An Article On Child Abuse Prevention Month

Okay, so I found this article on the internet, talking about Child Abuse Prevention Month (which I didn't even know existed prior to today) and I thought that I'd share parts of it with all of you. I put dots in places where I removed things (If you want to read the read the entire article, however, here's the link: http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070331/NEWS01/703310316/1006 ) Enjoy!

~Danielle

Preventing children from being abused is everyone's responsibility
Reggie Dogan
rdogan@pnj.com

The only way to stop child abuse is to prevent it.............April's observance of Child Abuse Prevention Month is the right time to remind ourselves of our responsibility to prevent the abuse and neglect that robs so many of our children of their childhood, their sense of security and their future.

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It is unconscionable that three children die each day as a result of abuse or neglect, and countless others remain silent, their pain unnoticed and unreported, according to the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect. In Escambia and Santa Rosa counties last year, more than 7,000 cases of abuse and neglect were investigated.

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Child predators are increasingly using the Internet to lure young children into their trap of abuse, and it is incumbent upon parents and guardians to closely monitor their children's Internet usage and the sites they visit.

.........Child abuse prevention is everyone's responsibility. You can protect children by empowering yourself and getting involved in awareness and prevention efforts..........

Knowledge and education are power. Empower yourself and children with the techniques to protect every child.

Through prevention and education, together, we can stop the violence before it begins and keep our children safe from abuse and neglect.

Polychromatic Purlers Mission Statement

Dear Knitting Enthusiast,

Polychromatic Purlers is a knitting group with a purpose. The purpose is to help raise awareness about child abuse through the act of knitting. Once a year, beginning in Winter 06, our group will take projects that we have created and vandalize the nation with them. This sounds confusing, but let me clarify. You, the knitter make a knitted thing (scarves, gloves, booty's, etc.) that would be used by a child (by this, I mean that no bras, undies, or adult wear are acceptable). Everything that is knitted by us Polychromatic Purlers are things that would benefit children. On Jan. 2, we knitters take these items (that will all have an informational card on child abuse attached to it by string or whatever) and place them around our city (these cards are necessary, so please don't forget them; the information that needs to be on these cards is listed under the "CARESTITCH CARD" post made on Dec. 30th).

It doesn't matter if one lives in a city or the suburbs, we creative knitters can always find places to put our creations. In a way, we are infusing our town with knowledge, and helping to make a difference by doing so. I mean, think about it-if you found a knitted scarf tied around your car's side mirror with a little paper attached, wouldn't you be a little more interested in reading it than you would if it was just some boring pamphlet under your windshield wiper? And, what if you drove through town on your way to work and found them all over the city? Wouldn't you take notice? We're not saying that we expect the streets to be lined in hoody's and sewn bears, we're simply saying that by getting all of us knitters behind this cause, we CAN make a difference. All you need to do is make ONE item, attach our card, and put it in the city, wherever you want, on Jan. 2nd.

Please help us raise awareness on this very serious issue, and speak out by knitting a garment for a child that can't speak out on his/her own.

Thankyou for reading this mission statement. Now, go forth to better serve the world with your knitting!

Sincerely,
Danielle,
founder of the Polychromatic Purlers

March Meeting

Soooo...here's a play-by-play of last night's meeting:

• KNITTY TIME!!!!! (knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, purl, purl, purl, purl, purl, purl, purl....you get the idea)
• Time to create the treasurer! Celia was appointed treasurer last night, after we decided that it would be best to have a checking account for the group. We're thinking of going to commerce soon, and setting it up. This way, we'll have somewhere to keep the money that we'll spend on knitting supplies and advertisements. Eventually, when we get big enough, we'll be able to save up money to donate to organizations. IDK, we'll have to wait and see.
• Knitting Olympics talky time! We're thinking about renting out Loose Park for a couple of hours this summer so that we can have the event, but we don't really know how that process works as of yet....and so I'll be doing some research for a little while. :) We didn't add any new events to the program, but we did discuss sponsors, donations, and food. Right now, we aren't sure whether or not we'll have an entry fee...it depends on what sponsors we can get and what they'd like for us to do. As for having a picnic at the event, the details on that can't be decided upon until we decide whether or not we'll charge an entry fee. Soooooo...that means that we're going to be looking into finding sponsors for a while since we can't do anything until we get some.

That's pretty much all that happened last night! It was really fun, and I'm glad to note that we have a new addition to our immediate group-Tosha! Now, our regulars that come to the meetings include: Celia, Amanda, Ross (absent yesterday! tsk, tsk), Ashlie, Tosha, and me. Yay for us!!!!

Oh! Last note=If you live in the Kansas City area, please stop by at our next meeting. *cute puppy dog face* I'm sure that you'll love it, if you enjoy knitting, talking, and hanging with friends. Half of our time is spent knitting, and half of our time is spent discussing stuffs. It's really fun, and I hope you can make it. Our next meeting is on April 24th @ 5:00 pm. The meeting is at the Trails West Kansas City Public Library (11401 East 23rd Street Independence, MO 64052), in meeting room A. Hope to see you there! (psssst...we have snacks, too!!!!)

~Danielle