Child Welfare Board honors victims of child abuse with candlelight vigil at Stephens County Courthouse
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
On the last day of April, which was Child Abuse Awareness Month, members of the Stephens County Child Welfare Board and others gathered in the courthouse for a candlelight vigil, honoring the local children who are in foster care or other parts of the legal system due to abuse or neglect.
Stephens County Justice of the Peace Steve Spoon offers a prayer at the beginning of the candlelight ceremony honoring local victims of child abuse. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Opening the ceremony on April 30, Stephens County Justice of the Peace Steve Spoon offered a prayer on behalf of the children. Then, the Child Welfare Board members and others joining them for the ceremony, lit candles and read aloud the gender and age of the children they were honoring. The children range in age from 2 months to 16 years. To protect the children, their names were not mentioned during the ceremony.
To close out the ceremony, Stephens County Judge Will Thompson led the group in prayer.
For Child Abuse Awareness Month in Stephens County, the volunteers decorated the courthouse lawn with white crosses, blue pinwheels, and other items in remembrance of children who died as a result of abuse or neglect in the past year.
According to Sharon Wimberley, chair of the Stephens County Child Welfare Board, the number of local children in foster care varies. Last year, there were 45 children in Stephens County who were victims of child abuse.
Members of the Child Welfare Board urge everyone to familiarize themselves with the signs of abuse and neglect and to report their suspicions to the authorities.
There are several types of child abuse, including physical, emotional, sexual and neglect, and each type has a range of symptoms. Click here to read about some of the symptoms and warning signs of child abuse and neglect.
If you believe that a child is in immediate danger from child abuse or neglect, call 9-1-1 immediately and report your concerns to local law enforcement. Child abuse/neglect may also be reported by calling the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 or by going online to www.txabusehotline.org.
Members of the Stephens County Child Welfare Board include Sharon Wimberley, Jan Davis, Linda Lippe, Alva Carey, Carla Barnes, Linda Burdic, Stephanee Russell, Teresa Reynolds and Lin Sims.
Paul Lippe, left, and Will Thompson take part in the Child Welfare Board’s candlelight vigil for the local victims of child abuse. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Stephens County Child Welfare Board member Lin Sims, left, lights her candle during a vigil for child abuse victims at the Stephens County Courthouse on Thursday, April 30. Pictured from left are Lin Sims, Jan Davis, Linda Lippe, Sharon Wimberley, Linda Burdic, Paul Lippe and Will Thompson. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Stephens County Judge Will Thompson, right, leads the group gathered for the candlelight vigil, including Paul Lippe, left, in prayer following the ceremony which honored victims of child abuse. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Sharon Wimberley, chair of the Stephens County Child Welfare Board, center, reads aloud the gender and age of some of the children they honored with the candlelight vigil. Pictured, from left, are Lin Sims, Jan Davis, Linda Lippe, Sharon Wimberley, Linda Burdic, Paul Lippe and Will Thompson. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
