Gatesville Day of the Child brings safety, child-abuse awareness to Freedom Park

At Freedom Park, families found more than games and prizes. The Exchange Club of Gatesville used its 30th annual Day of the Child to put parents face to face with the people and agencies they may need most in an emergency, from the Gatesville Police Department and Coryell EMS to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Central Texas.

The Saturday event brought together the Coryell County Child Welfare Board, Team Gatesville, the Gatesville Volunteer Fire Department, military personnel, Coryell EMS, the Children’s Advocacy Center of Central Texas, Christian Cycling, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Walmart, Texas Health and Human Services, American Legion Post 42, the Gatesville Amateur Radio Club and the Gatesville Animal Shelter. Leo Corona said the purpose was to familiarize children with local helpers and give parents practical safety advice.

One of the most useful services came from Gatesville police, which offered fingerprinting that can help create an information record for a child if an emergency ever arises. The child-safety value of that service echoed a Gatesville Messenger item from 2003, when officers Dewey Jones and Sgt. Sharyn Cary fingerprinted children during the same Exchange Club program as part of the Child Find effort.

The Exchange Club’s focus on child protection has a long institutional history. The National Exchange Club adopted the prevention of child abuse as its National Project in 1979, giving local clubs across the country a shared mission that extends well beyond a single Saturday in the park. Gatesville’s Day of the Child has also shown up repeatedly in the community calendar, including a similar event at Freedom Park on April 15, 2023.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Central Texas added another layer of practical support. The group says it began in 1997, then became a nonprofit in 1998 after George Moffat recognized the need for a child-friendly interview setting and Jack Mazzucca and other board members formed the organization. Today, the center works with law enforcement, child protection and prosecution partners across Central Texas.

The broader network behind the Gatesville event reaches even farther. The Children’s Advocacy Center of Texas says its centers have helped more than a million children and families affected by abuse, while the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services operates the Texas Abuse Hotline through Statewide Intake to receive reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation and route them for investigation.

Freedom Park also gave children reasons to linger. Families moved between Ladder Ball, a child-sized version of shot put, LEGO building, face painting, horse rides, bounce houses and animal interaction while the Gatesville Volunteer Fire Department provided food. The result was a civic touchpoint that combined public-safety education with a direct line to the local services parents can use long after the event ended.