Skip to main content

San Antonio Youth Commemorate Child Abuse Awareness Month

By Patty Garza
Community and Family Relations Coordinator, South Parole District

In honor of National Crime Victim’s Week and National Child Abuse Awareness month, Ayres Halfway House and the TJJD San Antonio Parole office participated in an awareness program called Childsafe “Cardboard Kids” Campaign in San Antonio.

This multilayered project included picking up cardboard “kids” from Childsafe, decorating them, distributing them to the community, and educating youth and those involved on the importance of intervention and prevention of child abuse and neglect.

In 2018, there were 5,865 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Bexar County. While that number is devastating, it’s even more alarming to know that only 1 in 10 sexually abused children ever report it, leaving nine others to keep a terrible secret. Those nine children are represented as these cardboard kids by giving them a voice.

Our youth had a good time decorating their “kids” and engaging in the conversation about the impact of child abuse and their part in preventing it through this project. The pictures of our youth and the cardboard kids were posted here and on the San Antonio Volunteer Council page with the #cardboardkidsSA for community wide reveal day April 4, 2019.


Popular posts from this blog

McFadden Sends Youth Home with Backpack of 'Hope'

By Y. Denise Caldwell Community Resource Coordinator, Northern District Parole Office FLOWER MOUND, Texas - Larry Bossaler, McFadden volunteer  McFadden Ranch Volunteer Larry Bossaler enjoys his assignment: Making sure that every youth who leaves the McFadden halfway house knows that people are praying for him and wishing him the best in his future. He is the man who brings them their “Good-Bye” backpack.    When he delivers the backpacks, he makes sure to do three things – visit with the youth, show the contents of the backpack (because staff put them in the lockers until the youth leaves),   and lastly close the visit with a heartfelt prayer. The youth enjoy and appreciate the backpack, the visit and the prayer. Many are a little anxious and scared to leave but knowing that the McFadden volunteers care enough to send them off in this special way, helps them feel a bit less worried. “I always bring an extra backpack,” Larry said. ...
Read more

IN MEMORY AND APPRECIATION: Trayce Haynes Alexander

Trayce Haynes Alexander, of Cat Spring, Texas passed away in April.  She was a JCO IV at the Giddings State School and began her employment with the Texas Youth Commission on January 5, 2009, as a JCO III.  She was promoted to a JCO IV on April 1, 2010.  Trayce was a hardworking, loyal and dedicated staff member and friend.  Her number one priority was the youth in her dorm and she would drive one hour and forty minutes everyday (even in ill health) to try to make a difference in the lives of the youth she worked with. She was well respected by both staff and youth due to her extraordinary work ethic.  The boys could always depend on her to hold them accountable. She is survived by her husband Geoff Alexander and two daughters, Kristyn and Robyn Alexander. Trayce was born on September 3, 1952.  She earned a BS from Southwest Texas State University in Law Enforcement.
Read more

Canyon Lake Evening Reporting Center

When Comal County Juvenile Probation Chief Kris Johnson joined the department in March 2011, he brought with him a long-term vision to open an Evening Reporting Center (ERC) in the county.  ERCs, which require youth offenders to report to specified locations during evening hours for programming, skills building and community service, were first used in Chicago, where juvenile justice advocates needed after school programs to keep their higher risk kids from getting involved in the gang scene.  They also serve as an alternative to detention pending a youth’s hearings.  ERCs have become common detention alternatives in many communities throughout the United States and are based on research and best practices recognized by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Johnson believed implementing an ERC in Comal County would reduce juvenile crime by providing supervision during the hours crime is most likely to occur.  Additionally, it could significantly reduce the cost of deten...
Read more