"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
- Phillipians 2:4
Crosswell Children’s Home Director Jerry Allred has seen multiple cases of child neglect and abuse throughout his 25 years of working with children.
“We had 18,400 children involved in founded cases of child abuse last year in South Carolina,” Allred said April 18 during a ceremony held at the Clarendon County Gazebo by the Clarendon chapter of the Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem program in recognition of National Child Abuse Awareness Month.
“One child suffering is one child too many,” Allred said. “Jesus reminded us in Matthew about taking care of the least of these, and there is no more the least of these than a vulnerable child.”
Clarendon School District 1 High School Graduation Coach Makeba Hilliard-Wilder said that since January, more than 12,700 reports of child abuse and neglect have been reported in South Carolina.
“Of that number, 74 were pertaining to children in Clarendon County,” Hilliard-Wilder said. “Of those 74 calls, only 40 rose to the criteria to be investigated by the Department of Social Services.”
Hilliard-Wilder said DSS and guardians ad litem are currently working with 30 families in Clarendon County.
“Within those 30 families, we have 61 children that are being provided in-home services due to neglect and abuse,” she said.
On top of that, Hilliard-Wilder said that there are currently 4,290 children in South Carolina living in foster care.
“We have 21 of those children living here in Clarendon County, and their ages range from 3 months to 17 years,” she said.
Of those, 10 have been in the foster care system longer than 18 months.
“We only have six foster care homes in Clarendon County, and we are in desperate need of more she said. “What happens when you don’t have those foster families is that children are separated among other counties, so you have siblings that can’t stay together.”
Hilliard-Wilder told “The Blue Ribbon Story” during last week’s ceremony, explaining why blue is the recognized color symbol for child abuse awareness.
“In 1989, in Virginia, there was a grandmother, Bonnie Finney, who tied a blue ribbon to the antenna of her van to make people wonder and ask why,” Hilliard-Wilder said. “She would share the tragic story of the abuse of her grandchildren, one of whom she never saw again and later found out was killed.”
Finney, Hilliard-Wilder said, had sat at her young grandson’s side in a hospital after one of his mother’s abusive episodes. Doctors did not believe the daughter’s story that he had fallen. The boy had bruises on his body and cigarette burns on his hands. He had visible fear on his face.
The boy was placed into foster care for three years, and reportedly cried when he was taken back to his mother. Finney was unable to physically care for the child and never saw him again.
She later found out, Hilliard-Wilder reported, after her 16-month-old granddaughter was hospitalized after a severe beating, that the boy was killed, wrapped in a sheet, stuffed in a tool box and dumped in a Virginia Swamp.
“We need more people out there who are willing to take care of these children,” said Hilliard-Wilder. “We have a great need for foster parents and guardians ad litem in Clarendon County. And we have a great need for those who suspect abuse and those who see abuse to report abuse."
Allred said during his comments that April is one of his favorite months.
“Major League Baseball starts, and we have nice weather,” he said. “There’s the Masters’ tournament. The flowers are blooming. School is almost out. You start to look forward to things. But April is also a time when we need to pause and reflect.”
“That’s what this month is about,” he said. “Child Abuse Prevention Month is a time set aside to look at these things. Many of us daily see the effects of abuse and neglect. Whether we are law enforcement or other first responders, guardians ad litem, volunteers, foster care workers, DSS workers, foster parents, teachers or attorneys, we deal daily with what’s going on.”
Allred said it is tragic that an entire month has to be set aside for awareness, but it will be that way until education and intervention can stop what he called a “vicious cycle.”
“We don’t need to forget the abusers in these cases,” he said. “Many of them were victims themselves. The effects of abuse linger. It is a cycle.”
Allred said that children who are abused frequently grow into malfunctioning adults.
“If you look at folks who suffer from chronic medical conditions, the majority of them have had an adverse childhood experience and have suffered some type of trauma or abuse,” he said. “It doesn’t just stop when you end it or when you go to counseling. It continues.”
Allred said that everyone “knows a child in our personal and professional lives who is suffering.”
“Unless we take advantage of not just the month of April, but every month, every day and every hour, looking for what’s out there to make sure we’re taking care of children and families in our state, this is going to continue to be an issue,” Allred said.
Hilliard-Wilder said those interested in becoming foster parents may receive ore information by calling 1 (888) 828-3555. She said that residents may also anonymously report cases of abuse and neglect to (843) 561-6016.
