Feature Story:
 

County, doctors, dentists, physicians assistants and nurses who volunteer their time to bring these much-needed services. The list of volunteers is very long and if you would like to offer your services to this worthy cause, please call the Genesis Center at 627-4313 or visit them at 1476 Kensaw Street, Port Charlotte, FL 33948.

The Front Porch Project, is a program developed by the American Humane Group, and administered by the Children’s Network of Southwest Florida, to help stop child abuse and neglect and take us back to days when children played in the street. parents watched them from their front porches, and could also rely on their neighbors diligence. When air-conditioning became affordable for most people and they chose to stay inside their homes, the lives of many children changed as well and if they wanted to play outside, they needed a fenced area where oversight was not needed. As we all know, it’s not just traffic and harm from dangerous strangers that we must protect our children from, but many times, it’s the parents themselves. Stress from the recent hurricanes has increased for many families in our area and with it, has emerged tempers flared towards children. The Front Porch Project shows us all how we can help stem abuse and neglect of children by teaching us simple steps to intervene such as, offering a helping hand if we see a parent having difficulty feeding, clothing and generally caring for their family. This is done by first getting to know them and just saying hello. Letting them know that you understand their stress and identifying with them eliminates barriers, and offering a helping hand if they need it also bridges gaps. The program is provided to any groups interested in stemming the rise in child abuse and neglect and even offers simple tips for action when out in public if witnessing an act of potential abuse. You can drop something near them and excuse the interruption and remark in a friendly way that you can see they have their hands full. Many times, once you break the ice and steer the person away from their anger, the situation becomes less volatile and you can engage them in conversation which will help them relax. We all need to do our part in reducing child abuse and neglect and if you would like to how you can be a part of this program or have the program presented to your group, please call me at 627-9352.

For anyone with a physical disability, there is a wonderful group of people from the Southwest Florida Disability, Inc., who would like to meet you. They hold monthly meetings to determine the needs of the disabled in the community and develop ways to help them, which include bowling, movies and dinners. A supply of tools includes such items as wheelchairs, handrails and computers. If you have a disability or know someone who does, call Lorraine Davies at 497-7467.

Please contact me at c1943x@comcast.net if you have specific questions.

Please click here  for additional information or if you would like to contact the author of this article, Penny Deutsch. Thank you!