TOLEDO, Ohio — Lucas County Children Services hosted its annual memorial to remember children, ranging from a few weeks to 17 years old, who were victims of abuse, neglect or community gun violence over the past year.
LCCS hosts the event to raise awareness while advocating for the children no longer living. Organizers said it's important to never forget that more work needs to be done to protect those who can't protect themselves.
Between the event's keynote speaker, spoken word and songs, the community room air was thick with sadness. Faces were full of sorrow for the 14 children honored at the event.
This county has chosen to use this time to remember and honor all the children that have died in the previous year," said LCCS Executive Director Randall Muth.
There were 1,433 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Lucas County in 2023, according to LCCS. Muth said while it is a 10% decrease from 2022, the issue is still present.
"You've heard the adage, 'It takes a community to raise a child.' It also takes a community to protect a child," he said.
LCCS has held an annual memorial for the past 13 years with the goal of preventing these deaths from happening.
"One of the things we do at Lucas County Children Services is reach out to the communities, reach out to the grassroots organizations," Muth said. "Instead of going out and saying, 'community, this is what you need to do,' we go out and say, 'community, what do you need from us? How can we support you?'"
LCCS works to prevent child abuse and neglect through the Parent Empowerment Institute, which has graduated more than 300 parents and caregivers and given them healthy and knowledgeable skills they can use at home or in the community.
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