Extension office seeks input
Special to The Monitor
ATHENS–Texas AgriLife Extension’s mission statement reads, “Improving the lives of people, businesses and communities across Texas and beyond through high-quality, relevant education.”
For those of you who have utilized Texas AgriLife Extension, more commonly known as the County Extension or Ag Office, it is obvious how important the services we offer are.
From cow-calf clinics, to empowering youth with leadership skills, to learning how to do well and be well with diabetes, the County Extension Office has been a place to find relevant, education based information.
As the times have changed, as well as the economy, Texas AgriLife Extension is working diligently to stay relevant to the residents of Texas. In an effort to develop educational programs and meet community needs, the Henderson County Leadership Advisory Board is seeking your assistance.
Texas AgriLife Extension has compiled a short survey that will allow counties to identify community issues and needs.
The survey is located online at http://extensionissues.tamu.edu  and will take about five minutes to complete.
With your input, the Henderson County Leadership Advisory Board can begin providing solutions to county problems and assisting our most valuable “customers,” Henderson County residents.
Our ability to meet educational needs depends on knowing what local residents see as the issues that impact their lives.
Texas AgriLife Extension and the Henderson County Leadership Advisory Board is committed to addressing the needs of our county and planting seeds for a secure future.

 

Kemp students learn the importance of trees
Special to The Monitor
KEMP–Kemp Intermediate fourth and fifth grade students learn how trees help us stay healthy by cleaning the air and how they help cool our homes and about the different things made out of them during a visit from the Kaufman County Urban Forester Pam Corder.
The students were asked to participate in the ‘Trees are Terrific in all Shapes and Sizes’ poster contest which is sponsored by Kaufman County Forestry Department and the Texas Forestry Service.
Ryan Crow’s poster was chosen as the winner for Kemp Intermediate this year.
Crow’s poster showed different types of trees and the wildlife that uses them as their habitat.
Kaufman County had six school districts and 900 students participate in the contest this year.
Winning posters will be displayed at the Kaufman County Show at the Kaufman County Library through the month of April. The winners will be Guests of Honor at the Kaufman County Arbor Day Celebration which will be at the Kaufman Heritage Garden across from the Kaufman County Courthouse April 29.
For more information contact Pam Corder at (469)285-3370 or email pcorder@kaufmancounty.net. 

 

Memorial for abused children tours East Texas
Special to The Monitor
ATHENS–April is National Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month. The Texas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates®) is making the issue a priority by touring a memorial to the 227 children who died of abuse and neglect in Texas in 2010.
In Henderson County, the memorial will be displayed from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 12, at First State Bank at 130 E. Corsicana in Athens.
The memorial is meant to bring awareness to this epidemic of child abuse and neglect and remind Texans there are children who die because they are not in safe, loving homes.
The memorial is on a four-day, eight-stop tour through East Texas. The stop in Athens is sponsored by CASA of Trinity Valley.
The memorial to abused and neglected children was first displayed at the Texas Capitol for CASA Day Feb. 2.
The memorial includes the children’s names, and handprints and footprints were added as stark reminder that the deceased children are much more than a list of names.

File Photo
A memorial wall to the 227 childhood fatalities due to abuse and neglect in Texas in 2010 will be on display in Athens 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 12.

More than 300 CASA volunteers, staff and board members made a solemn procession past the memorial at the Capitol and left tokens; such as toys, pacifiers, books and shoes in remembrance of the children who died.
“Our children deserve to grow up in safe, loving homes where their physical, emotional and educational needs are met,” said Texas CASA Chief Executive Officer Joe Gagen.
Unfortunately, the numbers tell us that isn’t happening. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services reported last year, nearly 67,000 children were confirmed victims of abuse and neglect and nearly 43,000 entered into the legal care and custody of the state.
“That means that every eight minutes a child in Texas is abused or neglected. And it (227 dead) means a child died every other day from a preventable cause,” Gagen emphasized.
“It is our hope and prayer that people get the message that child abuse is occurring across the state and across the country and that each of us has a responsibility to do something about it,” Lee Ann Millender, executive director of CASA of Trinity Valley, added.
In Anderson, Cherokee, and Henderson Counties, 805 children were confirmed as victims of abuse and neglect. More than 531 children entered the foster care system.
Abuse and neglect take a devastating toll when ignored.
Children who have been victimized often have trouble with alcohol and drug abuse, are frequently among the homeless and imprisoned and often drop out before completing high school.
“We are blessed in this community in that CASA of Trinity Valley is committed to training and supporting dedicated volunteers who speak up for children in the foster care system.
CASA volunteers make sure that the children’s best interests are represented in court and work to move them from foster care and into safe, permanent homes as quickly as possible.
“When a child is removed from his or her home because of evidence of abuse or neglect, it is a very scary and chaotic time for that youngster,” Millender said.
“Imagine what it is like to be uprooted from everything you know: home, school, family, friends, and placed into a situation where everyone is a stranger. And once they enter the system, it isn’t unusual for caseworkers, even lawyers to change and for them to move from one foster care placement to another.
A CASA volunteer is often the one constant during the child’s journey through foster care. We need more volunteers.”
For information on becoming a CASA volunteer, visit www.BecomeACASA.org  www.CASAoftv.org  or call CASA of Trinity Valley at (903) 675-7070.
 

 

Come Adopt Us At The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake

We have many animals at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points in dire need of a good home. Please call or stop by the Humane Society today and rescue one of these forgotten animals. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is located on 10220 County Road 2403 in Seven Points. For more information, please call (903) 432-3422 after 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday and Sunday.

For further information visit our website at petfinder.com