Richland County offers positive community activities for youth

July 27, 2018

Richland Source published an op-ed piece by Richland County Children Services Executive Director Patricia Harrelson that highlights community activities offered to youths.

Richland County Children Services offers numerous community activities

Recently, many of us watched in amazement as members of the youth soccer team trapped in a cave in Thailand were rescued. The traumatic nature of this event will no doubt affect these children, although the extent of the impact that it has on them will likely depend on how their families and those closest to them help to interpret and manage the associated trauma.

This was, of course, great news for the kids, their coach, their families and the rescue workers who tried so hard to realize this dream. It was also a moment of relief for the world, who collectively watched each day as the drama unfolded. All of the children who were trapped were saved, although unfortunately a retired Navy SEAL from Thailand lost his life in the rescue effort.

Why is it that we respond in such an overwhelmingly positive manner when there is a national or world tragedy, but when the issue is close to home (when it is something during our daily lives) many turn away and do nothing?

It is often easier to send money to someplace like Thailand or Haiti following a natural disaster or tragic occurrence than to roll up our sleeves and engage in service to others here in our own community.

Perhaps we get numb to what we see every day, or perhaps we somehow do not see the amazing possibilities within our own community and its residents.

Perhaps we discount the effect that our vote or our dollar can have at the local level. Perhaps we do not register things like the crisis in foster care as our collective responsibility. Perhaps, in cases like the Thailand rescue with one clear outcome (success or failure), that fact makes them easier to support.

These types of singular events promise a quick and easily identifiable resolution to the problem, as opposed to the daily grind which encompasses issues within our own community.

I have also found that it is easier for people to complain about what a community lacks rather than to celebrate what it has. Richland County has many good things for our kids, especially during the summer. Is there enough? No! But we are also not devoid of opportunities for growth, and there are numerous entities striving to attain that goal.

Richland County Children Services participates in and/or supports many community events and activities. From the Richland County Fair to Community Block Parties, we attend these functions to provide information (and usually free popcorn) regarding child abuse prevention and foster care recruitment.

Summer leagues for baseball (our employees sponsor a team), kid-friendly activities at the YMCA (which assists us every year by offering its facilities for the Swim/Bike/Run event), and exhibits at the Little Buckeye Museum (for which we pay an annual membership for our kids in foster care) all provide engagement opportunities for children within Richland County.

Entities such as the Library, the Carousel, North End Community Collaborative, Mansfield Police Department, and others all help to organize and sponsor events for our kids. From a cop taking a kid fishing (through the Hooked on Fishing program) to a city-wide event such as the Mansfield Children's Festival, individuals and entities strive every day to celebrate and engage Richland County youth in some way.

 

 

 

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