Child Safety Advocates Speak at Golden Triangle Meeting

2014 July 10—Golden Triangle Lake County, FL: After just a week on her new job, Rotarian Emily Lee introduced her colleagues from Kids Central, Inc to the Rotary Club of Lake County Golden Triangle. Lee had invited Debra Wise, Deputy Chief of Programs, and Michelle Mongeluzzo, Director of Prevention Services, of the nonprofit agency charged by the State of Florida to oversee the treatment and prevention of child abuse in five counties to speak to the club.
The two speakers work out of the Ocala headquarters of Kids Central, Inc., serving families in Lake, Sumter, Marion, Citrus and Hernando counties. They serve to identity homes with families at risk of abuse, help to prevent them from entering a diversion program, and case manage families and children in relative or foster care due to abuse.
“If safely possible, we work to keep families together and strive to bring them back together through case management coordination and diversion support services. . . Kids Central offers Kinship Care Support for relatives raising children to keep them from entering foster care,” explained the speakers. “We recruit, train, and license foster families and adoption services are provided to find permanent living arrangements after judicial involvement.”
The program, formed in 2003, has a mission of “Protecting Children, Supporting Families, and Engaging Communities”. Mongeluzzo and Wise appealed to the community leaders of Rotary to reach out and assist them in finding volunteers to assist the children and families in the program. Tutors, mentors, foster families, and adoptive families are needed in Lake County in an ongoing fashion.
Emily Lee’s office is located in the Bates Avenue Neighborhood Resource Center, 1128 Clifford Ave, 32727 Eustis. Information is available online at www.KidsCentralinc.org, via email at info@KidsCentralinc.org, or by phone at 352- 873-6332. The main office is located at 2117 SW Hwy 484 in Ocala, FL 34473.
Tuesday, July 15th, Reverend Dr. Isaac Deas will be speaking to club. Deas is a local counselor, author, teacher, minister, and volunteers with hospice. His books include “Multiple Streams of Success” and “Don’t Let Go”.
RCLCGT meets on Tuesdays at 11:45 am at Lake Receptions, 4425 SR 19A, Mount Dora. You may visit the club for the meal cost of $12, RSVP to RotaryClub@USA.com or 352-267-5702. The weekly meeting begins at 11:45 am and ends at 1 pm.
Rotary International clubs focus their efforts in six areas: promoting peace, preventing diseases, providing access to clean water and sanitation, enhancing maternal and child health, improving basic education and literacy, and helping communities develop (www.Rotary.Org). The Rotary Club of Lake County Golden Triangle thanks you for supporting educational scholarships and disaster relief locally and worldwide (www.LakeCountyRotary.Org). The RCLCGT organizes the Central Florida Dragon Boat Festival and the Mount Dora Independence Day Parade.