RELEASE: April 2, 2003

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2003 CAP Awards Luncheon to kick off Child Assault Prevention Month

Parents, DYFS workers, community partners join activists, law enforcement and educators to safeguard children

TRENTON, NEW JERSEY – “Where were you when I was 8 years old?” was a question written by a teacher on the back of a CAP evaluation sheet, and it serves as one of the powerful endorsements for the work being done by the New Jersey Child Assault Prevention (CAP) project.

Traditionally, the stories of the awardees bring tears to the eyes of the hundreds expected to attend the 2003 New Jersey CAP Awards Luncheon slated for Friday, April 4th at the Westin Princeton Forrestal Village, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) staff members and public partners will be among 19 honored for making the prevention of child abuse a priority in their lives.

Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris will join her DYFS workers and dignitaries from the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, the Department of Education, and the NJ Child Assault Prevention project to honor those who have made a significant contribution to preventing child abuse

When she attended the luncheon for the first time last year, New Jersey’s First Lady Dina Matos McGreevey, this year’s Honorary Chairperson, was moved to tears and said, “the commitment of CAP is not only a testament to compassion and conviction, but also a special gift for all of New Jersey. CAP’s success lies in its grassroots approach and its focus on community involvement.”

Over 400 people annually attend the NJ CAP Annual Luncheon to pay tribute to award recipients from across the state. Two of this year’s awardees are members of the NJ Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect (TFCAN).

1. Joseph A. DelRusso, Esq. of Paterson, Passaic County, is the Chief Assistant Prosecutor in charge of the Passaic County Child Abuse Sex Crimes Unit since 1992 and is responsible for the Megan’s Law Unit in that office. He became certified and saw to it that New Jersey is one of five states to be certified as a model State for the American Prosecutor’s Research Institute (APRI) child sensitive “Finding Words” forensic interviewing protocol.

“Joe’s belief in continual improvement in how sex crimes against children are handled within law enforcement makes him a stand-out in the field of child abuse prevention,” said Sharon Surrette, LSW, Assistant Director of TFCAN. “He gives generously of his personal time to educate professionals across disciplines and across the state to understand sexual abuse from the child victim’s perspective.”

2. The second Task Force nominee is Maura Somers Dughi, Esq. of Watchung, Somerset County, whose first job in law was with New York City’s Legal Aid Society, as a Law Guardian in the Juvenile Rights Division. Making sure children were represented in court and received their needed services helped Maura realize that prevention had to play a larger role in the child protection system. For 16 years she has used her relationship with political, corporate and community leaders to rally support for the cause of preventing child abuse. She has worked with and represented New Jersey on the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse (NCPCA), and has served as President of the boards of directors of PCA America and PCA New Jersey, in addition to her work on the NJ Task Force.

Said Sidney Johnson, Executive Director of PCA in Chicago, “I have never worked with a Board Chair who invests anywhere near the time she does. She attends all our conferences – all over the country. She goes with me to speak to foundations. She takes every task we give her and fulfills it at the highest personal level. She is phenomenal.”

Other awardees related to the Department of Human Services include:

“DYFS Caseworker” category:
? Juana Carson, of Montclair, Essex County, who has been a DYFS caseworker in the Newark office for 18 years. Her style is to round up a “treatment team” for children requiring community based treatment consisting of relatives, school counselors and teachers, mental health therapists, foster parents or any other community support person who will help the child. Whether making extra phone calls to ensure their participation, or arrange their transportation or visits, she keeps on top of every child’s progress, “because this isn’t just a job” in her mind.

“DYFS Support Staff” category:
? Lynn Moryan, of Asbury Park, Monmouth County – a resource development specialist with the Monmouth County office e of DYFS, who “works tirelessly and creatively to match the appropriate services from a variety of providers, to a child in need,” according to Margaret Montone, CAP coordinator in Monmouth County. Lynn was a founding member of the Sexual Abuse Prevention Coalition of Monmouth County in the 80’s and helped establish the first Child Abuse Center that was sited at Jersey Shore Medical Center, in addition to speaking to countless groups of professionals, community groups, and clients on behalf of DYFS.

“Foster Parent” category:
? Barbara Cirigliano of Waldwick, Bergen County, who has had over 100 foster children in her home since 1982, beginning with newborns and infants, and moving on to older, harder-to-place girls. She’s a member of the Foster Parents Association Board, hosts the annual Christmas party for the DYFS foster children in Bergen County, and has success stories with saving youngsters from the depths of human suffering and nurturing them to the point of moving on to college and success in the world.

“Person in the Field” category:
Patricia “Pat” Myers, M.S.W., of Edison, Middlesex County, began as a caseworker for DYFS and rose to supervisor during her 13 years with the division. She moved on to help pioneer the Family Relations Center at UMDNJ and then coordinate the Sexual Abuse Medical clinic at Robert Wood Johnson. “Her ability to engage families through her respectful attitude, convenient home visits, and efficient linking to needed resources was legendary,” said Nancy Harrison, Psy.D. of Legal Services of New Jersey. She has devoted the entire 27 years of her career to the field of child abuse prevention and intervention. “She has learned the field not merely from a social work standpoint but from multiple perspectives – prevention, mental health, medical, and legal… allowing her to see the “big picture” and therefore advise and/or intervene most wisely.”

“Business” category:
? Theresa and Andy Iliff, of Newton, Sussex County, who run Iliff Camp and Clinics for community youth who need emergency foster care placement or respite from their problems at their summer camp. They’ve even given teenage DYFS involved youth the opportunity to become junior counselors at their program.

Based out of its headquarters in Sewell, New Jersey, NJ CAP’s programs include Elementary CAP, Preschool CAP, Special Needs CAP, Teen CAP, Violence Prevention Through Conflict Resolution, and No More Bullies, No More Victims. CAP’s threefold approach to prevention includes teachers/staff inservice, parent programs and children’s workshops. Since its inception in 1985, the national CAP program has trained 2,233,470 children and 203,730 adults. Over 8,768 schools nationwide have participated in the CAP program.

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