Apr 3, 2011 By Jennifer Harr 4 min read

?”Believe Me When I Tell.”

That’s the theme of the rally April 8 to commemorate the month as sexual assault awareness, child abuse prevention and victims’ rights month.

Held on the steps of the Fayette County Courthouse, the yearly public rally is hosted by Fayette County Children and Youth Services (CYS) and the Fayette County Crime Victims’ Center (CVC). It will begin at 10?a.m.

“April is always an extremely important month across the entire state of Pennsylvania for sexual assault agencies such as the Crime Victims’ Center. We try to focus the community’s attention and heighten awareness of sexual assault and child abuse,” said CVC executive director Jacquie Fritts. “It’s so important that we listen to children when they talk to us. Many times it’s their way of asking for help.”

Participants at the rally this year will be given pinwheels to hold, said CYS casework manager Gina D’Auria.

“The pinwheels represent the innocence of youth, and the idea that kids should be innocent. They shouldn’t be victims,” D’Auria said. “We want everyone to think of kids in an innocent way. They shouldn’t be abused.”

“Unfortunately, we live in a society that promotes a ‘mind-your-own-business’ message, where speaking up and reporting a suspicious incident or conversation is very difficult for some people,” said Linda O’Keefe, CVC legal advocate.

Speakers at the event will include the county commissioners, District Attorney Jack R. Heneks Jr. and state Rep. Deberah Kula, D-North Union Township.

As in past years, students from area school districts will attend the rally to show their support for the causes.

Participants will be asked to hold their pinwheels as they walk from the courthouse to the Uniontown fire station on Beeson Boulevard.

There, a lunch will be available for purchase. D’Auria said for the first year, students from the Fayette County Vocational-Technical School will help prepare the food.

At the fire station, there will be Chinese auction, and a grill will be raffled off, D’Auria said.

D’Auria, Fritts and O’Keefe said the goal of the rally is to bring awareness and to get people involved. “We have all heard the horror stories of children being molested and neglected, even to the point of dying, of young teens hooking up with older men who are predators lurking on websites or sexting messages on cellphones,” O’Keefe said. “As parents, grandparents, educators – as a community – it’s time to get involved and do what is right.”

The day after the rally, the Human Development and Family Studies Association at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, will hold a 5K run/walk on the campus.

Jennifer Cavallo, vice president of the student organization, said that proceeds gathered during the run/walk would be divided between CYS and CVC.

“We wanted to do something big to bring in money for the community,” Cavallo said. “The focus this year is on empowering, educating, advocating and ending sexual abuse throughout Fayette County.”

Cavallo said there will be guest speakers and a local singer.

This is the first year for the event, which Cavallo said the association hopes to make an annual event, the proceeds of which will benefit different branches of the human services field every year.

On Tuesday, April 12, state police Trooper Scott Lucas will host a program on cyber crime and cellphone pornography at Laurel Highlands Senior High School. The event is free and open to the public.

“We’re really aiming this at everyone – parents, grandparents, guardians, teachers, administrators,” O’Keefe said. “In this day of cyber technology, there is a lot we don’t know and need to find out.”

In Greene County, Waynesburg University Peer Education is going to host “Take Back the Night” at 7?p.m. Monday.

The program’s theme is “It’s Time to Be Involved,” and it will be held in Alumni Hall on the third floor of Miller Hall on the university’s campus. The event is free and open to the public

The purpose of the program is to raise awareness of the scope of and the consequences of sexual violence, and attendees will be presented with changes they can make to help prevent its occurrence.

Survivors of sexual violence are expected to speak at the presentation, there will be an open forum for questions and the program will conclude with a candlelight ceremony to honor survivors and remember those who have died.

For additional information, contact Mary Hamilla by email at mhamilla@waynesburg.edu or by phone at 724-852-3344.