Byesville Rotary supports “Maria’s Message”

Pictured: Nancy Gress, supervisor Guernsey County Children’s Services; Shana Fair, Byesville Rotary President Elect; Elissa Mallett, case worker Guernsey County Children’s Services. 

Note: The Scholarship Golf Tournament will be held this Sunday, May 3. Register now by contacting Larry Miller 740-439-7606. Funds raised at this tournament will be used to support scholarships for graduating Meadow Brook seniors.

Chuck Fair, club president, reported the “Maria’s Message” event went well. Byesville Rotary donated $500- to help pay for bus transportation needed to take Meadow Brook sophomore, junior, and senior students to Prichard-Laughlin Civic Center to attend Dom Tiberi’s inspirational “Maria’s Message” which is aimed at discouraging distracted driving.

Fair thanked Byesville club members Becky Brunner, Nellie Bichard, and Shana Fair who joined him at the event to help seat students and to pass out goody bags to each student attending.

About 1200 students from Meadow Brook, Cambridge City, Mid-East Career and Technology Center, and Buckeye Trails attended the program. AVC Communications live streamed the program to each high school so that freshman could see the program.

Offering the program in Guernsey County was the inspired idea of Deputy Chad Kerns of the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Kerns is currently assigned to Rolling Hills School District as the School Resource Officer.

Speakers at the weekly club meeting were Elissa Mallett, case worker, and Nancy Gress, supervisor, from Guernsey County Children’s Services. Gress pointed out their organization was celebrating April as Child Abuse, Neglect, and Prevention Month. Mallett informed club members that the 515 pinwheels displayed at the courthouse represented the number of child abuse cases their organization investigated in 2014. Gress stated that this is a huge number compared to the size of Gurnsey County.

Gress explained that one of their responsibilities was to identify at risk children and place them in safe homes until the problems endangering the children could be resolved. Gress stated that their first choice was to place at risk children with relatives. The second option for temporary placement was with foster parents.

Gress explained that if the problem endangering a child could not be resolved, the agency worked to find adults willing to adopt a child. Currently, Child Services has 14 children who need adopted. For more information about the services provided by Child Services, contact 740-439-5555 or www.guernseycountycs.org.

Connect with Byesville Rotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. The club meets 7:30 am, Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Walk-ins are welcome at the club’s meeting.