Saying all children deserve to have a safe, stable, nurturing home and communities that foster their healthy growth and development, and noting the county’s 1,343 incidents of alleged child abuse or neglect in 2021, the Adams County Commissioners proclaimed April 2022 as Child Abuse and Neglect Protection Month.
The proclamation said child abuse prevention is a community responsibility and that finding solutions depends on the involvement of all people. The proclamation thanked the county’s children and youth staff saying they are “dedicated to working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year to protect these children, our greatest resource, as they are the future of our county and our community.”
Commissioner Jim Martin said the county’s child care workers were “underappreciated and undervalued, especially this year. “You are heroes,” he said, “None of us want to live and function where child abuse continues. You’ve made gains for our community. The children are our next society. We look at you as a golden nugget in our community.”
The commissioners also proclaimed April 2nd as the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Adams County Conservation District.
Conservation District Manager Adam McClain thanked the commissioners for their support and reviewed some history of the conservation district. Even in 1947, we were “leading by example,” he said.
McClain said the county relied on voluntary conservation policies and had made substantial contributions through the use of erosion inspections and erosion plans, tree distributions, improved road surfaces, mosquito control, tire collections, and the development of waterways and terraces. “We measure conservation in miles,” he said.
Commissioner Jim Martin said he had been on the conservation district board. “Thanks to your conservation efforts I think there’s been a marked improvement in our waterways,” he said.
The commissioners also approved a proposal presented by county prothonotary Beverly Boyd to lend the “Register of Negroes and Mulattoes 1800-1818” to the Adams County Historical Society (ACHS) for the purpose of display and education to county residents and tourists.
Boyd said the records include birth dates and locations for children born into slavery and that the records had been recorded by the county to allow the freeing of the children from slavery at age 28.
“Our history is our nation’s testimony. Artifacts are needed to teach these important lessons. A picture is worth 1000 words,” she said.
ACHS Executive Director Andrew Dalton thanked the county, saying “This is an important chapter in our history. Not necessarily a bright chapter.”
More commissioner approvals are shown in the meeting’s agenda.
The next commissioners’ meeting will be held on April 20 at 9:00 a.m. in the Adams County Courthouse.
Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.