Audio clip
Cynthia Pierce
The Family Support Council in Murray and Whitfield counties is asking for help from businesses in the agency's fight against child abuse.
Cynthia Pierce, project manager for the council, said donations to the Heroes Against Child Abuse campaign fund programs such as Kids on the Block, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Healthy Families.
"We're in the school system and the schoolchildren are fundraising for us," Ms. Pierce said. All Murray and Whitfield schools help, she said.
With schools covered, "we're now in the process of reaching out to businesses," she said. "We know that times are difficult financially, so we're looking for small donations from businesses."
The Family Support Council got its start in 1980 with the formation of a local Parents Anonymous Group that provided confidential support to troubled families, according to Tom Bartley, a council program director.
Council services, nearly all free of charge, expanded over the years to help more people, but that expansion also demands more money, Mr. Bartley said.
"Every little bit helps," he said. "The more we can do, the better off our kids are going to be."
Programs such as Kids on the Block teach children about such delicate subjects as sexual abuse and bullying by using puppets to make the children more comfortable in the discussion.
"In the schools, we reach out to 5,000 to 6,000 schoolchildren (a year) just through Kids on the Block alone," Ms. Pierce said.
The council also wants volunteers for Kids on the Block and programs such as Court Appointed Special Advocates, which represents hundreds of foster children in the Whitfield and Murray court systems, she said.
Fundraising for the Family Support Council's programs continues through the school year until spring, Ms. Pierce said.
A ceremony is held in April to recognize victims of abuse and honor donors and volunteers, she said.
HOW TO HELP
To reach the Family Support Council, Inc., write to P.O. Box 1707, Dalton, GA 30722-1707; call 706-272-7919 or visit www.familysupportcouncil.org.
Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He covers Southeast Tennessee and previously covered North Georgia education. Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005, first covering Bledsoe and Sequatchie counties and later adding Marion, Grundy and other counties in the northern and western edges of the region to his coverage. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Tenn., a graduate of Bradley Central High School. Benton ...
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