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Thanks to The Daily Sentinel for its excellent coverage April 25 and 26 regarding the child-abuse case that involved the handcuffing, beating, withholding food and extreme emotional abuse to two teenagers. And kudos to District Attorney Pete Hautzinger and his staff for taking the time to build a case that can be prosecuted.
As in all horrific cases of abuse, most people’s response is to ask, how could this happen and/or how could it have been prevented?
Since the Town Hall meeting in October, the “How are the Children?” initiative, spearheaded by Mesa County Commissioner Janet Rowland, has formed an executive board and four committees and is working to prevent child abuse and neglect in Mesa County.
The group is composed of professionals from the Department of Human Services, District 51, the Health Department, Hilltop, Latimer House, Ariel (which provides foster care services), child care workers and a variety of other groups, as well as many interested and caring community members. We believe that child abuse is a community problem that requires a community response. By working together, we believe we can help families that are at risk, as well as improve the support services needed by families where abuse and neglect have occurred.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. As it ends, if any of you think you could find time to help the “How Are the Children?” group, or if you just would like more information about our work, please feel free to contact Janet Rowland at 244-1606 or myself at 639-2224.
We hope to someday be able to say, the children are well in Mesa County.
DONNA BENNETT
Community Co-Chair
How are the Children?
Fruita
One Response to “How are the Children? working to help abuse victims”
Posted April 29th, 2008 at 8:17 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
This letter is a clear indicator of why things never get done. We are presented with a horror story of what happened with a child, and all we see are politicos, of all stripes setting themselves up in “committees” with pompously constructed titles to make others believe that “they care.” If you want to do something, then do it. Instead of doing that, and if we really want results and things to function, go find out who was responsible for not doing their job, and get rid of them, post haste. If the supervisor or manager was not doing his/her job either, fire them also.
This idiocy of “covering one’s backside” has to come to a screeching halt.
This is no different than what happened with the housing of wounded veterans at Walter Reed. Those who will recall what the general in charge of Walter Reed said “It’s not my job to inspect barracks.” Literally, he was quite correct. But, it was his job and responsibility to make sure that such was done by his subordinates, the colonels, lt. colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, and non-commissioned officers.
If those who are “in charge” are concerned primarily about holding with holding onto their jobs and looking good, they definitely do not belong in those positions. And, I really don’t care what stripe or color, or how such people come in. Non-performance is non-performance, and it is about time that we get down to business and stop being satisfied with mediocrity in performance.
If those who hold positions do not know what their job is, or who cannot perform with excellence (or at least strive for it), be they found at the local “fast food” outlet or in the highest offices in the halls of power, they should be fired.
Many of us are getting “damned” sick and tired of putting up with mediocrity or non-performance, and hearing nothing but excuses for both. We want results, not meaningless blather.
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