Proclamation for prevention
By Melody Brown-Peyton
Published in News on March 28, 2018 5:50 AM
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Children from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Child Development Center play around with their pinwheels before the star of the annual Child Abuse Prevention Proclamation Ceremony Tuesday morning at city hall. They later sang "If You're Happy and You Know It."
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Northwest Elementary School student Gavin Hayes Tucker sings the national anthem during Tuesday's Child Abuse Prevention Proclamation Ceremony.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Dr. Katherine McDonald of Goldsboro Pediatrics talks child abuse prevention during the annual Child Abuse Prevention Proclamation Ceremony Tuesday morning at Goldsboro City Hall while surrounded by other speakers and children from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Child Development Center.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Spring Creek Elementary School student Angela Billarreal smiles as people clap after she finishes reading the poem "Let Me Be a Child" Tuesday morning during the Child Abuse Prevention Proclamation Ceremony.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Judge Ericka James reads the child abuse prevention proclamation Tuesday morning at city hall.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The Children's Memorial Flag is held up while Guardian ad Litem Coleen Kosinski reads its meaning. The flag will fly in front of city hall during April, Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Full Size
News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
The Dillard Middle School Choir perform Tuesday morning at the end of the annual Child Abuse Prevention Proclamation Ceremony.
Community leaders, city officials, children and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base leadership attended Tuesday's Child Abuse Prevention Proclamation Ceremony in Goldsboro.
The theme of the event, Caring Communities Helping Families Prevent Child Abuse, drew people from across Wayne County to Goldsboro City Hall in downtown Goldsboro.
The ceremony began with the presentation of the colors by the Seymour Johnson Air Force Color Guard, followed by the singing of the national anthem by Gavin Hayes Tucker.
Mayor Chuck Allen welcomed those in attendance.
"With the smiling faces of our children, our future looks mighty bright," said Kate Daniels, executive director of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce.
Research has shown that child abuse can have a long-term affect on a child's life.
Tammie Mozingo, Wayne County Sheriff's Office deputy, said she has seen first-hand the scars that child abuse can leave on children.
Angela Billarreal a student at Spring Creek Elementary School, read a poem, "Let Me Be a Child," during the ceremony.
Wanda Becton, mistress of ceremonies, said it takes the entire community working together to prevent child abuse.
"If we can help families become more financially stable by helping parents prepare for and keep meaningful employment, we can help prevent child abuse," said Dr. Katherine McDonald, with Goldsboro Pediatrics, and a mother of three school-aged children.
Each speaker shared the common goal of preventing child abuse in the community and how vital it is for the community to work together to combat the problem.
The ceremony also included a musical selection by children from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Child Development Center.
During the song, the children had the audience clapping their hands to, "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands."
Col. Brian Armstrong, 4th Fighter Wing vice commander, stressed the importance in finding solutions to child abuse.
"We must fight for every child and we all must be a part of the solution," Armstrong said.
Davin Madden, Wayne County health director, also spoke during the event.
"We must make this our mission to end child abuse, by assisting in our community," Madden said.
District Court Judge Ericka James read the Child Abuse Prevention Month proclamation.
Child Abuse Prevention Month is observed across the nation annually in April in an effort to raise awareness and prevent child abuse.
The children's memorial flag was on display, in the Council Chambers, during the morning ceremony. The color red on the flag represents strength, white represents purity and innocence, blue represents justice, the paper doll represents children around the world and the center doll represents children who die each year from child abuse.
Closing out the ceremony were students from the Dillard Middle School Choir, under the direction of music teacher Victoria Ruffin Atkins.
They performed the song, "I Was Here," and danced.
The closing prayer was given by the Rev. Mary Phyllis Vail, with St. Paul United Methodist Church.