Photo By Laurie Pearson | One year old Brayden Dacier, son of Andrea and Sgt. Brandon Dacier, stopped his search...... read more read more
Children, their families enjoyed the annual Easter Egg Hunt and Roll, seeking eggs filled with candy and playing interactive games on the lawn outside of the McTureous Hall Library aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., April 12.
The event was sponsored and coordinated by Marine and Family Programs Division Behavioral Health, and the Family Advocacy Program, and allows families to color eggs, take photos in an outdoor Easter display, play games and engage in both egg rolls and hunts. The Egg Roll is a traditional event mirroring the one done at the White House. Children lined up with large plastic spoons, and when the emcee, Gunnery Sgt. James Hainer, cyber network systems chief, said “GO” the children rolled the eggs to the other end of the lawn. The competitions ended with three winners for each age group. At the end of the Egg Roll, it was decided to have one race for adults, so civilians and Marines lined up and rolled their eggs in a heated race for prizes.
After the egg roll, three lawn areas were covered with plastic, candy-filled eggs. One lawn area was for children 5 and under. The second was for children ages 6 through 10. The third lawn area was for children 11 to 18 years of age. As Hainer was trying to give instructions saying “children you may go when I say…” the children all heard simply “children you may go” and they took off to their respective areas to gather as many eggs as they possibly could in their bags and baskets. Some lucky children found extra special, sparkly eggs with numbers hidden inside. Those glittery eggs were turned in at the prize table for special prizes allocated to each age group.
In addition to Marine Corps Community Services, personnel from Fire and Emergency Services, as well as Marine Corps Police Department ensured that the event was safely carried out and that families were able to focus on having a fun time together. In one instance, Michelle Adams, administrative assistant with MFP, took Chloe Taylor, the child of Kelly and Sgt. Robert Taylor, part of the air crew from the Army’s A Company, 2916th Aviation Battalion out of Daggett Airbase, to one of the firefighters nearby asking if they had a bandage for a scrape the girl got on her elbow earlier in the day. Eric Keck, a firefighter with FES, took Adams and Chloe to the nearby ambulance, gave a little tour of the rig, cleaned the scrape and applied a small bandage, then gave toys to the girl and her siblings.
Having a daughter of his own, Keck remarked that helping the kids is a part of what he enjoys about the job. In fact, he and the other firefighters go to local stores to stock the ambulance with toys, out of their own pocket, in order to make it easier to chat with children in sometimes difficult situations.
The event encouraged communication between law enforcement and fire personnel with local families in a fun and entertaining manner. It was a nice break from daily operations, agreed several of the FES personnel.
In addition to fun and games, the intent of the event was to focus on Child Abuse Prevention Month, said Angelica Mora, prevention and education specialist and victim advocate for MFP.
The National Children’s Alliance, an organization which serves child victims of abuse, reports that nearly 700,000 children are abused in the U.S. annually and that in 78.1 percent of substantiated abuse cases, the perpetrator was a parent or guardian.
Marine and Family Programs, along with Behavioral Health, and FOCUS project work to provide functional programs to allow families to grow healthy relationships and learn effective communication and coping skills. These programs include classes, hands-on events, counseling and even arts and crafts. In addition, events like the Easter Egg Hunt and Roll, give families an opportunity to have fun together, enjoying outdoor activities on a bright sunny spring afternoon.
“This year marks the Family Advocacy Program's 3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt/Roll to provide prevention and awareness efforts towards the elimination of child abuse,” said Adams. “This year's theme for Child Abuse Awareness Month is ‘Children Thrive in Safe, Stable, and Nurturing Homes’.”
In his opening remarks at the event, Col. Sekou S. Karega, commanding officer for MCLB Barstow, offered an introduction to participants at the event and stated that the intent is to not merely to report abuse but to be pro-active, and deliver a positive message of supporting families and strengthening communities.
“During this National Child Abuse Prevention Month, it is time to recognize that each of us aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, must take responsibility in promoting the social and emotional well-being of the children and families,” Karega said.
He encouraged people to speak up! He further said that it is everyone’s role as a community to encourage each other, to lift each other up, and lend a helping hand to those in need.
“We must step up, and keep our children safe and supervised,” he said in the proclamation he signed in support of the initiative. “By being proactive and taking the extra step to offer assistance, to lend a helping hand or a listening ear, you can be the catalyst for the change we need to prevent harm or neglect to our children.”
The proclamation further states that as a military community, family members must reach out, recognize when they are struggling and know that it’s okay to ask for support.
“From (the) Easter Egg Hunt, we can see just how supportive and strong our community is by seeing everyone come together and put on such a great event that had so many smiling and happy faces throughout the day,” said Adams. “Thanks for making it another great event, and be sure to join the Family Advocacy Program for the Annual Kid Fest which will be held on April 26, 2017 at McTureous Hall from 2:30 - 7 p.m.”
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| Date Taken: | 04.12.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.14.2017 11:07 |
| Story ID: | 230382 |
| Location: | BARSTOW, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 216 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Easter Egg Hunt and Roll highlights Child Abuse Prevention Month, by Laurie Pearson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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