On a budget of $28,000, Child Protection, Inc. has a paid staff of an executive director, 4 foster grandparents, and 3 VISTA volunteers. But with the help of 157 volunteer servide providers, the organization is able to deliver 828 units of service monthly to rural Western Kentucky. The success of the volunteer program is based on recruiting from appropriate populations, screening, specific and meaningful job descriptions, supervision, training, evaluation, recognition, integration into the agency, and supportive relations with peers. Volunteers participate in the agency's three strategies for preventing child abuse--a Parents Anonymous Chapter, Wee Care (a mothers' cooperative "time out" nursery), and parent aides. Because the volunteers' services to clients are accepted, they have become the backbone of Child Protection, attracting a broad base of community support and thereby making the agency eligible for grants and city, county, and United Way funding. This report contains background information on the economic and social problems that have led to high rates of child abuse and neglect in western Kentucky. The history and evolution of Child Protection is described, stressing the volunteer program, but also including the issues of public education, public relations, community support, interagency cooperation, multidisciplinary professional teams, and civic group involvement. (JHZ)