Kinetic donates $1k to countywide campaign to promote better parenting and prevent child abuse

High-speed fiber broadband provider Kinetic has donated $1,000 to a countywide campaign to promote better parenting and prevent child abuse.

On Friday, March 31, Northeast Georgia CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and Family Connection of Stephens County accepted the $1,000 donation from Kinetic.

Northeast Georgia CASA Outreach Coordinator Chuck Taylor says “we’re very grateful to Kinetic for this very generous donation…In Stephens County, nearly 8 out of every 1,000 children under age 18 have verified incidents of abuse or neglect or both. That’s more than double the Georgia rate of 3.6 out of 1,000.”

Northeast Georgia CASA has teamed up with Family Connection of Stephens County to run a “Play for Prevention” campaign throughout April to raise awareness about child and family well-being and to work with groups and individuals across the county to develop effective strategies to support families and prevent child abuse and neglect.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, when supporters highlight the importance of communities working together to help families thrive and prevent child maltreatment.

Locally, the “Play for Prevention” campaign is supporting nearly 600 children involved in the Stephens County Parks and Recreation Department and the Toccoa Little League.

Family Connection Executive Director Kelly O’Shields says, “every day is a day to build sturdy foundations for Stephens County’s children and to nurture positive childhoods…Our county’s future prosperity requires the healthy development of our children. That’s why all adults have a stake in preparing our children to grow up to be healthy, thriving adults.”

Kinetic Georgia Operations President Michael Foor said the high-speed internet provider is proud to support this campaign. Foor says, “Nelson Mandela said, ‘The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children,’” Foor said. “Those are wise words. We know that child abuse casts a shadow that runs the length of a lifetime. We at Kinetic hope our support will not only raise the profile of this important campaign but also inspire others to step up as well. Doing that will reveal, in Mandela’s words, the true character of our society here in Stephens County: how we treat our children.”

Kinetic’s donation is paying for commemorative blue-and-silver pinwheel iron-on patches that will be given to every child participating in an April athletic activity with the Stephens County Parks and Recreation Department and the Toccoa Little League. Blue and silver pinwheels have become synonymous nationwide with support for great childhoods and healthy development.

To learn more about the “Play for Prevention” campaign, visit the Play for Prevention Stephens Facebook page. To learn more about CASA visit northeastgacasa.org. To learn more about Family Connection of Stephens County visit stephens.gafcp.org.