As the only one-stop destination for families of juvenile victims of physical or sexual abuse, Newark-based Wynona’s House is centering end-of-summer efforts on sending kids back to classes with the supplies — and frame of mind — they need to succeed.
School, backpack, back
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“They know when they’re here, they’re safe,” said Carol Berger, Wynona’s House chief program officer. “They’re with other families that have come through the system, and through our center.”
The organization, officially known as the Senator Wynona Lipman Child Advocacy Center, in honor of the late New Jersey state legislator, brings together Essex County prosecutors, child welfare agents, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital all in one place to assist in investigations of child abuse and neglect.
At the heart of the group’s mission is to promote hope, healing, and justice for victims. By combining these sundry components in one location, Wynona’s House reduces the number of times a child has to tell and relive his or her story of abuse, cutting down on the trauma and stigma of the experience.
To further help the kids it serves, Wynona’s House is sponsoring a back-to-school barbecue on Aug. 20 for families connected with the center. The event, which is closed to the public, will not only provide free food but also age-appropriate backpacks, filled with the proper school supplies for each individual child, and educational games and activities.
[For more of this story, written by Patrick Lavery, go to http://nj1015.com/how-this-nj-...-get-back-to-school/]
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