the Stars l-out success - Prevent Child Abuse Habersham

Midweek
Pinwheels for Prevention event
draws support, spreads u¡'rarcness
By CHRISTINA SANTEE
A call for comrhunity support to help
a devastating reality - child
address
- was ansÌffered Saturday, as hundreds participated in the second annual
Pinwheels for Prevention Awareness
abuse
Day.
The purpose of the event, organized
by nonprofrt Prevent Child
Abuse Habersham (PCAH)
-
agencies that are available prior to ever
needing them can save a child."
Emma Caroline .Barrett, 10, of
Clarkesville, knows what a difference
those services can make for someone experiencing neglect, emotional or physical
abuse. Having experienced prior trauma
See Prevention, Page 2A
volunteers of which be-
lieve "all kids deserve to be
happy, healthy and safe" was to bring awareness to
child abuse and educate attendees on the free services
available to Habersham
County residents suffering
from it.
CH R ISTI
NA SANTEE/Staff
No. 4 Habersham County Sheriff Joey Terrell, left, and professional Francie Keene
their waltz-style dancing number to a James Bond theme song Saturday night at the
I Dancing with the Stars for Hope benefit at Habersham Central High School, Mt. Airy.
lVith April being Na-
tional Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month,
PCAH's recent efforts were
even more meaningful, and
served as a kick-off for the
impact the next 30 days
ivill have on the country as
the Stars
l-out success
'irst-time eúent røises more tltøn ff64r500
Ey GHRISTINA SANTEE
I
i
As James Brown once said, "The one
lhing that can solve most of our problems
ls dancing."
Of 10 couples competing, Team No. 7
Judy Taylor and Matthew Temples took
home the People's Choice Award, after
raising the most money among participating couples - $13,926.
"What I can't believe is I think we
[D!VTS) for Hope fundraiser, equally won by $36," Taylor, Habersham County
benefitting Circle of Hope and Haber- Chamber of Commerce president, said exsham County Rotary Club, solved at least citedly in a post-show interview wlt}: The
"Everybody worked
þeveral thousand of them, raising over' Northeast Georgian. you,
the real wiñner
so hard; but I'll tell
864,500.
I The event. a flrst of its kind in Haber- is Circle of Hope and the [Habersham
bham County, \rras a sold-out success Sat- Countyl Rotary CIub - those are the winurday, attended by more than 650 people ners."
at Habersham Central High School, Mt.
See Da'nchg,Page2A
êirv.
The inaugural Dancing with the Stars
Circle of Hope offers shelter, heþ
to victims of domestic violence
Dow said, in Habersham County since
By KIMBERIY BROWN
Domestic violence touches
all commu-
hities and all'walks of life. Habersham
County is no exception.
According to Suzanne Dow, executive
of Circle of Hope, Habersham
women's shelter, more than 1,400
have lost their lives to domestic viin the past 11 years in Georgia.
2003, nine domestic-violence related
deaths have occurred. According to the
Violence Policy Qenter, Georgia currently
ranks ninth in the nation for the rate at
which menkill women.
Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationSee Shelter, Page 9A
a whole.
"There
is an African
proverb, 'It takes a village
to raise a child,' and this is
more important today than
ever," said PCAH President
Jennifer Stein. "With two
parents working outside
TREVA BENNETT/StAff
of the home and raising a
(HCS0)defended
its
family, we need to be able The Habersham Gounty Shedff's 0ffice
to turn to our friends and 2014 title as champions of the annual Pinwheels for Prevention
families for support. A kickball tournament Saturday, as it closed the 2015 games
strong community with
supportive measures in undefeated against the Habersham County Fire Department,
place breaks down the silos which placed second in the tournament. Pictured, center,
of isolation that all too of- HCSO lnvestigator Chance Oxner catches a fly ball during play
ten can lead to neglect and
pictured, from left, are
abuse, by educating our against Ihe Northeast Geor{ian. Also
Zach Oxner.
HCSO
Deputy
Carver
and
public on the multitude of HCSO Cpl. Jamie
Commission approves defense
funding in'Bou Bou' lawsuit
By DONALD FRASER
raid cgnducted by a multi-county drug
task force. The funding is a set aside in
With two lawsuits pending from one
incident, the Habersham County Commission approved a side agreement with
National Fire Insurance, its liability
insurer, to provide the company up to
$75,000 in additional legal defense fees in
the event the lawsuits go to trial.
The commission was updated about
the lawsuits by Habersham Cgunty Attorney Donnie Hunt during a closed session of a March 24 called meeting.
One lawsuit was brought by the family
of now2-year-old Bounkham Pawn John
"Bou Bou" Phonesavanh, who was critically injured during an undercover drug
the event a settlement is not reached and
the lawsuit goes to trial.
Hunt said March 26 negotiations be-
tween the parties are continuing, but no
agreement has been reached.
Phonesavanh received both burns and
Iacerations to his face and chest when
a flash-bang grenade fell into his crib
while drug task force off.cers executed
May 28, 2014, a no-knock search warrant
on the house where the boy's family was
temporarily staying with relatives.
Homeowner Amanda Thonetheva
See Lawsuit, Page 2A
Area streams brim with trout
By DONATD FRASER
Trout season across Georgia opened
Saturday, marking the end of a busy week
for employees at the Lake Burton Trout
Hatchery, on state Route 197 in Rabun
County. Moccasin Creek is the natu¡al
boundary between the hatchery and Moccasin Creek State Park.
In the week leading up to the March
28 opening day
ofthe season, Georgia De-
cent of our stocking completed by JuIy
14.1'
"Stocking is not done during the hgt
part of the summer," Thomson said.
Georgia has approximately 4,000 miles
of trout streams, with many miles of
'stream fognd innorth Georgia. The Soque
River in Habersham County is a popular
trout frshing destination, as is the northern portion of the Chattahoochee River.
Both are cold water streams which is a
necessary condition to sustain a ûshable
-TSP-S3E4íoAlan NeSmith. Publisher
anesmith@thenortheastgeorgian. com
Periodicals postage paid at Cornelia, Ga.
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"There is a simple quote
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that you cannot do and you
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was presented March 28
with the Voice of Courage
Habersham, Banks, White, Stephens counties..,,....52 weeks $30.00
Award honoring her for her
Other Georgia counties..........................................52 weels $40.00
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"Child abuse is
ci¡culation@thenortheætgeorgian. com
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The day got off to a
running start, beginning
with a 5K public road race,
won by overall men's and
Legal advertising:
Vicki Vinson, legals clerk
i
tt.
TVilbanks,
School, opened the'event by
nDurKe{EcilnewsPaPefs,com
'
I
ing it from ever occurring
in the first place.
"In understanding the
significance of her journey
of healing, along with the
strength and courage to
want to make a difference
by giving back, the board of
directors of PCAH wanted
to recognize such a milestone and honor Emma
with a special tribute, thus
the Voice of Courage Award
was created," Stein said.
"It's not every day that one
gets the opportunity to lift
up a young hero and by
Emma allowingus to honor
her in this way Ìi/as a true
an eighth-grader at HilIiard A. Wilbanks Middte
rGirculation director:
'
time and energyto prevent-
joy for the board of PCAH."
PaPefs.com
i,,
I
the
worst thing in the world,"
she said during the open-
ing ceremony, thankful to
those who commit their
Telephone: 706-77 8-4215 Fax: 706-778-4774
2440
ney of recovery over the
Iast flve years. The Power
House for Kids, based in
Stephens County, helped
her navigate that journey.
Gontact:
women's masters Matthew Bouchard of Cleveland and Melinda Black of
legals@thenortheasçorgian.com
tttenortheastgeorgian.com
Submitting Info:
The Northeast Georgianencoruages readers to submit items of community interest to the newspaper for publication.
Weddings, engagements, birth announcements and death notices a¡e
published free of charge for the community. Information about area resi'dents and their achievements is also welcome.
Submissions should be çed or printed, and a name and phone number
to call for more information should be included.
I
Clarkesville.
"Runners loved the new
5K course, no repetitive
Ioops,
just a great run with
hills and flat
some good
grouúds," Stein said.
A one-mile fun run/
walk also attracted dozens
of participants, as did a
kickball tournament featuring teams
strives to produce error-free news reporting,
our policy to corect them as soon æ they are
To request a conection, contact the publisher at 706 -778-415.
ing fun with their co-workers in the process," Stein
said.
Habersham
County
Sheriff Joey Terrell said
champions, the Haber-
sham County Sheriff's Of- also the 2015
fice (HCSO)
champions.
Back lssues:
forsale up to onè
eyearagqbound
1A
dro, wewoul(fn.t nave anybody buying tickets - but
they were u¡rong thank-
fully," Dow said.
LaWSUit
is typically From Page 1A
an age restriction ... so
this was really sweet that filed the second lawsuit
against the county, citing
she could enjoy such a tradamage to the house durdition."
because there
important for the
Heroes in Force were ing the raid.
National Fire Insurance
to show its support present to share with the
is
of PCAH and its worthy public their hero training, bothseeking settlement on
cases on behalf of the
it's
HCSO
cause. as law enforcement
is many times involved in
child abuse cases.
"It just shows that we're
aII in to try and help our
community and support
the cause," Terrell said.
"Sometimes, our jobs aren't
glamorous; sometimes
we're there when this stuff
happens and we just try to
stay connected with everyone
in our community."
Although TerreII
rtras
unable to participate in the
as the Habersham County
F.D. and Superior Martial
Arts of Clarkesville shared
county.
Hunt said after
the
session eight drafts
their Bullying Prevention closed
of
a
settlement
agreement
Program.
Representatives from have been reviewed in the
Northeast Georgia QASA, Phonesavanh lawsuit, with
Children's Center for Hope no tnal agreement.
He indicated the Tho& Healing, Circle of Hope,
DFCS, HCSO, The Mustard
Seed Counseling Services
and Power House for Kids
were also available to answer questions about ser-
netheva case is closer to a
final settlement than the
Phonesavanh lawsuit.
vices.
kickball tournament, as he
Citizens of Georgia
Power Tallulah Falls
.\,\¡as a participant in that
evening's inaugural Danc- Chapter sponsored the coning with the Stars for Hope cession stand, which Stein
fundraiser, the sheriff said said offered homemade
he was proud to have won 'baked goods, pizza, hot
the competition for the sec- dogs, biscuits and other
ond consecutive year.
fa.n favorites. AII money
"[I'm] just proud of ev- raised through the conceserybody," he said. It's all sion stand - nearly $500
about "good sportsman- -' went toward supporting
ship and getting out and PCAH and its prevention
programs, she said.
having a good time."
New to the event this
Children also had the
year were pictures with Opportunitf to enjoy a
the Easter Bunny and Eas- bounce house, face paintter egg hunts, one specially ing, wacky hair, tattoos,
games and crafts.
organized for special-needs
children.
'Adults and children
"For the children, loved the. additional activiprobably the biggest draw ties and many câme for the
rrras the Easter €gg hunt first time and plan to come
and Easter Bunny ...," again," Stein said. "Some
Stein said. "For the spe- brought friends from out
cial-needs egg hunt, we had of town and had a picnic
a family drive all the way while their children played
up from Oakwood to have and enjoyed all of the free
the opportunity for their activities."
l9-year-old daughter to
For more informasit with the Easter Bunny tion on PCAH, visit the
and do the egg hunt. They organization online at
haven't been able to take preventchildabusehaberher to such things in years sham.org.
Just
vvr¡te!
Letters to the editor
are welcome.
'44O OldAthens Hwy.
Comelia, G1.3O577
Call (706) 778-4215
NoufrLYgW.
represent-
Children Services (DFCS),
Habersham County Fire
Department, The Northeast Georgian, Tallulah
Falls School and defending
2014
I
From Page
ing Habersham County
Division of Family and
Accuracy Policy:
I
I
'apprauueu rne'commlTments by the dancers, as
well as the sacrifi.ce their
loved ones made losing
Prevention
at the age of 5, Barrett
Georgia
in all ofits service
projects "that we might do
or take on in the next year."
succeed
"For the adults, I think
the kickball tournaments
have turned into a fun and
competitive way to show
support for the prevention
of child abuse. while hav-
Jewelry Expressions
THE ART OF FINE JEWELRY
24-hour care for the elderly.
Three balanced meals,
Ør,at{øætfiøa
laundry servicg and
assistance with medicines
SHOP & CHOOSE DISCOUNTS & CIFTS
are just a few of the
many benefits offered
under one rate.
Come by and visit us
or call:
706-778-L749
706-778-4564
20"/o*-30"/e,-40%
li,rs6ccu#u¿
NIOT YOUR TYPICAL TEWETRY STORE.
\Yhen child is neglected, results can be devastating
ears were streaming
down her face as she
struggled to inhale
between sobs. She was
wringing her hands in
her lap, as she nervously
continued.
"I would dilute ketchup
with water and make soup
so that we had something
to eat. There were three
stale crackers in the
cabinet; tr gave those to my
brothers so they would
not feel so hungry." She
paused. "My clothes were
all too big; they hung off
of me. People would make
fun of me at school and
joke that I looked like I
was homeless. They had
no idea that just a month
earlier we were living out
of our car."
I was astonished and
heartbroken to learn
that situations such as
the young girl above are
becoming more and more
common in North Georgia. Children are being
deprived oftheir basic
needs. Some are neglected
because of their parents'
dúug abuse; others are neglected
ment creates the
best atmosphere
due to extreme
poverty.
for the brain to
thrive.
While many
When a child
ofus snuggle up
with a cup of coffee to debrieffrom
a stressful day at
work. children
like Ann (name
changed) above,
fight pangs ofhunger and fear.
is neglected, a
through counseling, many
carry unhealthy patterns
and emotional
development may
ofrelating to others into
adulthood, causing them
to struggle to maintain
child's physical
be restricted.
A
brain's stress re-
Natalie
Neglect is
when children
are deprived of
Ford
-
basic needs
food, clothing or shelter.
According to the Joyful
Heart Foundation, more
than flve children die
daily due to neglect. Those
who survive, continue to
struggle with the heartache and pain left behind
by the neglect.
When children are
neglected by their parents,
the results can be devas-
tating. A child's brain is
shaped by early experiences with caregivers; a
safe nurturing environ-
an early age, and neglect"
leads to insecure attachments. While these attachments can be repaired
sponse is affected
by ongoing exposure to stressful
situations, causing it to become
more reactive and
less adaptive.
Children who have
beep neglected often suffer
from anxiety and depres-"
sion. Many experience
difficulties concentrating
and maintaining friendships with others. Some
experience flashbacks
and suffer from insomnia.
These side effects often
Iinger into adulthood.
Children need their
parents'Iove and their
attention. Children form
attachments with their
primary caregivers at
healthy relationships with
others.
Ifyou have experienced
neglect in your past, there
is hope. You can find
healing from the past.
Counseling may be helpful
in alleviating anxious
and depressive symptoms.
Trauma-focused Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy is
often effective in helping
people who have been
abused or neglected to find
healing and peace.
Ifyou suspect a child is
.
being neglected, you may
contact the Cþild Help
National Child Abuse Hot-
line at 1-800-4-A-CHILD
(l-800-422-4454) or go to
childhelp.org.
Natalie Flake Ford, MA,
PP, S/7, is a counselor with
Cor ner stones C oun s elins.