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The Down East Seniors Club held their Sept. 21 meeting at the
Blind Center of NC in Washington. President Roy Whichard led the
meeting. Jim Hackney played for the singing of “God Bless America” and
the group pledged allegiance to the flag. Charles Smith gave the
opening prayer and Hackney provided factoids for the date in history.
Curtis Brookshire introduced Matthew Jackson as the speaker. Jackson
works with the Beaufort County Department of Social Services as a
legal counselor and child welfare specialist. NC law specifies that
anyone who observes abuse or neglect of a child under the age of 18 is
obligated to report it to DSS. DSS will investigate to determine if
the report is correct and how serious it is. If laws are broken then
law enforcement is called in. Otherwise DSS will decide how to
proceed. Their desired goal is to resolve the situation and keep the
child in the family. If this does not work, then they will look for an
extended family member to take the child. As a last resort the child
will be placed in foster care. DSS receives an average of 40 reports
of child abuse or neglect per month. They are currently administering
106 children who have been separated from their parents. If someone
wants to become a foster parent they must be trained and licensed. DSS
can provide the training and licensing services.
Tom Meeks won the 50/50 drawing.
The Down East Seniors Club is a group of older men in the Washington
area who meet for fellowship and an interesting program Wednesdays
from 10:00 to 11:00 and make contributions to local charities.