Wayne County Children Services Calling All Heroes walk set
Christopher Milo, an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, motivational speaker and creator of “13 Messages from Milo,” will be the guest speaker. Milo has spoken to over half a million students, educators and parents on topics including leadership, anti-bullying, suicide prevention and more.
Wayne County Children Services will host a Calling All Heroes walk and presentation on April 29 from 5-6:30 p.m. at the Kinney path in order to raise awareness about child abuse.
Christopher Milo, an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, motivational speaker and creator of “13 Messages from Milo,” will be the guest speaker. Milo has spoken to over half a million students, educators and parents on topics including leadership, anti-bullying, suicide prevention and more.
“April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and we wanted to do something to raise awareness locally,” said Lisa Kopczinski, volunteer coordinator at WCCS.
Kopczinski said the walk and program should help participants “find the hero within themselves and then be able to be a hero in the eyes of a child.”
According to the 2019 PCSAO Fact Book, there were more than 1,000 reports of child abuse or neglect, dependency, or families in need of services in Wayne County.
“We wanted to shine a light, not only on the problem that exists,” Kopczinski said, “but also to highlight ways we can help address it here in our community.”
WCCS’s Jacki Wynn said, “Although it’s a very serious subject, we want to stress we expect this to be a very uplifting and inspirational event.”
The free family-friendly walk is approximately three-quarters of a mile around the walking path, and there are benches available for resting.
“People aren’t required to walk either,” Kopczinski said. “They are welcome to come just for the presentation if they want.”
“We are encouraging participants to wear superhero shirts, costumes or blue shirts,” Wynn said.
The presentation will be held in a big tent on the Kinney grounds, rain or shine. Caring Therapy Canines also will be present.
It was because of a reference from the Hope for this Step suicide prevention and survivors walk held annually at Oak Hill Park that WCCS enlisted Milo’s help.
Kopczinski said, “Stephanie Fish from Hope for this Step told us they absolutely loved Christopher Milo and urged us to consider him for our event, which they are helping to sponsor.”
Milo, who sports an extreme mohawk haircut, has chosen to share his story and his music to help others. He has led workshops in his team-building efforts in Medina, Cloverleaf Middle School and Mentor High School, and at Cleveland State University, just to name a few area events.
“We have had a significant change in culture since his presentation,” said Brian Madigan, principal of Cloverleaf Middle School. “His energy and passion provide a spark to ignite the change.”
Madigan said he had high expectations for Milo. “I didn’t want just a ‘flash-in-the-pan’ one-day assembly.”
Milo possesses an energy and passion “that is contagious,” Madigan said. “His presence is remarkable.”
“Milo understands the importance of our youth and fostering positivity and hope in them and for them,” said Ashley Kreiner, resource-development coordinator for Upstate Family Resource Center.
Milo, who was once told he would never walk again due to childhood cancer, has authored the book, “It’s Not About Me.” He has developed “Thirteen messages from Milo,” positive character traits including the messages “be positive, be genuine, be accepting, love one another, listen, communicate, work together, be curious, inspire, coach, use your talents, be creative and trust.”
“If we spend more time on these 13 messages, we’d spend less time on texting horrible messages, making inappropriate posts on social media and we might be less judgmental,” Milo said.
Wynn said she expects the presentation to last about 45 minutes.
“We encourage people to bring soccer (folding) chairs or blankets,” Wynn said.
WCCS is supported by a local levy and state and federal funding but can use many more volunteers in addition to foster parents, according to Wynn.
“We’ll have information available to people for how they might volunteer,” Wynn said. “We have special projects, for example cleaning visitation rooms, playground maintenance, teams to prepare for birthday celebrations and so forth. And if people don’t have the time but want to contribute, we have our closet of hope taking donations that help families purchase clothing.”
For more information visit the Wayne County Children Services website at www.waynecsb.org or call 330-345-5340 with questions.
Wayne County Children Services is located at 2534 Burbank Road in Wooster.