CELEBRATING THE SIGNING OF THE Child Abuse Prevention Month Proclamation on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 are (front, l-r) Commissioners: Pct. 4 – Clyde Ridge, Pct. 3 – Mike Daniels, County Judge Linda Grant, Pct. 2 – Craig Oakes, and Pct. 1 – Andy Bonner; (middle, l-r) Freestone Co. Child Protective Services Board (FCCPSB) members: Cheryl Evans, Pilar Harris, Cynthia Shed, Katherine Jackson, Cynthia Gage, CPS Supervisor – Ashley Gomez, and Pam Barnes; and (back, l-r) Sheriff Jeremy Shipley, Chief Deputy Devin Mowrey, CPS Case Worker – Vicki Dixon, FCCPSB member – Karen Daniels, CPS Admin Asst – Marquise Lee, and FCCPSB member – Stephanie Thompson. Not pictured are FCCPSB members Jeannie Keeney and Lovie Whyte. (Photo by Nicole Schaefer)

 On Wednesday, April 5, 2017, Freestone County Judge Linda Grant signed a proclamation declaring April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in honor of National Child Abuse Prevention month.

Friday, April 7th, the Freestone County Child Protection Services Board (FCCPSB) held a balloon release in recognition of this; followed by a hotdog lunch fundraiser to help children in our area. Monies from this event raised a total of $1,735.

The first donation was in the amount of $100 from Denise and Richard McGowan.

Local citizens can also help support this cause by purchasing pizza from Fairfield Pizza Hut on Monday, April 17th. Be sure to tell them you are participating in the Child Abuse Prevention fundraiser.

Area churches are encouraged to show their support on Sunday, April 30th by wearing blue and putting an insert in the bulletin about child abuse.

Fairfield Elementary and Intermediate schools will be “Sticking Their Tongue Out for Child Abuse.” FCCPSB members will be giving the children blue pixie sticks to turn their tongues blue. Teachers and parents are encouraged to take photos of their students sticking out their blue tongues and posting on social media.

Monies from these fundraisers are used to help foster parents with medical expenses, school supplies and clothes, Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and other necessities they children may need when they are removed from their homes and placed into the system, it also helps foster parents go through a proper foster care training process.

Some statistics about child abuse in the state of Texas for 2016:
–222 children died from child abuse or neglect
–There were 58,644 confirmed victims of child abuse/neglect
–Almost every nine (9) minutes, a child became a victim of abuse/neglect
–60% of child abuse/neglect victims were six (6) years old or younger
–19,079 children were removed from their home due to abuse/neglect. That’s about 52 children entering the foster care system each day
–A total of 48,795 children were in the child protection system

  Freestone County statistics for 2016
–41 children were in family preservation
–There were four (4) foster/adopted homes
–199 CPS intakes
–309 allegations of child abuse/neglect were reported
–172 investigations were opened