Dear Grace Community,
February in Wichita started on a horrifying note with the report of child rape at the YMCA Kidzone. The news impacted me as the parent of a two-year-old who has spent time in the Kidzone and as the pastor of a church with a daycare and preschool.
Immediately after the news broke, Martin Burch, our executive pastor, and I sat down with Merodee Grannis and Nancy Morrow, our Jacob’s Learning Ladder director and assistant director. I have complete trust in Merodee and Nancy, and I realized that I am not familiar enough with our policies, procedures, and reporting structures, so I wanted to learn more.
As we talked we confirmed that in Jacobs’ 29 years of operation we have never had an accusation of sexual abuse. This is a result of many factors including high transparency, many checks and balances, and a wonderful staff. Nonetheless, we need to be prepared and proactive.
Merodee and Nancy talked me through the steps that would happen if abuse was reported.
The regulations of the Kansas Health Department are thorough and complex. I understand them as the pastor and as a professional. As a parent I’m overwhelmed by the detail. Merodee, Nancy, Martin, and I agreed that we need to spend time in the next month with these regulations so that we can talk about them in ways that are not only accurate but also understandable for parents.
As important as it is to be prepared so that we handle any accusation well, we also want to be proactive. Families are unsettled by the news reports. In response to this we asked, how can we help?
We put together an event for Sunday March 4, 2018, at 3:30 pm at Grace. The purpose of the event is to equip families for challenging conversations. Parents know that they should talk to their children about their bodies and who can touch them, but many parents aren’t sure of what to say. Parents know that there are resources available to educate on ways to prevent abuse and to watch for it, but they may not know how to find those resources.
Our March 4 event includes professionals who will address these and other topics. Speakers include Sandra Lessor, an attorney with the District Attorney’s Office and Jacob’s parent; Teresa McDonald, a Licensed Social worker, therapist, and Jacob’s parent; Dr. Rebecca Reddy, a pediatrician and parent of Jacob’s alumni; and Dianna Schunn from the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County. This event is open to the public, and childcare is available.
I am grateful that we have the opportunity to offer this to our community and hope you will join us, whether or not you have young children.
In Christ,
Catherine
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