Child Abuse Awareness Month
“ If you talk to any child advocacy center, there’ s only 48 of us that cover 159 counties. So, for Colquitt County to have one is absolutely amazing.”
~ Regina Dismuke, director of Hero House
Child Abuse Awareness Month
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and Hero House has several events planned to commemorate it:
“ Without my board, I am nothing.“
Board members of Hero House include Shawn Bostick, Donna Brinson, Lisa Demott, Griffin Dunn, Wayne Edwards, Brian Knighton, Denise Linnenkohl, Laura Mobley, Melanie Owens, John Peters, Robbie Rogers, Jessica Sullivan, Kelli Summerlin, Mandy Walker and Rod Howell, chairman.
“ This is a very private matter,” she said, and added that privacy was not something they had a lot of in the old building.
The new building is being built with that in mind, she said, and there will be areas that are very private, so they can protect the children from overhearing things that they shouldn’ t.
“ This is a community-based place here,” she said.
She said Hero House was connected with the probation office because individuals would do their community service at the facility. They would clean out the flowerbeds and clean the building in general, she said.
She said the First Presbyterian Church youth and Colquitt Christian Academy youth also come once a year and worked at Hero House, cleaning up.
She said the electricity work in the building they’ re in now was donated. She also said that even some of the construction workers had donated their time to build the new building.
“ Our plumbing supplies for this building. Totally donated. Concrete guys, huge donation. It goes on and on,“ she said.“ Justin Murphy should be getting paid for what he’ s doing. He doesn’ t. We strictly pay the bills and he gets nothing for what time he spends on what we do. And that’ s just wanting to be involved in the community and make a difference.“
She said, Murphy said,“ I will donate my time and help you build this.“
Dismuke said a grant through United Way helped to pay for the medical equipment needed to document abuse. She said the hospital asked what supplies they needed for the medical unit and then provided them.
“ It was like everything fell in my lap. I didn’ t have roadblocks,“ she said.“ We hope to be finished in April or May.”
“ The sweet sounds of growth,“ she said on hearing the noise of the construction going on.
Anyone who wants to make a donation to Hero House can call( 229) 890-5549 or visit the website at herohouseadvocacy. org.
• Proclamation- A Child Abuse Proclamation will be signed by Mayor Bill McIntosh, on April 7, at 10 a. m.
• Get a Handle on Child Abuse Campaign- On April 9, Hero House will be passing out blue ribbons with a card for this campaign. The ribbons are to be tied around the handles of cars in the community for the month of April. They are teaming up with the Colquitt County School System to give each employee a ribbon and to give ribbons to parents who pick up their children at school. They will also be placing ribbons on all first responder vehicles.
• Tournament of Heroes – Monday, April 14, at Moultrie’ s bowling lane – Strike Zone 10. There will have 20 teams bowling – 10 will bowl at 5 p. m. and 10 will bowl at 6:30 p. m. The top two from each session will bowl for the title“ Hero Champion.” It is a $ 200 entry fee per team. They are looking for lane sponsors, which are a $ 1,000 sponsorship. This is a collaboration with the community’ s first responders.
• 50 / 50 Raffle- Hero House will sell 50 / 50 raffle tickets with the drawing to happen on the night of the Tournament of Heroes. It is $ 5 per ticket or five for $ 20.
APRIL 2025 MoultrieScene 25