Child and Parent Services of Elkhart County will hold a Lifesaver Breakfast Thursday morning.

The reason for the annual breakfast is to educate the public about the horrible consequences of child abuse and how it can be prevented.

At the breakfast there will be several speakers, some who will share personal experiences regarding child abuse. The hope is that through education, the statistics can be reduced.

Child and Parent Services, commonly referred to as CAPS, was started back in the early 1970's because there was a growing problem surrounding child abuse within Elkhart County.

Much like today, the focus during that time was to raise awareness about abuse and find out how it could be prevented.

CAPS provides a number of services to families in the community, some of which are parenting classes and providing a safe harbor for conducting interviews to be done with those dealing with child abuse.

In Elkhart County, the rate of child abuse is lower than the state and national average, according to the CAPS' website. The county's rate has fallen 26% faster than the state average since 2008.

The Lifesaver Breakfast will kick off at 7:30 a.m. inside the Lerner Theatre's Crystal Ballroom. If you want to get involved with CAPS, click here.