COVINGTON, La., May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Louisiana businessman and philanthropist
Steve Tujague, founder of the IJN
Foundation (In Jesus' Name), is receiving national acclaim for his
support and advocacy in the state's fight against child abuse and
trafficking, and specifically his financial impact within the local
and statewide Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) movement.
Tujague will receive the "Community Philanthropy Leadership
Award" at the 2024 National Children's Alliance Leadership
Conference in Washington D.C. on
June 3rd. Selected from
numerous nominations across 1,100 Children's Advocacy Centers
nationwide, Tujague is one of only eight award recipients to be
honored at this year's event. These individuals represent the CAC
movement's most innovative leaders, dedicated champions and devoted
volunteers.
For nearly three decades, Tujague worked in various capacities
with the prestigious Boh Brothers
family of companies. He eventually acquired and ran Boh
Environmental, FPU Systems, which designed and constructed
Department of Defense Command Centers and patented container
systems for the military. It later became a global business.
Following a successful and fulfilling career, Tujague felt a
greater calling to serve his community as he stepped into
retirement. He and his family established The IJN Foundation (In
Jesus' Name) to empower organizations across Southeast Louisiana, focusing on initiatives
such as child exploitation justice and recovery, human trafficking
prevention, and mentorship programs.
Over the last seven years, Tujague has contributed over
$1.5 million to CACs across
Louisiana and the state chapter –
all given In Jesus' Name. More than $1.15
million of that contribution was given to Children's
Advocacy Center - Hope House, an independent nonprofit
organization dedicated to ending the cycle of child abuse in
St. Tammany and Washington
Parishes. Tujague's efforts have resulted in incredible growth,
development, and most importantly, positive outcomes of justice and
recovery for child abuse victims across the state, and particularly
Louisiana's Northshore.
"While many might perceive the amount given as the most
noteworthy factor in Mr. Tujague's story of partnership, even more
incredible is how the gifts were delivered. Mr. Tujague wishes for
no personal acknowledgment, praise or recognition. He has only one
request, that you acknowledge the gift In Jesus' Name. He has truly
been a beacon of hope and an example of Christ's love in the lives
of countless children," said Thomas
Mitchell, Executive Director of CAC - Hope House.
In 2018, during a time when Hope House faced significant
financial hardships, Tujague changed the trajectory of the
organization forever. That same year, Hope House received a call
that a local family wished to create a matching campaign for the
organization. After learning about Hope House's mission, Tujague
pledged $150,000 in matching funds
for every dollar raised in the organization's signature annual
fundraiser, Men Who Cook. This would prove to be a catalyst for
Hope House's growth and financial stability, rallying countless
community members and stakeholders to take ownership of the
recovery of local child abuse victims.
"After meeting Executive Director Thomas
Mitchell, I knew quickly that our core values aligned; we
both want to serve children and honor Jesus as we do it. Thomas's
amazing dedication and leadership toward ending child abuse and
trafficking, while providing excellent outcome of justice and
recovery for all children he and the Hope House team encounters, is
exceptional! Hope House has an extraordinary team of dedicated,
hardworking, loving, and caring professionals that provide a path
to recovery while supporting justice and healing for child abuse
victims with much love. They are amazing!" said Steve Tujague.
Prior to Tujague's initial collaboration with Hope House in
2018, the organization's Men Who Cook fundraiser drew an annual
attendance of 150 to 200 guests and raised $63,000 at its highest point. Since 2018, Men Who
Cook's attendance has increased to over 1,000 guests as more
advocates are being developed and cultivated, and Hope House has
averaged more than $300,000 in annual
fundraising through the event, with 2023 marking an all-time
high.
Through funding received In Jesus' Name, Hope House has been
empowered to expand operations, programs, staff and services for
the increasing number of child abuse victims – more than 2,500
children since 2018 – served on the Northshore. In 2019, with
Tujague's support, Hope House launched Play It Safe, an
evidence-informed child abuse prevention training that is offered
free of charge to local schools and organizations serving children.
Since then, Hope House has trained more than 1,700 local children
in body safety and abuse prevention. In 2020, Hope House expanded
with a 1,250-sq-ft. renovation to increase its trauma counseling
services. In 2023, Tujague provided financial support for Hope
House to open a new, state-of-the-art CAC in Bogalusa, one of Louisiana's most impoverished cities.
Additionally, with Tujague's help, Hope House has strengthened its
forensic medical programming, created robust vicarious trauma
resources, increased staff retention programs, and empowered
multidisciplinary partner agencies such as law enforcement and the
Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services with
advanced training in trauma-informed care and best practices in
investigations.
Furthermore, Tujague was instrumental in saving the state's
CAC chapter while advocating for state legislative funding for all
CACs in Louisiana. Prior to
2021, Louisiana was one of seven
states in the country lacking state legislative support, despite
being statutorily defined and mandated. Tujague worked with state
leaders to secure funding for child abuse and trafficking
victims.
In a February 2020 meeting at Hope
House with Louisiana's former
First Lady Donna Edwards, who is a
dedicated supporter of the state's CAC movement, Tujague advocated
for the securing of a 28-year dream for Louisiana's CACs – state legislative funding.
Tujague provided a $300,000
contribution, dispersed to all Louisiana CACs, creating a
public-private partnership that served as a catalyst for state
funding. Two months later, CACs across Louisiana celebrated a major victory – it was
announced that state legislative funding would be included in the
state's budget.
"State legislative funding to support our CACs in the fight
against child abuse is a great thing for the state of Louisiana, and an incredible victory for our
kids! Because of Mr. Tujague, thousands of children are back to
being kids again. He is truly a special, inspiring partner, and
friend – not just of Hope House, but of CACs statewide," said
Thomas Mitchell.
Press Contact:
Sarah Federer
Synergy Events & Marketing
985-373-5271
sarahcfederer@gmail.com
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SOURCE Children's Advocacy Center - Hope House