A Clarendon County Guardian ad Litem Candlelight Awareness Ceremony was held Tuesday night at the Clarendon County Gazebo on Keitt Street in Manning. Speakers included Manning Mayor Julia Nelson and Clarendon County Council Chairman Dwight Stewart, who issued proclamations from the county.
"We held this event to make the public aware of things that are going on that should not be going on," said Celestine Cooper , coordinator for the Clarendon County Guardian ad Litem program. According to Robin "Holly" Layton, interim director for the Clarendon County Department of Social Services, her office received 216 referrals of potential child abuse or neglect in 2013. Of those, 104 were high-risk, "which means at any point in time a child could be harmed," Layton said.
