Community rallies in Candlelight Vigil for child abuse prevention

Scenes from Friday evening’s Candlelight Vigil against child abuse – Photos/Roger Bianchini

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING – That was the theme of a November 17 Candlelight Vigil to raise awareness and prevention of child abuse in Front Royal and Warren County.

On Friday evening citizens gathered at the Town Gazebo at the cross section of Historic Downtown Front Royal to face a dark underbelly of society.  That darkness is the physical abuse of our most vulnerable citizens, our children.  The November 8^th death of a 22-month-old Warren County toddler and injuries that hospitalized his twin brother propelled this community’s focus on that dark specter. see related story

And if we would like to think of the death of one young boy and hospitalization of his brother from beatings believed to have been inflicted by their mother’s boyfriend, as isolated and rare incidents, one speaker at the Candlelight Vigil reminded us that such abuse occurs more frequently than we would care to imagine.

Warren County Department of Social Services Director DeAnne Cheatham cited 91 reports of child abuse in Warren County in October alone.  “Ninety-one of your friends, your family members, your students, your church members – these are 91 members of our community,” Cheatham said, noting that the actual number of abused children here last month was higher because many cases, like the November 8^th one, involve multiple children being abused.

Statewide Cheatham observed that in Fiscal Year 2017, 33,000 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported to the Virginia Department of Social Services.  Cheatham said that translated into about 52,000 children abused or endangered by neglect.  Of that number 128 were investigations of fatalities

Cheatham stressed that while some things, like the rising of the sun each day, are not preventable; every case of child abuse IS preventable.  Hence the vigil theme: “If you SEE something, SAY something.”

Commenting on the tragic nature of child abuse, Cheatham added, “Nothing hits home harder than the tragic loss of a loved one or a member of our community.  It is especially hard when it’s because of a senseless, cowardly act.  In the last few weeks a day hasn’t passed without seeing another heart-wrenching article or newscast describing the horror, the HORROR a child has endured at the hands of someone that should have loved, protected, cherished them.”

Pastor Bobby Stepp of New Hope Bible Church observed that it had been a rough couple of weeks for this community in light of the plight of the abused twin toddlers, one dead, one hospitalized with similar injuries to his brother.

“The people have spoken tonight that with this awareness before the community of what’s going on and ways that we can, indeed, help.  These are hard times to understand and we ask hard questions that seemingly go unanswered.  The question ‘why’ never seems to get a satisfactory response,” Stepp told a somber crowd.

Pastor Bobby Stepp of New Hope Bible Church spoke emotionally of the challenge of community-wide reporting and prevention of child abuse; as well as of God’s love of the soul of a child.

Addressing the contention of some that such questions should not be asked, at least not in the immediate aftermath of such crimes, Pastor Stepp disagreed.  “I have one person in history who hung on a cross that asked ‘Why? – Why Father have you forsaken me?’  And I figure if Jesus can ask ‘Why?’ then so can we.”

But noting that pivotal question doesn’t always receive an immediate answer, the pastor suggested another question – “What are we going to do about what has happened in Warren County with children and even spouses, those who are at risk?  What are we gonna do as a community?  What can we change? What can we as a community, as individuals do to help in this situation?”

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!

Members of the Front Royal Police, including new Chief Kahle Magalis, were among vigil participants.

Pastor Stepp pointed to the important place of children in the “heart of God”.  He quoted Matthew, Chapter 18:  “The disciples are asking Jesus, who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God?  And Jesus says, ‘Bring me a child.’ And they bring a child and sit him down in front of Him and He says, ‘Unless your heart is like the heart of this child you cannot enter the kingdom of God.’  That innocence, that preciousness, that desire to be loved and to love is very, very close to the heart of God.”

But if we struggle as adults to be as a child in our innocence and ability to express universal love, we must not, either as individuals or a community, be blind to those damaged souls among us who can only find a sense of strength in the harming of those Jesus told us the Lord holds in most value as the model for us all – our children.

So REMEMBER of the hints of child abuse that are around us every day – IF you SEE something, SAY something!!!

Jennifer Montgomery, left, sang Celine Dion’s ‘A Mother’s Prayer’; Dynamic Life’s Elvie and Carlton Rogers provided an opening musical backdrop to an emotional evening.

Event organizer Michelle Smeltzer, Warren County’s Community Liaison to left, and Front Royal’s Community Development Director Felicia Hart were happy at the turn-out for Friday’s Candlelight Vigil to raise community awareness of child abuse and its prevention.