ISSUE: Helping abused, neglected children

OUR VIEW: Guardian ad Litem program is opportunity to help

Spring is in the air -- everywhere. The trees are beginning to bud, and the daffodils are popping up everywhere. For most, spring is a time of hope and rebirth. But what about life for an abused or neglected child?

Springtime represents a new opportunity to help, with training upcoming soon for the Guardian ad Litem program. If you feel re-energized by the changing of the seasons and are willing to share that with others, consider volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem for an abused child.

As a GAL volunteer, you can bring hope to a child who has been abused or neglected. The Orangeburg and Calhoun County GAL program serves 60 children. Volunteers visit children and work as advocates to help them find safe, permanent homes where they will be loved and nurtured.

Orangeburg-Calhoun GAL Program Director Carol Barton explains that volunteers spend 4-6 hours per month working on cases involving abuse and neglect of children. "These few hours can make a tremendous difference to a child who is living in foster care, separated from family and friends."

Many times, the GAL volunteer will be the only person who remains a constant in the child's life, as he or she is moved from place to place and finds life filled with a bewildering mixture of new faces, Barton says.

A free, 30-hour training class will teach a person how to be a positive, effective advocate for an abused child. If you are over 21 and willing to share your energy and time helping children, step up and make a difference in a child's life.

The next local training class starts April 3. To reserve a place, call Barton at 531-2217. You may also visit Orangeburg.scgal.org for more information or an application.

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