Child Abuse Awareness Month

Hello all! I hope you have been great! As for me, I have been a very busy girl the month of April because April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Texarkana has had so many fundraisers and events to raise awareness which I helped out with. On Saturday April 3, I worked all day in the Rainbow Room organizing and sorting clothes. The Rainbow Room is an onsite emergency room containing new donated items. It serves the basic emergency needs of children and families through the Child Protective Services office. The room supplies social workers with any kind of materials needed for a case. It is commonly referred to as a Wal-Mart for case workers. The room contains everything from clothes to toys to cleaning supplies to baby cribs. Only new items are accepted as donations because abused children do not need abused things. All children want new trendy clothes. It was so humbling to see all the clothes and supplies and think of all the children in my hometown who will use these items.

In fact, I was inspired to organize a “Spring Cleaning Supplies drive“. My high school and a local elementary school are collecting house hold cleaning products such as laundry detergent, Clorox wipes, sponges, buckets, and mops and brooms. These are needed items to help children have a clean home to live in. If you are interested in donating please contact me at lidbid11@aim.com

On April 7, 2010 Texarkana declared Go Blue Day! At school I passed out blue ribbons to my friends and classmates to wear all day. We had several questions asked and many opportunities arose for us to raise awareness. Not only did I raise awareness in my school, but there was a huge fundraiser at Cold Stone Creamery where 25% of the proceeds were donated to CASA (Court Appointed Social Advocates). We released a hundred royal blue balloons into the sky in honor of the bruised and battered bodies of abused children. After watching the balloons disappear, my beautiful Lone Star Princess Allie and I enjoyed a giant bowl of chocolate chocolate chip ice-cream!!! It was to die for! I also signed pictures to all the children who came in supporting the fundraiser while Allie passed out blue ribbons. We had so much fun! A local radio station even came out and interviewed me. I had never been on the radio before. There were so many people and I was able to meet a local judge and several case workers who shared with me stories they have experienced with their job. Getting to sit down and talk with them was probably my favorite part of the day. As you can see it was such an exciting day, but more importantly it was a very successful fundraiser!

On Saturday, April 24, 2010 some of my Texas Highstepper sisters and I volunteered at a softball tournament benefiting Child Protective Services and the Rainbow Room. We worked in the drink trailer selling drinks, face painted and worked the jumping booths. I’m not a very good painter, but the kids seemed to love my designs, or maybe it was because they couldn’t see them! The weather was beautiful and I was able to talk to a lot of people about my platform, as well as sign autograph pictures. I only worked 7 hours, but the tournament went way into the night.

This Tuesday evening, April 27th is an event called “Ladies Night Out”. Different businesses in town will be set up to pamper the ladies who attend. All proceeds go to benefit CASA and Child Protective Services. I don’t know what all I will be doing, rest assured I will blog about it!

God Bless!
Lydia Knight
Miss Teen Irving