Kirby: Shaniya anniversary a reminder of the fight

Kirby: Shaniya anniversary a reminder of the fight
JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
If you want to know about child abuse in this community, look no further than the tombstone at Fayetteville Memorial Cemetery.
Or ride along Walker Road near Sanford, where some say you can still find a cross or a teddy bear or two, where the body of Shaniya Nicole Davis, 5, was found Nov. 16, 2009.
"I was not involved in that case," says Sharon Davis Koonce, a victim/family advocate at the Child Advocacy Center. "But I see every day the devastating consequences of child abuse, not only on the child victim but on the family and the community as well.
"I believe every child deserves to live in a safe, nurturing environment with family who love and protect them.
"And we need all the support Fayetteville can give us to stop child abuse in our community," says Koonce, who wants to remind all of us about the center's seventh annual Blue Jean Ball.
The family event, for parents, grandparents, youth and anyone who is concerned about child abuse, is scheduled Saturday at 7 p.m. at Highland Country Club.
Adult tickets are $60. Youth tickets are $30, and all proceeds benefit the Child Advocacy Center.
Tickets can be purchased online at childadvocacycenter.com or by calling 486-9700 until 3 p.m. today. And tickets will be available Saturday at the ball.
This year's theme is "Back to the '50s," says Jean Harrison, and participants are encouraged to wear 1950s costumes or casual denim attire.
And that means you fellows can comb your hair into a duck tail like the Fonz of "Happy Days" fame, and you ladies can pull out your old poodle skirts.
Younger folks will enjoy a party featuring a disc jockey, dancing and plenty to eat, while adults will have their own disc jockey, too, silent and live auctions and heavy hors d'oeuvres.
More than 300 people turned out for last year's ball, and center officials say $175,000 has been raised since the ball's beginnings.
"Special events and fundraisers like the Blue Jean Ball make up 28 percent of our revenues," says Roberta Humphries, executive director of the center that provides support for abused children.
"It would not be possible for us to provide services to approximately 500 child abuse victims each year without the community's support and the fantastic volunteers who make these events happen."
You can count folks such as Linda Braswell, Taylor Stephenson, Neil Bergman, Julia Adkins, Kenneth Barefoot, Mike Morketter, Amy Perko, Juanita Pilgrim, Buntie Russ, Lucy Jones, Wendy Vonnegut, Garry Winebarger, Dr. Howard Loughlin and Chief District Court Judge Beth Keever among those volunteers, and many more.
Shaniya Nicole Davis was a precious little girl whose life was worth a mere $200, an innocent child who was a sexual pawn for a drug debt. Then the breath was snuffed out of her, and she was left among kudzu and deer carcasses in Lee County.
"At the Child Advocacy Center," Koonce says, " we provide hope and healing to these most vulnerable children."