STUART — It was a solemn ceremony, the wind softly blowing the blue and white flags bearing the names of the small victims of child abuse and neglect. The crowd stood silent, tears streaming down most faces, as the parade of flags marched across the parking lot. One by one, the flags were placed in the ground, each one representing the death of a child.

CASTLE’s Dedication Ceremony, an annual event in each of the four counties on the Treasure Coast, gives loved ones and strangers, an opportunity to honor and remember the children who have made the ultimate sacrifice through child abuse. Bob Baldassari, President of CASTLE’s Board of Directors was passionate about the agency’s goal. “Our mission is to look at this field one day and see no flags,” he said during the ceremony. The Memory Field travels throughout the Treasure Coast, staying in place for one week in each county. Six years after the Memory Field program began, the number of children represented has grown dramatically. “Nearly eight-hundred kids have been memorialized here,” stated CASTLE Executive Director Theresa Garbarino-May, speaking at the ceremony. “Our first year, we had ninety-four flags. Today we have one-hundred and ninety-eight. This tragedy is preventable,” she said.

Garbarino-May went on to explain that most of the time, these children are abused for three reasons; excessive crying, potty training problems and feeding issues. However, due to funding and staff limitations, for every family they help, one family is turned away. She said this means there are children who are not being protected and parents who are not being trained to deal properly with these typical childhood issues.

Eula R. Clarke, a Stuart City Commissioner and a Parent and Divorce Attorney, has had a lot of experience dealing with CASTE and the many programs they offer. Clarke, who has a contract with the Justice Department Administration, represents families who have been referred to the Justice Department for various reasons. “Our goal, by referring these families to CASTLE, is to help redirect parents and children, to strengthen families, teach positive life skills to parents, and keep these families together,” she said. “There are not a lot of positive social programs offered locally, so CASTLE is a definite benefit to the communities they serve.”

A final moment of silence, punctuated with the haunting sound of TAPS, finished the ceremony. As guests wandered through the field of flags, several children could be seen running among the flags, laughing and calling out to each other, a reminder to the staff at CASTLE of the life and hope that all children deserve the moment they’re born. Watching the children play, CASTLE Development Director Chris Robertson smiled. “And that’s why we’re here,” he said.

The Martin County Memory Field, sponsored by Seacoast National Bank and Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, was held on Seacoast property at 815 Colorado Avenue at the corner of Colorado and U.S. #1 in Stuart. Future Memory Fields will take place in the remaining 3 counties of the Treasure Coast throughout the coming weeks. In Okeechobee the Memory Field will take place at Flagler Memorial Park the week of March 18th through March 25th with a dedication ceremony scheduled for March 22nd at 5:30 p.m. Indian River County will host the Memory Field March 25th through April 1st at the Vero Beach Press Journal on U.S. #1. Finally, in St. Lucie County, the Memory Field will be at CASTLE’s administrative offices on Midway Road from April 1st through April 8th, with the dedication ceremony at 5:30 p.m. on April 5th.

For more information about CASTLE’s programs or to sponsor the Memory Fields, call Kathleen Campanella at CASTLE at (772) 465-6011, extension 238 or e-mail her at kcampanella@castletc.org.

About CASTLE

CASTLE is a Florida non-profit agency offering parenting education via in-home counseling, monitored visitations, and classes for first time parents, parents going through a divorce and children experiencing confusion due to divorce. CASTLE serves the Treasure Coast and Okeechobee counties including Stuart, Port Saint Lucie, Fort Pierce and Vero Beach, with a mission to improve the quality of family life and prevent child abuse and neglect while teaching parents to love, nurture and discipline their children safely. CASTLE is a United Way partner organization and is supported by the area Children's Services Councils. CASTLE facilities are located in St. Lucie County (772-465-6011), Martin County (772-781-4510) and Indian River County (772-567-5700). You can also visit them on-line at www.castletc.org.