a orter
Ai!il 17, 2019
Around Monroe County Forsyth Juliette High Falls Bolingbroke Culloden Smarr
UPCOMING EVENTS IN
MONROE COUNTY
April 18
High Falls Lake
Association to meet
High Lake Association
will meet Thursday, April
18 at 7 p.m. at the High
Falls State Park group
shelter. This will be an
open meeting and all
lake area residents are
encouraged to attend.
There will be a social
time after the meeting,
please bring snacks to
share. An informative
agenda is planned
Monroe County
Extension and Monroe
County Cattlemen's As-
sociation will host Meat
Science 101: Learn all
about different cuts
of beef. quality, and"
selection. The program
will be from 7-8 o.m on
Thursday April 18. Call
478-994-7014 to RSVP
Birth to21 Profile
April 19
4th Annual Tree
Board Golf
Tournament
The Forsyth Tree Board
will host its 4th Annual
Golf Tournament at the
Forsyth Golf Course
400 Country Club
:orsyth or" Friday,
Aari119. This is the Tree
Board's ma or fundraise~
Registration begins at 8
a.m. There will be two
flights with 1st and 2nd
places in each flight
Cash pay out. Four
man ream: $400. Hole
sponsorship: $100 and
a door prize Close ups
pay our Dar 3's. A outlet
unch wil be provided.
For more information
call Rick Shannon (Tree
Board chairman) al
478-550-7431.
. April 20
Egg Hunt at Pruitt
Health Monroe
Pruiff Health Monroe
(formeny Hilltop Nursing
H omej, 4796 Highway
42 t~orth Forsyth invites
! ,',!i~aml'~!~. to Bring their
; ChilJ~:t~ its An-
fiua[?~'aster Egg Hunt
on Saturday April 20
from 4-6 p.m Come for
an evening of fun and
refreshments Bring fold-
~'-g chairs
Dauset Trails
Bluebirds &
Bluegrass Festival
Dauset Trails Nature
Center wil hOST its
19th Annual Bluebirds
& Bluegrass Festival on
Saturday April 20 from
8 a.m.-4 o.m. The ive
music begins at 11 a.m
ncluding Edgar Louder-
milk Band featuring Jeff
Autry. There will ae out-
door recreation booths
activities demonstrations
aria food and drink for
sale. Free parking and
free admission.
The 911 Band
Forsyth Main Street will
aresent The 911 Band in
concert on the Square
on Saturday, April 20
from 8-11 P.m. They
will bring performances
ana aance music to the
stage Ad-nission is free:
concessions available:
qo pets allowed For
~nore information call
478-994-7747 or visit
~nainstream.cityofforsyth
neT.
April 22 ;
Gm n Cleaning
Monroe County Exten-
sion will host a Lunch
Learn: Green Cleaning
on Monday April 22
from 12-I P.m. at the
Exlension Office, 90
Martin Luther King Jr
Drive Forsyth. Come
learn tips and tricks to
get your spring cleaning
routine more organic
RSVP to 478-994-7014
- registration is $10:
lunch will be Taco Salad
See. CAIIq~ID~R
Page .5C
By Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Monroe County ranks
11 lth among Georgia's 159
counties for child, family
and community well-being
in the state's latest data that
became available in early
March. Monroe County
has 9.8 incidents of child
abuse or neglect per 1,000
residents as compared to
the rate of 4.4 for Georgia
as a whole. After review-
ing the latest data, Monroe
County Family Connection
decided that it will focus
its efforts this year on local
child abuse and neglect.
"It was a little over double
the state average, and that
stuck out," said Adam
Swymer of the Georgia
Family Connection Part-
Monroe County
Low-birthweight (percent) 2017 9.4 9.9 59 O
Teen births ages 15-19 (per 1,000) 2017 9.2 21.8 4
.2:F' ' Child abuse and neglect (per 1,000) 201] 9 8 4:4 !1] O
C h!.!d po vet. ty !pe rce.nt! 20.!.7 !8:2 2!: 5. 24 .0
Teens not in school and not working, ages 16-19+
2017 11.5 8.6 89 O
4p.e ce@
Children whose parents lack secure employment* 2017 6.8 8.3 34
nership, who coordinated
the annual planning meet-
ing in Monroe County on
March 12.
Each year county Family
Connection collaboratives
identify what they consider
the most important issues
in their county and develop
strategies for addressing
them. Family Connection
collaboratives are funded
by Georgia in every county
and are tasked with pulling
resources in the county
together and eliminating
overlap if possible. Unfor-
tunately, much of the data
they have to work with is
over a year old before it is
released. The statistics for
child abuse and neglect are
from 2017.
In 2017 there were 55
children per 1,000 in
Monroe County with a
substantiated incident of
abuse and/or neglect, creat-
ing the 9.8 percent rate.
There were 29 children
per 1,000 with a substanti-
ated incident of abuse, 5.2
percent compared to the
state rate of 1.9 percent.
There were 30 children per
1,000 with a substantiated
incident of neglect, a rate of
5.3 compared to Georgia's
rate of 3.0.
In related data, in 2017
there were 1 children
in Monroe County whose
parents lacked secured
employment, a rate of 6.8
percent compared to the
state's rate of 8.3 percent.
In 2018, there were 11
children in Monroe County
who left foster care to
return to their families or
were placed with a relative
within 12 months of enter-
ing foster care, 73.3 percent
compared to the Georgia
rate of 58.4 percent. The
latest data of households
with children receiving
Food Stamps was in 2013;
it showed 849 households
in Monroe County.
In 2017 18.2 percent of
children in Monroe County
were living in poverty, a
total of 1,002, compared
to 21.5 percent in Georgia.
Monroe County ranks 24th
in the state. Unemployment
in Monroe County in 2017
was 4.5 percent compared
to 4.7 percent for the state.
The total population
of Monroe County was
26,795, while the popu-
lation of Georgia was
10,201,635. In Monroe
County children under
18 made up 20.8 percent
of that number while
24.5 percent of Georgia's
population is children.
The median household
income in Monroe County
was $57,038, and Georgia's
median household income
was $56,117,
Anotherarea where"
Monroe County compared
unfavorably with the state
as a whole was for teens,
ages 16-19, not in school
and not w6rking. Monroe
County ranked 89th in
the state at a rate of 11.5
compared to 8.6 in Geor-
gia. In 2018, 8.2 percent of
Monroe County children
were absent more than 15
days from school compared
to only 5.8 percent in 2014,
showing a negative trend
but still better than the state
rate of 11.9 percent.
Other trending data
showed that children with
a substantiated incident of
abuse in Monroe County in
2013 was 2.9 per 1,000, but
it grew to 5.2 per 1,000 in
2017. Children not attend-
ing preschool, ages 3-4, in-
creased from 40.4 percent
(2008-12)to 55.6 percent
(2013-17) compared to 50
percent in Georgia for the
most recent data.
Monroe County com-
pares favorably with other
Georgia counties (con-
sidered 10 percent better
than the state mean) in
teen births to mothers ages
15-19 (4th lowest in state),
child poverty (24th), 3rd
grade students achieving
proficient learner or above
on Milestones assessment
(10th) and babies born to
mothers with less than high
e
t
Georgia Family Conneaion is
celebrating its 25th anniversary this
year. Monroe County Family Connec-
tion executive director Vickie Nickel
explained that Family Connection was
created by Gov. Zell M er after the
Kids Count data released in the early
1990's showed that Georgia ranked
No. 48 in Child, Family & Community
well-being
Miller started with a two-year pilot
program in 15 counties; Family Con-
nection assigned a coordInator to each
0tmty to pull together existing groups
: i:to address the issues affecting children
and resources available.
Subsequently the state funded Family
Connection for all 159 counties. Geor-
gia is the only state with a state-wide
program. The funding is the same for
each county, large or small. In Monroe
County the Board of Commissioners is
com-
munity center and indude an office for
Family Connection there. Nickel said
it would be a good place for Family
Connection to have a presence. Plans
include computers for children to use
since so many homes in High Falls
don't have them and maybe a basket-
ball court
Family Connection has a five mem-
ber board. It currently includes Adam
Blanks of the Monroe County Sheriff's
Office C.A.R.E. Cottage; Kimberly
Clayton of Monroe County Library;
parent coordinator; Tammy Rafferzed:
er of Habitat for Humanity and Lisa
Lee, Monroe Counw Achievement }
Center teacher and former director of j
Monroe County ACE.
Monroe County Family Confiection
meets on the second Tuesday of each :
month at 1 p.m. at the Monroe County i
Commissioners board room in the
County Annex on the square. Lunch
the fiscal agent for F ilv Connection, is provided and meetings are kept to
which means it administers the funds one hour to make it easy for those
from the state. Family Connection from diverse groups to attend. Every-
concentrates on five areas: Health & r one interested in the well-being of the
Safety; Economic Well-Being; Educa-
tion; Stable, Self-Sufficient & Produc-
tive Families; Thriving Communities.
Nickel said the fiscal year for Family
Connection runs from July to June;-
so the group is now busy reviewing
community is welcome. Some of the
organizations represented are the De-
partment of Juvenile Justice, Central
Georgia Technical College, Monroe
County Health Department, River
Edge Mental Health, Forsyth-Monroe
school education (26th). data to plan its focus for 2020. She County Chamber of Commerce,
In the crime rate for said one problem is that the newly- Monroe CountyBoys & Girls Club,
violent crimes commit-
released data they have to work with Pregnancy Center, Anchor of Hope
ted by persons 17 or older,
Monroe County had a rate
of 5.3 per 1,000 people in
2017 compared with 5.5
in Georgia. But for other
crimes, like burglaries, the
is two years old. Another problem is
that tracking information on births
to Monroe County mothers is dif-
ficult since babies are not delivered in
the county. For example, one mother
who is now fostering a baby born to
Foundation, Workforce Development
Center, Legal Aide Services, Depart-
ment of Family & Children Services
and local businesses.
In addressing a meeting of the Blue
Bridge Societyand explaining the
rate in Monroe County was
36.8 percent whereas it was a drug-ad cted mother was told that goals of Family Connection, Nickel
27.7 percent in the state, there were babies born in Decem gave an example of a moment when
One of the strategies ber to drug-addicted Monroe Co Wshe felt she made a difference, She was
Monroe County Family
Connection anticipates
implementing or encourag-
ing to combat child abuse
and neglect in Monroe
County is engaging faith-
based leaders to create
awareness of child abuse
and neglect and develop-
ing partnerships. Another
action would be quarterly
meetings of agencies like
DFCS, Drug Court, COSA,
emergency room and first
responder representatives,
school counselors and law
enforcement to focus on
child abuse and neglect.
Other actions to address
child abuse and neglect
would be support of the
C.A.R.E. Cottage, school
attendance council, Young
Men's/Lady's Clubs, Dark-
ness to Light trainings,
foster parent support and
awareness events during
Child Abuse Prevention
Month in April.
To view &ita, visit gafcp.
org/kidscount.
mothers, but none of the births were in on the soccer field with her children
tells her it identifies 750 children as therefore no heat. Because of her work
homeless. Dyer the last year she has with Family Connection, Nickel was
tried to develop a support system for able to make calls and help.
grandparents and other older relatives "I made an impact in at least one
aware person's life. It really does t/tke the
group that needs whole community to make a differ-
" " m "
not well-informed about things hke e.
school
able with technology. They do not
have support from others to give them
any time for themselves or anyone to
answer their concerns or questions.
from
became the Family Connection execu-
tive director in March 2017. She and
her husband, Greg, have three sons,
attend-
Office near Monroe County Hospital.
The space does not have heat or her family responsibilities require her
and is to be vacated as the Extension
Office moves to the renovated Hub-
bard Dormitory building, tion in March but has agreed to stay
J
