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Darke County Job & Family Services
Activities planned
for Child Abuse Awareness Month
Child Abuse cases on the upswing in County
This year Children Services, Darke County Juvenile Court, CASA, Family
and Children First Council, Gateway, the Banner Bound 4-H Club,
and volunteers from local government and social service agencies have
partnered to bring child abuse awareness to the community. April
has been proclaimed Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Month.
Jody Cantrell, Darke County Juvenile Court Administrator and Family and
Children First Coordinator noted the community needs to be aware of the
extent of child abuse and stated, “Since …July 1, 2011, there
have been 39 new abuse and neglect cases filed. To compare, last
year, there were 22 new abuse and neglect cases filed.”
Funds for these activities were provided partially by the Ohio
Children’s Trust Fund.
Activities:
Pinwheel Planting:
The Banner Bound 4-H Club will be planting pinwheels during the month
of April on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. on the Commissioner’s
Office lawn with each pinwheel representing one of the 489 community
concerns reported to Children Services regarding child abuse and
neglect in Darke County.
Healthy Families Poster Contest:
Children Services, CASA, Family and Children First Council, and Gateway
for Youth are coordinating a Healthy Families poster contest and Child
Abuse and Neglect Awareness Walk on Saturday April 21, 2012.
Any family, residing in Darke County, with children under the age of 18
may participate in the Healthy Families Poster Contest. Families should
arrive with their completed posters on the sidewalks in front of the
Commissioners’ Office at 520 South Broadway, Greenville, Saturday April
21 by 10:30 a.m. Judging will begin at 10:30 a.m. The poster must
include four tips for healthy family living and be created on standard
sized poster board. Posters will be judged on content and creativity.
The back of the poster must include the name of the family and a
contact number. First prize is a $50 gift certificate and second prize
is a $25 gift certificate. Posters will be displayed at various
locations in Greenville after the contest. Volunteers Tracey and Bob
Wheeler will be on the grounds to help with the contest entries.
Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness Walk:
The Community is invited to participate in a Child Abuse and Neglect
Awareness Walk on Saturday, April 21, 2012. The walk registration
starts at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Commissioner’s Office, 520 South
Broadway, Greenville. The first 200 hundred walkers that register will
receive child abuse awareness wristbands and pinwheels. Walkers
are encouraged to wear blue and carry the poster contest entries. There
will be a brief welcome presentation and safe walking tips by Rebecca
James, Children Services, at 11:00 a.m. with the walk immediately
following. The walk will begin and end in front of the Commissioners’
office. After the walk, participants will receive free hot dogs and
beverages, served from the gazebo on the Court House lawn. Cooks for
the event include Juvenile Probate Judge Jason Aslinger, Greenville
Police Chief Dennis Butts, and Margaret Hayes, Darke County
Prosecutor’s Office. Jan Boyer, will provide free face painting.
Food and beverage donations will be provided by an anonymous citizen
and McDonald’s.
Gateway Youth Programs:
Youth participating in Gateway Youth Programs Connection Recreation
Center will be making posters for Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness
Month in honor of the importance of healthy families and
communication. Approximately twenty youth are currently enrolled
in the Connection Program which offers after-school support under
trained staff supervision to allow a safe place for children to gather
after school. Children in the “Think First and Stay Safe Program”
will also participate in the poster activity for Child Abuse and
Neglect Awareness Month. The Think First and Stay Safe
Program is offered quarterly through Gateway located at 116 E. Third
St.,Greenville, to children between the ages of seven and eleven to
offer guidance and strategies based on trusting instincts and reporting
cases where they feel they have been violated to a trusted adult. Kelly
Harrison, Gateway Youth Program, commented, “Gateway Youth Programs
continue to see steady reports of incidents of abuse and children in
situations in which they feel unsafe. I believe that a child’s
ability to talk comes from encouragement by a child’s role models in
allowing them to feel okay to talk about unsafe situations. We
CAN make a difference and what a better way to celebrate healthy
families than to come out on April 21st to walk for Child Abuse and
Neglect Prevention Month!”
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