v
8 - CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, May 2
Letters
Continued from page 7
Mike, too, was sorry that he died. Mike has
always been there for the Lewes communi-
ty and knew all his customers very well. I
would like to ask that whomever has the
petition to keep Mike on the Lewes mute,
that they would add my name to the list. I
no longer live in Delaware, but still remem-
ber Mike very well and sawhim every now
and then when I came back to visit Lewes
and am angry that after nine years, they are
going to move him to a different route. My
name is Tina Williams and I live in the
De/metro area.
T'ma Williams
Washington, D.C.
We must do our part to
help prevent child abuse
I once heard someone say that children
are only 20 percent of our population, but
they axe 100 percent of our future. It is crit-
ical that each of us, and our social and po-
litical institutions do all we can to assure
those precious and vulnerable members of
our community are safe.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
It is a good time for Delaware to take note
of where we have made progress, and to
consider what else we might do to assist
our children. There are a number of re-
sources and a lot of exciting news.
The Children's Trust Fund, established in
.1984, funds programs to prevent child
abuse. Recently, the trust fund has support-
ed a consortium of medical and social serv-
ice providers to provide home visits and
support to new parents. This program
teaches parents about child development,
discipline and patience, and alerts them to
the resources available to them when they
feel challenged by the demands of parent-
ing.
In 1996, I established the Attorney Gen-
eral's Task Force on Child Victims, which
brought together educators, child protec-
tion workers, prosecutors, and nonprofit
and community leaders to examine how we
could better identify the children who were
victims of crime, assess their needs and
more promptly provide the intervention and
treatment services they need. The task force
report contained numerous recommenda-
tions, most of which have become adopted
by law- and policy-makers throughout
Delaware. Those recommendations includ-
ed proposals to train teachers and child pro-
tection workers how to work together in the
best interests of a child and to make
changes in the laws to better protect chil-
dren and to punish their abusers more se-
verely.
The Children's Advocacy Center reduces
the stress placed on child victims in an in-
vestigation by bringing together law en-
forcement officers, prosecutors, and child
protection workers who confer with a
trained forensic interviewer before an inter-
view is conducted. The child no longer has
to undergo multiple interviews in multiple
locations with multiple strangers. The
Children'sAdvocacy Center now has child
friendly locations in each county, and has
made a tremendous improvement in our
ability to successfully prosecute child vic-
tim cases.
The Delaware Child Protection Account-
ability Commission, created in response to
several crises in Delaware's child protec-
tion agency, has been successful in advo-
cating reforms in the practices of that
agency, securing more and beater trained
cue wor_e sml fl fom care
• May 8, 2003
system into which many child victims find
themselves. Companion to the creation of
the commission was establishing the Office
of Child Advocate, which provides legal
advocacy to children who are parties to, or
affected by, proceedings in court. Many at-
torneys in Delaware volunteer to assist in
that office's program.
The Court Appointed Special Advocate
(CASA) program is a wonderful resource
for children whose parents are involved in a
custody dispute or who are alleged to be
abused or neglected. Specially trained
members of the community, like you, vol-
unteer to befriend, learn about and assess
the child's situation, and make recommen-
dations to the court about what resolution
they believe is in the child's beSt interest.
At the outset, I did say April was Child
Abuse Prevention Month, so why did I re-
view services for child victims? Well, be-
cause the statistics are startling. One in four
victims of sexual abuse in Delaware is un-
der the age of 9 years old. Currently, there
are 1,076 cases pending in my office in-
volving child victims; 45 of those victims
are under 1 year old.
Children are happier, healthier, stronger
and more successful when they do not have
to overcome the emotional and physical
pain and stigma associated with their vic-
timization. We need to do more. We need
to show the courage and will to assure chil-
dren's safety. Every day, children leave the
emergency room, the classroom and the
courtroom and return to homes where they
are at serious risk. We need to say to par-
ents who either cannot or will not parent
their children that they cannot be entrusted
with their future. And let me be clear. I am
not referring to differences of opinion re-
garding discipline practices. I am address-
ing sexual abuse, scarring, scalding and ex-
treme neglect. Sadly, we in law enforce-
ment know too well that type of conduct
is all too common.
Government is not the sole answer to this
problem, and, indeed, should not be the pri-
mary answer. You cannot pay a government
caseworker enough to care more about your
child that you do - whether that child is of
your body, your family, your church or
your community. And it is not just one
child. These workers are trying to manage
30 or 40 small lives in crisis any given day.
Each of us has to take personal responsibil-
ity for the health and safety of the children
we encounter. If each of us did, there
would be far less for government to do.
And collectively we can do more than
any one of us alone. I call on the churches
of Delaware to establish programs to men-
tor, house, nurture and love the children in
their community who need them. Provide
love, support, tutoring or a stable home en-
viroument to let your children grow strong.
And yes, I did say: "stable home environ-
ment" and "house." Newt Gingrich got run
o of town for proposing orphanages. To-
day, advocates call them "safe houses."
Whatever you call them, children need a
place to go, to be loved, to be safe. And the
churches can help to provide that.
Some in our communities may think
"that is someone else's child, someone
else's problem." In truth, that may not be
the case at all. We have seen an increase in
recent years in the incidence of violent
crimes committed by minors. In all my
years in prosecution, I have not met a hap-
py child who committed a violent crime.
Many children do foolish things growing
up and exercise poor judgment as they ma-
ture, and some of the things they do get
them in trouble with the law. But I do not
know a happy child who commits a violent
crime. What many times makes that child
unhappy, angry, frustrated, confused, or
lacking in self respect, is the victimization
they have suffered. We all want our world
to be safe; we want our property to be se-
cure; we want the future to be brighter than
today. Doing our part to help prevent child
abuse will help.
Jane Brady
Attorney general
Cooperative preschool
thanks Outback, community
The Rehoboth Cooperative Preschool
would like to send a big thank you to the
Outback Stealouse for recently hosting a
very successful fundraiser for us. Not only
did they donate the place, but they also do-
nated all the food and beverages. Although
they are a part of a large franchise, the own-
ers are local and have a small town outlook.
The generosity in this community is amaz-
ing and Outback is part of it. The company
as a whole raises and donates thousands to
charities each year. We are grateful that the
Outback has chosen to give back to the
community. We would also like to thank the
Outback staff. They were wonderful to us.
They worked very hard, some of them com-
ing in on their day off. We had many com-
pliments on the food and the atmosphere
was fun. We really appreciate what you did
for us.
it was heartwarming to see so many fam-
ily and friends come out and support us.
Quite a few local businesses also showed
their support and had a great lunch. Busi-
nesses, to name a few, included Lingo Re-
alty, RE/MAX Realty, Abizak's, Ocean
Travel, Wash-n-Wag, Baybees Pediatrics,
Liz Clalborne, Rehoboth library and Re-
hobuth Elementary School.
The Outback is not the only business that
has been good to us. Apple Electric and
R.V. McMabon have been very generous to
the preschool, donating their time and ma-
terials. They are very hardworking people
and always do a great job. Thank you.
Last but not least, we would like to thank
all the parents, volunteers and teachers for
making this such a success. Your hard work
has paid off. Everyone should be proud of
being a part in maintaining this wonderful
preschool and touching a child's life.
The Rehoboth Cooperative Preschool
Rehoboth Beach
Bowl for Kids Sake
was huge success
Strikes and spares were everywhere and
plenty of wood was shattered at the Bowl
for Kids events April 12. Lewes residents
and business owners alike responded with
great generosity to the Big Brothers/Big
Sisters of Delaware's primary fundraising
event. Locally, the activities were dis-
placed from bowling at Midway to Mills-
boro and Seaford lanes due to the roof col-
lapse and ongoing repairs at the neighbor.
hood facility. As a community, Lewes con-
tributed checks and cash donations totaling
$825. Local business contributors included
the Buttery, Caf6 Azafran, Truitt Insurance
Agency, Deanna's, Lewes Mobil, The
Dairy Market, Lloyd's Market, Rocky
Mountain Chocolate Factory, Bay Foot,
LLC., The Figurehead and Chatelaine's.
The kids, the program, and the "Bigs"
thank you. I thank you, too. Your corn-.
bined financial support will provide a more
little fun and positive direction in the lives
of a number of worthy children. If you
would like to be a Big Brother or a Big Sis-
ter, call the program at 856-2918 or, if you
would like to contribute, please send your
check to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, lib S.
Bedford St., Georgetown, DE 19947.
IAnda Biumner
Lewes
SDTHR appreciates support
Southern Delaware Therapeutic Horse-
back Riding (SDTHR) would like to thank
all the companies and individuals who
made the Sixth Annual Beach Ride and
Walk a success. SDTHR is a not-for-profit
organization that provides therapeutic
horseback riding for children and adults
with physical, mental and emotional needs.
The funds raised enable the organization to
cover the cost and care of the horses and fa-
cility so we can continue to offer free les-
sons to participants in the program.
A special thanks to Cape Heulopen State'
Park for hosting this year's Beach Ride &
Walk. Thank you to all the riders and walk-
ers that come from near and far to partici-
pate in this year's event. We cannot thank
you enough for your extraordinary efforts
to raise money for SDTHR. your support
allows us to provide service to individuals
with autism, CP and MS just as an example.
This event was sponsored by a number of
generous companies that deserve a big
thank you. They include All Tune and
Lube of Milford; The Buttery; CK's Hair-
port; Cokesbury Veterinary Services, P.A.;
Domino's Pizza; Kids' Ketch; Rose &
Crown Restaurant and Pub; and The Wood-
en Indian. Thanks also to Casapulla's
South, Dibonaventures, Donut & Bagel Ex-
press and Pepsi Cola for the delicious food
and drinks provided for the day.
And last but never least, our heartfelt
thanks to all of the volunteers who made
this fun day run smoothly. From the people
who picked up the tables and food to those
who picked up after the horses - your com-
mitment to this organization is inspiring.
Our gratitude goes to board President Kerri
Shelly, for a wonderful job organizing this
event and to the Rehoboth Kiwanis for their
continual help and support to SDTHR.
We deeply appreciate everyone's contri-
bution and devotion to this successful an-
nual fundraiser for SDTHR.
Southern Delaware Therapeutic
Horseback Riding
Thanks from Legion Post 5
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone involved in making the An-
nual Good Friday Fish Dinner the sellout
that it was. The American Legion Auxil-
iary at Post 5 works very hard to make our
fundraisers enjoyable. The food was deli-
cious, the camaraderie was wonderful, and
the kitchen staff made the process look
easy. It ran like a weB-oiled machine. A
big thank you to the commander for the use
of the post home for the evening. Thank
you to the Cape Gazette, "Coast Press" and
Comcast Cable for the publicity and last,
but not least, the patrons who helped make
it the best Good Friday dinner yet.
Paula Marie Hoilar
American Legion Auxiliary Unit $
Vice President and publicity
chairperson
Operation Shoebox a success
I would like to thank all the people in
Sussex County for making Operation Shoe-
box a huge success. The following individ-
uals and groups made it possible for us to
ship an entire van of items for our troops in
Iraq: American Legion Post 17 regular and
Ladies Auxiliary members - Lewes, Broad-
kill VFW 6984 - Milton, VFW 7447 - Re-
hoboth Beach, Sussex East Home Associa-
tion - Lewes, Sussex County 4-H clubs and
the University of Delaware - Georgetown
Special thanks to Sharon and Paco Walsh
for transporting all our many boxes up state
to be shipped direct from Dover Air Base.
Wendy Martin
Lewes
