Dec 12, 2024 By Melissa Gibson 3 min read

In 1993, Joseph Femiani watched a news story about a young girl who died at the hands of her father. Moved by what he’d seen, Femiani started the nonprofit The Watchful Shepherd.

Imaging the fear and uncertainty young children must live with in an abusive environment, Femiani knew something had to be done.

“He thought about the life alert devices for senior citizens and wondered why we couldn’t put those in homes where kids most need them,” said Amanda Bilitski, executive program director. “He partnered with Washington County Children and Youth Services (CYS) and since then, it’s evolved and grown. Now, we’re all across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

They built a relationship with the family court system, began identifying at-risk youth and with permission from the families, installed an electronic device in the home connected to a wristband the children wear.

“When things get intense in the home, the child can press a button, and it sends out an alert to staff and the police department. A live person talks to the child and relays information while waiting for first responders,” Bilitski said.

Courtesy of The Watchful Shepherd

The Watchful Shepherd, a Canonsburg-based nonprofit, distributes devices to help children who are in volatile situations at home.

They’ve even expanded from a device in the home to one that can sync with a mobile phone, allowing families and children to feel safe when leaving the home.

“We’re proud to say we have a 100% success rate. Where this device goes, the abuse stops,” Bilitski said.

It’s difficult to gather a statistic on just how many children have been helped by the device, but Bilitski said it’s easily in the thousands of children ages 3 to 18.

The Watchful Shepherd has the potential to expand in several areas, helping numerous families with issues inside the home and across the country. As statistics show, said Bilitski, the help is desperately needed.

“There are a lot of things on the horizon. Our first goal is to spread the word. We’re not government subsidized, and we rely 100% on our donors. As little as $25 per month covers the device in one family home, and we want to ensure we never have a disruption of service,” Bilitski said.

The nonprofit hosts fundraisers throughout the year.

Dancing for a Cause brings in eight community members to take lessons through Arthur Murray Dance Studio and compete in front of a live audience for an award.

Other events such as a celebrity bartending night with live music pop up throughout the year and Bilitski is hopeful the nonprofit will offer another signature fundraiser in the spring of 2025.

Visit https://watchful.org/ for more information.