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Local puppetry program tells fiscal court its prevention work prompted abuse disclosures and serves thousands of Warren County children
Summary
Representatives from Kids on the Block told the Warren County Fiscal Court they deliver school prevention programs countywide, described several disclosures of abuse they said followed programming, and said the nonprofit serves about 30,000 children annually in the region.
Representatives from the nonprofit Kids on the Block addressed the Warren County Fiscal Court on June 11, thanking the court for past support and describing the impact of school‑based prevention puppet programs. Amanda Gara, director of programs and lead puppeteer, said the group seeks to prevent child abuse, bullying and suicide and also that its programming can prompt disclosures: she described two children who disclosed sexual abuse following a presentation and who were subsequently removed from the home and reported to be doing better academically and behaviorally.
Gara told the court the group tries to reach every public and private school in Warren County and that, ‘‘we impact over 30,000 kids per year.’’ Amber Wisdom, a puppeteer and marketing assistant, described inclusion work with special‑education classes and the positive response when children see their experiences represented. Sarah Kitchens, grants manager and executive assistant, recounted a fundraising interaction in which a grandmother said her granddaughter disclosed years of abuse after attending a program.
Why it matters: court members and staff praised the programs as prevention tools and as community partnerships; presenters said their school work is provided free to local schools, enabled in part by fiscal‑court and community support. The court thanked the presenters and returned to other agenda items.
