Abby Cavenaugh

In recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Duplin County Partnership for Children, Duplin County DSS and Guardian ad Litem of Duplin County held their 2024 Pinwheels for Prevention Ceremony at the Ed Emory Auditorium in Kenansville, on April 12. 

“We stand together today in solidarity and commitment with a heartfelt belief that all children deserve to be loved, to be safe, to be nurtured, and to be heard,” said Christy Jeffers, Duplin Judicial District 5, Guardian ad Litem Supervisor, as she welcomed guests. 

According to data from Child Welfare in North Carolina, between July 2022 to June 2023, 799 cases were investigated in Duplin County for abuse and neglect, and it is an increase of 59 more cases when compared to the previous fiscal year.  

Christy Jones, Duplin County Partnership for Children director, told the Duplin Journal that the three agencies partnered to raise awareness. 

“We really wanted to focus on bringing awareness to child abuse and neglect, and just making everyone aware that it is not just those three agencies problem — it is a community responsibility. …  Everybody has to work together to address it,” said Jones. 

At the event, Jones spoke about the symbolism of pinwheels and the importance of communities working together. 

“It is a positive emblem of the effect we can have when we work together to prevent child abuse. Pinwheels are used to help educate communities about the importance of supporting children and families. Shining in the sun, the pinwheel is reflective of the bright future all children deserve and our belief that getting it right early is less costly than trying to fix it later,” said Jones.  

Serita Southerland, Duplin County DSS Social Work supervisor, spoke about the people involved in the process once a case of abuse or neglect is reported and the effort needed from the community to make that child, whose life has been torn into pieces, whole again. 

“Along with DSS, GAL, and Partnership for Children, there are countless foster parents, medical professionals, mental health professionals, and judicial partners who will have a responsibility to help put this beautiful puzzle back together again,” said Southerland. 

Sean Kenny, head of DSS engagement for Trillium Health Resources, was the guest speaker. He shared about the daily challenges that social workers face.  

“Often workers are faced with secondary trauma that goes unrecognized or diagnosed and they need support,” said Kenny. 

He also spoke about support and things Trillium Health Resources was doing to help support social workers prevent tragedies like accidental shootings and attempted suicides. 

“Welfare workers have to talk about firearm safety in every single home they go into, many people do not know that, but child welfare workers are mandated to do that in the state of North Carolina, and to help keep the community safer in Duplin County we provided [Duplin County Department of Social Services] with a free supply of gun locks that they can distribute,” said Kenny, explaining that if a social worker comes across a home with an unsecured firearm, they can provide that family with a 15-inch cable gun lock free of charge. 

“We just want to help make Duplin County and every county in North Carolina safer,” said Kenny. 

According to Kenny, in North Carolina: 

• There are over 12,000 kids in foster care  
• One in four youths experience some sort of abuse or neglect. 
• Annually there are over 21,000 victims of abuse or neglect. 
• 1,588 people die annually at the hands of a firearm, with 54% deaths caused by suicide, 41% by homicide and the rest are either unintentional or undetermined. Many are wounded in a suicide attempt. “So, they didn’t succeed in killing themselves, but they have some lifelong effects unfortunately,” said Kenny. “And is one of the leading causes of deaths in kids and teens.” 

Visit preventchildabusenc.org to learn more about recognizing and reporting child abuse. 

WALLACE — The town of Wallace now has a new place for kids, adults and even dogs to run, walk, play and escape to nature, as the ribbon was cut to officially open Farrior Park at Boney Mill Pond on Thursday, April 18.

“This is an exciting day for the town of Wallace,” Wallace Mayor Jason Wells said. “This has been a long time coming, and a dream and a vision that is finally coming to reality.”

The ribbon cutting signaled the dedication of Phase 3 of 200-acre Farrior Park, which was formerly known as the Boney Mill Pond Project, Parks and Recreation Director David Bizzell said.

“A little over 10 years ago, the Parks and Recreation Department approached the town council of Wallace and said, ‘Hey, we need some more space. We want to do some more things, and we’re growing.’ Thankfully, the town council agreed with us and 10 years later, here we are.”

Phase 3 includes a new playground, picnic shelters, bathrooms, a walking trail around the smaller pond, dog park, corn hole and horseshoe area, and a kayak launch at Boney Mill Pond.

The park was named for former Mayor Charley Farrior, who was instrumental in making the park a reality. “First and foremost, we want to thank former Mayor Charley Farrior and the former town council, as well as the current town council for their support along the way on this project,” Wells said.

“There have been a lot of folks who helped this come to fruition,” he added, naming Brittany Shipp with Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF), Sarah Zambon with the North Carolina Department of Justice, North Carolina Wildlife, Todd McDuffee with Carolina Parks and Play, Rob Moul with Davey Resource Group, David Bradshaw, DPH Construction, the Wallace Rotary Club (which made a $25,000 donation), Friends of the Wallace Parks, various private donors, and the town of Wallace staff.

“It’s not just about a place to come and play; it’s about growing with your community,” the mayor said. “It’s about being the heartbeat of our town. Kids today are so tied up with cell phones and games and social media. This is a place for those youth and kids and adults alike to reconnect with nature and escape the daily stresses.”

Many people don’t know the park even exists, Wells said. They may drive by the Boney Mill on East Southerland Street and not know there’s an entire park down the gravel road of Rose Avenue.

“This is what I like to call Duplin County’s little diamond in the rough,” he said. “If you think about Wallace, the first thing that comes to my mind is the mill pond, but if you take a chance to come back here and explore and see what we have to offer, it truly is a diamond in the rough.”

When it was Farrior’s turn to speak, he stated, “Jason said it’s a diamond in the rough; I think it’s a diamond in Wallace’s crown.”

Farrior shared that the town had purchased the property in July of 2014. “The price of the property was $940,000,” Farrior said. “So, the first thing to do was try to figure out, how are we going to get the money?”

There were a couple of other properties the town had in mind for a new park, but it turned out that the Boney Mill Pond area won out in terms of its sheer size and beauty. In order to pay for the property, the town was awarded a PARTF grant, which paid about half the amount. The town was also awarded a Clean Water Grant, which accounted for another $250,000. “So we ended up borrowing about $220,000 to buy this property,” Farrior explained. “I’ll make that trade any day. We had it paid off in three years.”

Now that Phase 3 is complete, the town hopes to add in soccer and baseball fields, as well as revamp the old Boney Mill itself.

“My dream and hope is that someday, we can get the mill house working again,” Farrior said.

He also talked about the tobacco barns and pack house that are at the rear of the property. “There’s a lot of history here,” he said. “It’s just a special place in my heart, a special place in Wallace.”