Author, advocate Elizabeth Smart to deliver keynote address at Ohio CASA’s 2025 Celebrate Kids! Conference
Smart will discuss overcoming trauma and how we can all work to help others, protect children
Author and advocate Elizabeth Smart will deliver the keynote address Thursday afternoon at Ohio CASA’s 2025 Celebrate Kids! Conference: 30 YEARS OF IMPACT.
Smart, a nationally-known figure, will discuss her own journey and how critical hope was to her surviving her ordeal. She will also share how we can all work to help others and keep children safe. Her address, made possible through generous support from The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, will be a special feature on September 25 at Ohio CASA’s landmark 30th conference.
The abduction of Smart was one of the most followed child abduction cases of our time. She was abducted on June 5, 2002, and her captors controlled her by threatening to kill her and her family if she tried to escape.
“Hope is real. It holds a great power. Each one of us has the capacity to hope, but there are moments when we must ask ourselves…How do I harness the power of my own hope?”
– Excerpt from Smart’s book “Where There’s Hope: Healing, Moving Forward, and Never Giving Up”
Fortunately, the police safely returned Smart back to her family on March 12, 2003, after being held a prisoner for nine grueling months. Through this traumatic experience, she has become an advocate for change related to child abduction, recovery programs, and national legislation.
Smart triumphantly testified before her captor and the world about the very private nightmare she suffered during her abduction, which led to conviction.
The founder of the “Elizabeth Smart Foundation,” Elizabeth has also helped promote the National AMBER Alert, the Adam Walsh Child Protection & Safety Act, and other safety legislation to help prevent abductions.
She has chronicled her experiences in the New York Times best-selling book, “My Story.” In addition, she and other abduction survivors worked with the Department of Justice to create a survivor’s guide entitled, “You’re Not Alone: The Journey From Abduction to Empowerment.” This guide is meant to encourage children who have gone through similar experiences not to give up, but to know that there is hope for a rewarding life.
Smart has recently released a new powerful and inspiring book about what it takes to overcome trauma, find the strength to move on, and reclaim one’s life. “Where There’s Hope” is the result of her mission: it is both an up-close-and-personal glimpse into her healing process and a heartfelt how-to guide for readers to make peace with the past and embrace the future.
Smart’s abduction and recovery continue to motivate parents, law enforcement, and leaders worldwide to focus on children’s safety. She emphasizes vigilance by “everyday” people and the belief that hope always exists.
Smart attended Brigham Young University, studying music as a harp performance major. She married her husband Matthew in 2012, and they now have three beautiful children. Her example is a daily demonstration that there really is life after tragedy.
Smart will speak on Thursday, September 25 from 3:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m., and then join us after at CASA Connect Hour. Ohio CASA appreciates the support of conference sponsors like The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
If you would like to hear Smart’s address, register for Ohio CASA’s Celebrate Kids! Conference: