Candlelight shines for awareness of child abuse - Dubois County Free Press, Inc.

Alecia Gilmore explains what type of cookie she grabbed from a snack table at the Candlelight Ceremony to Judge William Weikert. Judge Weikert has a drawer full of photographs of adoptions he has presided over including one of Alecia, who was adopted in 2009 by Bart and Jennifer Gilmore of Huntingburg. The blurs in the background are Tomas and Caleb Gilmore, Alecia's adopted brothers. — Tomas, Alecia and Caleb Gilmore demonstrated proper pinwheel operation to Dubois County Circuit Court Judge William Weikert. The pinwheels were handed out during the candlelight ceremony held in the Jasper Inn and Convention Center’s Dome due to impending bad weather. Judge Weikert has a desk drawer full of photographs of adoptions he has presided over including photos of each of these three siblings who were adopted by Bart and Jennifer Gilmore of Huntingburg.

Jasper — On Tuesday evening Dubois County joined other 83 other organizations across the state in recognizing the state’s most vulnerable citizens, its children.

Organized by the Indiana Department of Child Services, Families with Direction —the Dubois County charter of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana— and the Kids First Trust Fund, about 30 people were on hand to wave pinwheels and hold lighted candles as part of a candlelight ceremony held at the Jasper Inn and Convention Center.

Judge William Weikert told the crowd that as a society we are doing a much better job of teacher our children to report abuse and events like this are important to continue to educate children and adults to be aware of child abuse.

According to Amy Tempel, director of the local DCS office, the vigils are being held in conjunction with Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month in Indiana. “This is not a job,” she told those gathered, “this is my passion. I spend a lot of time worrying about our kiddos and wanting to make sure they are safe.”

During her remarks she acknowledged that vigils like this are important to practicing her personal mantra of “acting, not reacting.”

According to the most recent data from the Indiana Youth Institute, there were 5.2 cases of child abuse per 1000 children under the age of 18 in the county in 2011. This continues a downward trend in reported cases of child abuse in the county over the previous three years of data.

Among 1.6 million children statewide in 2011 there were 12.2 cases of child abuse and neglect reported per 1000 children, down from 14.5 reported cases in 2010.

Other speakers at the event included Leslie Sturm with Families with Direction and Sheriff Donnie Lampert.