President Frank Perez opened the virtual meeting of the Centerville Rotary Club and welcomed everyone on Zoom. Frank led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Dick Hoback led us in prayer.
President Frank Perez gave the following announcements:
- On April 22, we hope to have our brick ceremony at the Kennard Nature Nook, weather permitting, to honor Robin Parker, John Callander, and Joyce Young. A box lunch is planned. Then on Thursday April 29th we will return to in person meetings at Yankee Trace. The Yankee Trace meetings will also be available on zoom and we will follow the same mask and social distancing protocols we used in September.
- The District Conference will be April 23 & 24. Registration for this virtual event is now open. It should be a lot of fun with music, trivia and BYOB on Friday night. Saturday, Kim Forster (who we sponsored to attend the London School of Economics) will be one of the speakers. There is no cost to attend. Just sign up on My Rotary.
Arnie Biondo said if a golf sponsor you recruited hasn’t sent in check, give them a gentle reminder as Monday is the deadline for sponsors. Judy asked that he send out the list of what’s missing. Frank also reminded people to register their foursome on the Golf Genius website (link on Centerville Rotary website.)
Our Happy Bucks recipient this quarter is Luke5 Ministries. (Provide nature walks for disabled individuals in a special chair that can traverse difficult terrain. Opening up a Dayton chapter) You can send your check to the club mailbox: Centerville Rotary Club, PO Box 41431, Centerville, OH 45431-0431
Boyd Preston was our Sergeant at Arms today.
Carol Galloway gave $20 to Luke5; she’s an avid hiker and is happy to support them.
Boyd Preston gave $10 since it is great to see Sally Beals!
Elda Gotos Gay gave $20 noting she is having a great time with her grandkids, cooking and doing fun activities.
Susan Schnell gave $20 noting she is thrilled Libby is here to talk with us today and thanked her for giving of her time.
Arnie Biondo gave $20 for Luke5 and all the great parks they will be able to take people on hikes in.
Chuck King gave $20 as he was able to sell one of his cars but still has one more to sell.
Carol Kennard gave $20 for a great visit with her youngest granddaughter and for getting her second COVID shot, saying she feels pretty good but she’s ready for a nap after the meeting.
Brad Thorp gave $10 and shared he is working with John Callander’s family, and both sons expressed deep thanks for all that Rotary meant to John.
Dick Hoback gave $20 for being home after a month in Florida.
Harvey Smith gave $20 saying he is really happy to see Sally Beals back and hope she’s doing well.
Frank Perez gave $10 for getting his second vaccine Tuesday and said he did real well, and also he surprised his wife by shaving off his beard.
Our speaker today was Libby Nicholson from Dayton Children’s Hospital CARE House.
Susan Schnell Introduced our speaker, Libby Nicholson from Dayton Children’s Hospital CARE House. Susan met her 4 years ago when she shared about working in the field of social work. Susan is now pursuing a career in social work and is also a volunteer at CARE House.
Libby has been at Dayton Children’s since 1985 working with children affected by child abuse. She is the founding director of CARE House, which also has locations in Warren and Greene counties. She is a licensed independent social worker and advocates on the state and national levels.
Libby Nicholson said she will be talking about CARE House and child abuse, and asked “Why is it important for Rotarians to have this discussion?” One in 4 children will be affected by child abuse. One in 10 will be sexually abused by age 18. It is a problem in all communities and leads to social and mental health problems in the future. She said it is time to treat this problem as the serious public health issue it is.
During the pandemic with job loss, schools closed, and financial issues, children are spending more time at home, and therefore are more at risk to e abuse. Offenders are usually an adult they know, including relatives, coaches, youth pastors, teachers, etc.
CARE House is a non-profit advocacy organization under the umbrella of Dayton Children’s. It is a child-friendly facility, housing multi-disciplinary professionals who are needed to assist - law enforcement, lawyers, social service workers, doctors, etc. Police stations can still seem intimidating to kids, but CARE House is geared toward children, helping to put them at ease.
Staff are trained on how to interview children. Trauma screenings and criminal investigations are conducted on site to determine the mental health needs. Police observe the interview from another room but can interact with the interviewer to ask specific questions. They do a taped interview in case it is needed for a criminal investigation, but it is only shared with the law enforcement agency. This allows them to reduce the number of times the child has to tell their story. They are not a residential facility, but place the child in a safe place upon release.
Health, Hope and Healing - break the cycle of abuse.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. They planted 64 pinwheel gardens throughout Montgomery County to raise awareness about child abuse and help prevent it. Libby said it takes a village to protect a child and we are all a part of that village. We can’t say it doesn’t happen in our community, because it does. She said we must take action to break the silence around it and break the cycle because our children depend on it.
Suspected child abuse has to be reported to the police or Children’s Services first. If needed, they are then referred to CARE House, and the reporting agency must be in attendance during the interview.
Most child abuse takes place at the hand of a parent or caregiver, so when they leave the CARE House, they are placed in a safe location, found by exploring the circle of contacts that child has - grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends of family. They are typically voluntary placements, but If not, then Children’s Services place them in foster care. It is always best if they are placed with people who are known to them.
About 3/4 of the children they treat are from sexual abuse, and the remainder are physical abuse (significant abuse - over discipline.) They also treat children who are traumatized after witnessing domestic violence or even homicide in the home.
The abuser is more likely to be the boyfriend of the mother, rather than the child’s biological father. They take advantage of the situation by taking up with a woman who has children, whom they can then exploit. Sometimes mothers, fathers, and babysitters are also offenders.
Libby said the best thing we can do to help is, if you see something, say something. She has yet to meet a parent who wants to abuse their child; they are more likely struggling with their role as a parent. Don’t turn your back on a bad situation with a child, like in a grocery store. Show some empathy, ”It looks like you’re having a bad day, how can I help you?” However, if you see a child at imminent risk, you must call the police.
The question was ask about whether we should film an incident and share it with the police, if worried about being involved? Libby said to always call 911 or local police first before you start filming something. And said she cannot give any legal advice about filming an incident.
Oftentimes the parent is at a breaking point and may lack coping skills, which is not necessarily abuse. You can help break the tension by offering to help - carry groceries to the car while she deals with the screaming child.
Most parents are just looking for some help - they are not coping well. Sometimes just breaking the tension is how we can help - “I’m here, I’m compassionate, I hear you and want to help.”
They will always screen for mental health and medical needs. If it is determined they need mental health services, they could return to the facility for several visits for treatment. They individually assess every situation; there is no cookie cutter treatment.
Frank Perez thanked Libby for continuing the good work and led the group in reciting of the 4-Way Test.
Our speaker next week is Officer Tracy Sommers, School Resource Officer.
