PHOTOS
Gina Tomaine
On Saturday, June 7, a cozy blue house with a hot pink door on Mulberry Street will remain quietly busy while the Scranton Pocono 500 Fanfest takes the green flag and rolls through the streets downtown.
What's even better than race cars and a concert by Asia featuring John Payne? The fact that the proceeds from this event benefit that hopeful splash of blue and pink, the home of the Children's Advocacy Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The CAC is a non-profit charitable organization with the mission to assess and treat instances of child abuse and neglect. Though abuse of a child is an ugly problem, the compassionate workers behind the CAC offer hope and security to both children and adults. The welcoming rooms filled with blocks, books, and teddy bears, as well as fairy tales hand-painted on the walls, warmly remind even adults of the safety and simplicity which childhood should feel like. At the same time, the Center houses fully equipped medical and forensic facilities with 24-hour physicians and interviewers, sophisticated recording devices and the presence of the skilled Multidisciplinary Team, the driving dynamic behind the CAC. All this, and the Center does not charge families a penny for the life-changing service it provides.
"The Center helps the community to collaborate in a positive way to promote parenthood," CAC Director Mary Ann LaPorta said. "Spending time together, listening, laughing, relaxing - if we can get back more of the family dynamic, we will have less child abuse."
It really is as simple as that. On top of treating child abuse cases, the Center focuses on making everyone from physicians to teachers more aware of their collective involvement in the protection of children, advocating child abuse prevention education in college curriculums as well as holding a "Body Safety" program in schools for children grades K-5.
The distressing truth is that as recently as 1985 child abuse cases had very low prosecution success. This was due to a flawed system in which the already traumatized child had to give his or her story to 9-10 people. If, for example, the child told his teacher that his uncle attacked him, he would then probably be forced to repeat the story to the principle, the school nurse, his guardian, the police, the district attorney, and eventually child protective services. Often the child would be so upset by repeating his story that he would regret having ever spoken, and if the story varied at all in the re-telling it would be used against him. These cases continued to be unsuccessful until a prosecutor realized what was happening and finally set up a system to reduce the number of times the child must give his disclosure.
"The disclosure should be once, to a trained forensic expert," LaPorta said. "All of the different disciplines must come to one place at one time on behalf of the child. The Children's Advocacy Center is that place."
The CAC of Northeastern Pennsylvania was developed through the Lackawanna County District Attorney's Office in 1998 largely through the efforts of Judge Mike Barasse. While initially the Center saw around 90 cases per year, this past year the Center dealt with 537 cases, serving Lackawanna and eight surrounding counties. The Center has been involved in many fundraisers, most notably their 5k Moonlight Walk and currently the Pocono 500, about which the Center expresses its gratitude to Pocono Raceway CEO Dr. Joseph Mattioli and fellow supporter George Bieber, who were both deeply moved by the work of the organization and involved in the race connection.
"We struggle to have a positive image in people's minds because people don't want to deal with something as depressing and offensive as child abuse," LaPorta said. "Child abuse is totally incomprehensible and it is totally unacceptable. There is no excuse, and yet, years ago you could not get someone to sit down and talk about it. There was never even a conversation."
However, with the implication of Mandated Reporting Laws, the general thinking has changed to a mutual responsibility for the protection of children. The difference is that now, by law, even the uncomfortable conversation must be had in order to preserve and protect the happiness of every child until the day when child abuse no longer exists.
T
hat day may be a long way off, but the CAC is fighting a noble battle to reach it, and in this battle they claim that "Motherhood and fatherhood are the first lines of defense." The battle is evident when driving down the highway from Pennsylvania to New York, where a billboard is featured which claims "92% of parents think that spending quality family time is important." It seems a positive message until it pauses a moment and flashes, "What are the other 8% thinking?"
If you would like to become a volunteer or supporter of the mission to put an end to child abuse and neglect, please contact the Center at 969-7313 or visit them on 1710 Mulberry St. in Scranton.