Child Abuse Prevention Month in Wyoming County was marked with a display of pinwheels on Courthouse Square (top) and a visit to the commissioners by (above, from left) District Attorney Jeff Mitchell, Victim Resource Center executive director Janet MacKay, Tunkhannock Township Police Sgt. Robert Reimiller, and Children’s Center of Susquehanna & Wyoming Counties director Janine Fortney.
Photos and Story by Rick Hiduk
The Wyoming County Commissioners read several important proclamations and conducted a variety of other business during the course of a relatively long meeting on April 4. Among them were the observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month, National Library Week, an introduction of the new director of the Bradford/Wyoming Literacy Program, and a request for a letter of support for Mental Health Critical Response training, a cyber bullying presentation for teachers and students, and the purchase of DUI breathalyzer units for three municipalities in the county.
Representatives from the Children’s Center of Susquehanna & Wyoming Counties and the Victim’s Resource Center of Wilkes-Barre were joined at the commissioners table by Wyoming County District Attorney Jeff Mitchell and Tunkhannock Township Police Sgt. Robert Reimiller for the reading of a proclamation (below) by the county commissioners.
Children’s Center director Janine Fortney related that the agency, which operates under the umbrella of Family Service Association of NEPA, has entered its second year of operation and works in partnership with the aforementioned entities, the Pennsylvania State Police, and victims advocate groups.
“Everything is coming together nicely,” said Fortney, noting that the primary goal of the organization is to promote awareness of child abuse and neglect. “We have to stop pretending that it’s not happening in our community.”
According to the proclamation, there were 513 cases of child abuse or neglect in Wyoming County in 2015.
“If you see something, say something,” Fortney stated. “If you’re not sure what to do, call us.”
Fortney related that the purple pinwheels placed on the west courthouse lawn on April 1 immediately attracted the attention of courthouse mascot and neighborhood cat, Walter, who batted at the pinwheels as they twirled in the wind. Commissioner Tom Henry said that the colorful and poignant display had also caught the attention of a young boy walking by on Monday, who briefly considered helping himself to one.
“Each pinwheel represents a child who was seen at the center in 2016,” Fortney explained. She can be reached at 570-823-5144 ext. 370 and jfortney@fsanepa.org. For quick response to any social needs, readers can dial 2-1-1, the Family Service Association Help Line.
DA Seeks Grant for Training and Equipment
As that group departed, DA Mitchell returned to the table to ask the commissioners for a letter of support to accompany a PA Commission on Crime & Delinquency grant application. The $44,000 will be spent in three areas: Mental Health Critical Response training for law enforcement, a cyber bullying presentation for local schools, and stationary units to measure the blood alcohol concentrations of those picked up for suspected DUI in Tunkhannock Township, Tunkhannock Borough, and Meshoppen Borough.
Mitchell said that, should the funds come through, they must all be spent by June 30.
National Library Week Marked
Kristin Smith-Gary (standing, above, right), director of the Tunkhannock Public Library, was accompanied by Noxen Public Library volunteers Wanda Kowalski (standing, center) and Charlotte Hopfer at the courthouse to announce that National Library Week will be celebrated from April 9 to 15. Commissioner Judy Smith (below, left) read the lengthy proclamation after Smith-Gary explained a new family reading initiative, whereby parents who read 1,000 books at the library can have a book placed into circulation in their name.
Other programs highlighted during Library Week are Makerspacers, job-seeker resources, and the newly enhanced STEAM, which adds Arts to the well-established STEM program.
Vicki Vannan, ESL instructor for the Bradford-Wyoming County Literacy Program, introduced new BWCL director Aubrey Carrington (below) to the commissioners. Carrington is from Bradford County and previously worked at the PA Assistance Office, served as a teacher and as an advocate for family library programs. Her immediate goal is to increase outreach and boost enrollment in BWCL classes. Learn more about the agency at http://www.bwcliteracyprogram.com/.
To read more about the April 4 Wyoming County Commissioners meeting, click here http://www.endlessmtnlifestyles.com/?p=7063. The next public meeting of the Wyoming County Commissioners will be held at 9 am on Tuesday, April 18 at the courthouse in Tunkhannock.