ABOVE LEFT Part of Teen Maze included students traveling through different “stations” that gave them deeper insight into the consequences of their actions and provided information on how to handle dangerous situations like abusive relationships. TOP RIGHT Volunteers for Teen Maze. BOTTOM RIGHT Family Connection Director Paige Williamson with the Toombs County Director of Safe Kids Coalition Bonnie Brantley. Safe Kids Toombs County is led by Meadows Regional Medical Center and their mission is to prevent childhood injuries. HHoommetetoowwnn L Livivining gA tA tIt Ist Bs eBsets t 1 5231 brand name for Oxycodone, and it suppressed her lungs.” Cheryl’s daughter was taken to the Vidalia Regional Medical Center and then flown to Savannah. For 72 hours, she and her husband sat by their unresponsive daughter’s side. “We had to sign the paper to take our child off life support,” she said as her voice broke. “It’s not what you see on TV. You sit and watch your child turn blue.” With all the passion and heartbreak only a parent can know, she added, “From a bad decision, we live the consequences.” Cheryl and her husband are now raising their granddaughter who was left behind. Change takes deliberate action. The Teen Maze presented much needed facts and moved the conversation forward. Unlike some of us were led to believe, there is no “bubble” that can both protect and equip our children for the choices they will face. If we want to raise children who can function as healthy individuals in society, we have to prepare them for the choices ahead with knowledge and open communication. Ignorance only weakens their ability to make good choices. Children are not kept innocent by silence. When we don’t talk to them, and when the community turns a blind eye, the words they hear are rarely words of wisdom. Just before students from J. R. Trippe returned to their classrooms, John Sharpe, Principal at Vidalia Comprehensive High School, gave them a moving charge. He welcomed the class of 2021 and shared stories from his own experience with students during his years in the educational system. Even though the graduation rate for 2016 for VCHS was 94.4%, that also meant ten students didn’t get to graduate. He challenged the class of 2021 to become the first to enter 9th grade and all finish with a 100% graduation rate. The most impressive aspect of the whole event was the way the community worked together to make it happen. Family Connection, its collaborators, individual organizations, other agencies, and volunteers made it clear to our teens that they are important. These are the same children who will become the statistics that represent who we are to the world. Strangers can skim over those numbers and simply shake their heads: We cannot. Being at the table means we are all involved. The Teen Maze was a great example of the way Family Connection continues to facilitate community involvement to help children and families where it is needed most. ��TCM
20204RD
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