Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 9, 1990 TAG: 9004090072
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER SOUTHWEST BUREAU
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Youngsters between the ages of 4 and 18 are being recruited for "An Afternoon with the Children," an April 29 program at Fort Chiswell High School. It will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The program has lined up about 40 of the 100 singers needed. The first practice is April 17 at 6 p.m. at the St. Paul United Methodist Church.
Admission will be $1 for adults and 50 cents for children under 12. Money raised by the show will help provide services for children at risk of abuse or who are victims of neglect, programs to change abusive family patterns, care for high-risk children; summer camps for children, training and programs for child protective personnel and programs to help make the community aware of the problem.
Also scheduled are songs by musician Frank Emerson, a magic show by Kazoo the Clown, a performance by the Wythe County All-Children Chorus and a raffle offering locally donated prizes. Raffle tickets are $1; the winners will be announced at the show.
Prizes so far include dinner for two at Scrooge's Restaurant, lunch for two at the Manor House, Sunday lunch buffet for two at the Holiday Inn, a 90-day fitness program at the Nautilus Center, two 10-session tannings from Joyce's Tanning, and a weekend trip by Hopkins Travel. Printing of programs and raffle tickets was donated by Graphic Design.
The event is sponsored by the Wythe County Child Protective Services Department in conjunction with the Wythe Multi-Disciplinary Team, an organization that includes representatives of local school, court, law enforcement, health, hospital, mental health and other agencies who meet monthly to coordinate their approaches to child abuse problems in the community.
"We all have the duty of educating the public on this crisis issue," state Sen. Daniel Bird Jr., D-Wytheville, told team members at their April meeting. "I think people are beginning to respond."
As a lawyer, Bird said, he comes in contact with child abuse situations in connection with broken homes and custody battles, but much of the public is not aware of how serious the problem is.
As anyone who has been reading the "Gil Thorpe" comic strip knows, child abuse includes neglect as well as physical abuse. Debbie Patterson, a team representative from the Wythe County Department of Social Services, said Wythe County had 431 child abuse and neglect complaints during the 1988-89 fiscal year.
For the same period, Virginia had about 52,000 complaints, of which about 12,000 were substantiated.
"Our cases are primarily neglect. There is some physical abuse or sexual abuse," Patterson said.
Team members are distributing posters and other child abuse information during April, which is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Anyone interested in securing speakers, materials or additional information can do so by telephoning Patterson or P.G. Rigney at 228-5493.
by CNB