylee, are abused and sometimes killed at the hands of strangers, friends and family members. We don’t think about them very often because their stories so rarely reach our attention.

If we really are touched by Caylee’s story, a good way to honor her would be to remember all those children who are still with us, who are still suffering, and who might yet be saved. There isn’t any mystery about how to do that. We can start by supporting organizations that work to prevent child abuse and family violence, to strengthen families, and to provide critical social services to the families that need them most. (If you are unsure about services and resources in our area, the PittsburghGives database and your local United Way can help connect you.)

And we can demand that local and state governments look at the human costs of cutting those programs before sacrificing them to the budget axe, as we have seen happening now all across the country.

We have no idea whether programs like these could have saved Caylee. What we do know is that, every single day, they do save other children, some in our very own neighborhoods. These children may not be known to us, but every one of them has a name, a smile to share, a dream to offer, and gifts yet to be discovered. How ironic it would be if our nation lit porch lights in one girl’s memory while letting the light go out on the best options we have for preventing other children from suffering fates just as tragic and unjust.

Let’s be a beacon for Caylee by being a beacon for ALL our children—and the outstanding nonprofit organizations that work so hard to protect them.