Children’s Advocacy Center trustees Peter Flaherty (left) and DA Conley (right) flank Boston’s First Lady, Angela Menino, and child abuse prosecutor Leora Joseph on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, where more than 1100 crocus bulbs have been planted, each one representing a child referred to the CAC after allegations of abuse in 2010. The bulbs are expected to bloom in April 2012, coinciding with Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today joined with First Lady of Boston Angela Menino, Boston Parks Commissioner Antonia Pollak, and other dignitaries for Hope Blooms, a fundraising campaign benefitting the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County.
Conley delivered the following remarks as volunteers planted 1122 crocus bulbs on the Rose Kennedy Greenway:
“This morning, volunteers from the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County are planting more than 1100 crocus bulbs along the Greenway. Each one of them represents a child referred to the CAC last year after allegations of abuse.
“These bulbs will remain in the ground here through the rain later today and the long New England winter to come. It will be cold and snowy and probably feel like it will never end. But those short, dark days will grow longer and brighter over time. Months from now, in the spring, these bulbs will bloom. The care we take in planting them today will finally be seen when they flower – bright and beautiful and full of hope after months in silent darkness.
“And this is the fundamental work of the Children’s Advocacy Center. It’s not to make wounded children and families whole again overnight – no one can do that. But the CAC can help them through the darkness so that one day, not long from now, they can see the sunshine again.
“This is why I’ve lent my unconditional support to the Children’s Advocacy Center, its staff, and its mission. The CAC is the primary link between my office and dozens of law enforcement, non-profit, health care treatment, and social service agencies. It coordinates services and maximizes support to the child victims of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
“As a prosecutor, I’ve seen the CAC make our criminal cases stronger. As an advocate for victims, I’ve seen the CAC support these young children and their non-offending caregivers through their darkest hours. I’ve seen CAC programs change the way we look at issues like commercial sexual exploitation of children, providing the framework for legislation I filed to expand statewide our safe harbor policy for prostituted youth.
“With all our assembled dignitaries, volunteers, and guests here, I’d be remiss if I didn’t recognize someone whose commitment to this important work has made the CAC what it is today. She’s been a driving force behind some of our greatest accomplishments on behalf of the most innocent, most vulnerable members of society. She’s a behind-the-scenes powerhouse for children, and she’s one of the quiet heroes who make this city great – she’s Susan Goldfarb, executive director of the CAC, and she deserves a round of applause.
“We won’t see these bulbs bloom until sometime in April of 2012, which will be Child Abuse Prevention Month. But thanks to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, and thanks to supporters like you, hope blooms for the child victims of violence every single day of the year.”
Conley is a member of the CAC board of trustees and an honorary co-chair of the Hope Blooms campaign. To learn more about the project or to sponsor a crocus bulb to benefit abused children, visit the Hope Blooms page on the CAC’s website.
