TONAWANDA (WKBW) — Several have gathered Sunday evening at the city hall of North Tonawanda to bring awareness about child abuse.
The Erie/ Niagara Sunrise Exchange Club collaborates with the city of North Tonawanda to raise the global issue by educating the community.
"We do educational programs on shaky baby syndrome and other educational programs to give people ideas and strategies on how to calm down," says Ronald Seindra, the organization's president. "If they were in a situation where they might've abused a child because they're tired and angry."
The mayor of North Tonawanda, Austin Tylec, says he hopes many can acknowledge the issue's existence.
"It's not an easy topic for anyone to talk about, but you can't fix something unless you recognize that it exists," Tylec says. "So it's really important for our community to recognize this, especially families moving here. It's not up to doctors or teachers to recognize if a child is suffering."
The president of Erie/ Niagara Sunrise Exchange Club says if you know of a child experiencing abuse to call theChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline:
(1-800-422-4453)
Kids Helpline - Crisis Services
100 River Rock DriveSuite 300Buffalo, NY 14207www.crisisservices.org
Hotline for Children & Families
*716-834-1144*
Toll Free Hotline
*877-543-7400*
