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Rotary Club announces new officers

Carl Nichols

ELKINS — New officers of the Rotary Club of Elkins were announced Monday, and Heather Goodwin Henline, publisher and general manager of The Inter-Mountain, will serve as president of the group of business owners and professionals who focus on service to the community.

Carl Nichols will serve as vice-president, Merllene Yorkey will serve as secretary/treasurer, Karen Jacobson as program chair and Joann Fussell as sergeant-at-arms.

The club’s new board members are Scott Harris, Brad Walters, Mike Bell and Scotty Marshall. These officers will join other officers already in place.

An officer induction ceremony is scheduled for June.

Also at Monday’s meeting:

Heather Goodwin Henline

• Margot Kubichek, executive director of the Randolph/Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center, was the guest speaker for Monday’s meeting. Kubichek noted she and her staff conduct Prevention and Community Education programs.

They act as stewards of children, emphasize mandated reporting and conduct customized workshops. Kubichek said they teach children about inappropriate touching and teach adults how to respond to allegations.

The CAC serves children under 18 and young adults with disabilities, but Kubichek stated that most children reporting abuse are under 9. One in 10 children are likely to be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Of those children, 1 in 4 are girls, and 1 in 6 are boys. Ninety percent are abused by someone they know, and most do not tell anyone.

Kubichek also said children are often being abused in families where substance abuse is occurring, and noted physical abuse and child neglect are on the rise.

The CAC is an accredited facility where a multidisciplinary team, knowledgeable about cultural competency and diversity, conducts forensic interviews, makes victim reports and advocates for victims and their families. Victims receive medical evaluations and mental health services through community agencies.

The CAC also conducts case reviews and tracks cases. Kubichek noted the child abuse system is changing. Today, rather than subjecting the child to interviews by officials from multiple agencies, officials see a video interview of the child telling about abuse. Coordinated services are then made available to help the child and family.

Kubichek said all but three counties in West Virginia are associated with a CAC. The agencies work to promote healing for victimized children and their families, but they also work to make sure that child abusers are prosecuted. The centers receive some state and federal funding, but rely heavily on community support and fundraising.

On April 21, a dinner and live auction will be offered to help raise funds for the Randolph/Tucker Children’s Advocacy Center. More information about the dinner and auction will be forthcoming, said Kubichek.

• Bonnie Branciaroli, co-owner of Pegasus Farm Campground, announced she will embark on a two-month trip to Europe, where she will attend meetings and interact with members of other chapters of Rotary Club International.

Branciaroli will begin her adventure in Rome, where she will attend a crowd-funding event, which she believes is intended to help victims of the recent earthquakes that ocurred in Italy. She will then travel to Crete, where she will visit two Rotary clubs.

Next, Branciaroli will attend a monthly business meeting of the Paris Rotary Club. In March, she will visit Rotary Clubs in Spain and Portugal. She will return to the United States on April 1.

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