Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

What is PRIDE?

Have you noticed the gold and brown PRIDE banners flying in downtown Fort Scott?

The Fort Scott PRIDE program was started in 1994. The concept of the PRIDE program is Kansas Building Better Communities. This is a self-help program in which communities set their own objectives.

The program includes all facets of community development. The goal is to make our communities a better place to live and work. The program includes adults and students in the middle school and high school.

The recent Home Show was sponsored by PRIDE as the major fundraiser.

PRIDE has purchased picnic tables in Skubitz Plaza and playground equipment for Gunn Park and the East Side Park.

The concept of volunteering for projects helps students and adults make Fort Scott a better place to live.

For more information, call Dola Cress, (620) 223-0966.

Dola Cress

Fort Scott

To the Editor:

According to Prevent Child Abuse America, when families are supported, children are less likely to be at risk for child maltreatment and are more likely to grow up happy and healthy. Supporting families and ensuring parents have the knowledge, skills and resources they need are effective ways to protect children from the risk of child abuse and neglect. Successful child abuse prevention efforts must both promote protective factors and reduce risk factors. Protective factors are conditions in families and communities that, when present, increase the health and well-being of children and families. They serve as buffers, helping parents who might otherwise be at risk of abusing their children to find resources, supports or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively, even under stress. As our nation recognizes April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, our hope is for all individuals to help make Kansas a better place for children and families.

We encourage you to plant a blue pinwheel in your yard as a commitment to raising strong families. You can order pinwheels, as well as learn more about prevention efforts and protective factors, by visiting the Kansas Children's Service League's website at www.kcsl.org or by calling the Parent Helpline at 1-800-CHILDREN.

Janet Schalansky

Kansas Children's Service League

Wichita