We would prefer not to believe that a baby boy could suffer the physical abuse of fractures of his arms, legs and skull before he was even 1 month old. We simply cannot imagine anyone leaving this infant alone in his crib with a rancid bottle and unchanged diapers. From the first month of his life he learned to expect rejection, and a string of foster homes provided it.
But that little boy was not lost to society. He was sent to live at the group home at the Children's Center. He learned to trust and love and within 16 months was able to be adopted into a loving family.The Children's Center program of early intervention has provided a lifeline to 1,163 families in the past year. The center is a private non-profit agency that treats troubled children from the ages of 2 to 7. Founded in 1962, the center is now the largest clinical agency of its kind in the United States.
Programs offered at the Children's Center include day treatment, five days a week; afterschool therapy; a group home for 24-hour care for court referred children; a mother-toddler program; parenting classes; and individual parent counseling.
Certainly not all troubled children have been abused. Many come from the most loving and concerned homes and were simply born with difficult temperaments. One set of parents questioned their ability because their 2-year-old daughter threw tantrums that lasted two hours. After one year in day treatment, the parents indicated they were at last a "happy family."
According to the Children's Center, the following characteristics indicate a child that needs help:
- The child who does not talk or look at you, or smile when happy, or cry when he is hurt.
- The child who can't sit still or get involved in play.
- The child who is always angry, hits, spits or bites without provocation.
- The child who sits alone in a world of his or her own and excludes parents, grandparents, siblings and peers.
- The child who has been deeply hurt.
While all children may exhibit these behaviors some of the time, help is needed when they occur most of the time.
With a staff of 85 and a volunteer force of 100 per week, the Children's Center has become a respected resource for emotionally and behaviorally disturbed children. Children's Center board members are deeply committed to the work of the center. Mary Thiriot is a board member who is serving as administrative chairwoman for the La Caille benefit on June 18 (please see related story). She said, "This benefit is really labor-intensive. It's a lot of work, but it's for a great cause.
"The owners of La Caille pull out all the stops for us to give us such a gorgeous setting for our party," Thiriot said. "The Children's Center's motto is `Our little children in big trouble need your help.' Early intervention becomes more crucial to reach children before they become juvenile delinquents. At the center they can still be molded and helped," she said.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
`For the Love of Children' benefit
When: Thursday, June 18
Where: La Caille at Quail Run
What: Dinner, dancing and auctions
Available: Round-trip tickets for two to Berlin from American Airlines; season tickets to The Salt Lake Acting Company, Theater Works West and Park City Performances; Utah Symphony and Ballet West tickets; an Autumn Aloft balloon ride in Park City; a pair of autographed basketball shoes from Mark Eaton; tickets to Harry Connick Jr. in Las Vegas and Natalie Cole at the Delta Center; $500 gift certificates from Bill Loya and from ZCMI; a painting by Gary Collins; dinner at Shenanigans, the Trolley Pub, Kyoto's, Mandarin, Le Parisien, the Sante Fe Restaurant, the Chart House and more; two nights at golfer's paradise, Boulders Resort and Club in Carefree, Ariz.; two nights at Belle de Jour in Sonoma Valley, Calif., and a week's stay in a condo at the Imperial Hawaii Resort at Waikiki.
Presenting sponsors: Intermountain Health Care and Nordstrom.
Tickets: Call the Children's Center at 582-5534.