Grandmothers against child abuse working to help center raise money

Lily Hill and Beverly “B-Kay” Van Es have been trying to raise awareness of child abuse for almost four years now through an effort that uses yard signs, bumper stickers and wrist bands.

The message they put on the signs — “Be aware. Child abuse can be anywhere!!! Call 911.” — grew out of their resolve to do something after the killing of a 19-month-old North Newton boy, Vincent Hill. The two Wichita grandmothers also have held child-abuse-prevention talks in schools.

So it makes sense to the two women to help raise money for the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County, which serves abused children.

The CAC is raising money to open a facility that would put all the services that children need under one roof. The center needs to raise about $300,000 by Dec. 15 for a challenge grant and after that must raise $2.3 million to complete the fundraising campaign, said the CAC’s executive director, Diana Schunn.

Hill, 68, and Van Es, 74, who sometimes call themselves God’s Grandmas, are partnering with the CAC to host a November meeting to raise awareness and, they hope, some money for the CAC endeavor.

The two grandmothers have been handing out fliers that say, “Be informed about the safety of all our children.” The fliers are publicizing the meeting, at 6 p.m. Nov. 9 at Asbury Church, 2801 W. 15th St., near St. Paul, between West Street and McLean Boulevard. There is seating for 350 people. Donations will be accepted for the center. Schunn, Van Es and Hill will speak.

“We’re doing what we can,” Van Es said. “There are a lot of ordinary people that will give what they can, and we want to give them that opportunity.”

When the two grandmothers told Schunn that the Nov. 9 event might not bring a ton of donations, Van Es said Schunn told them not to worry, that it’s “going to raise prevention … we’re going to raise awareness.”

The two women will be giving out their anti-child-abuse yard signs at the November meeting.

“We’re just doing what God wants us to do,” Van Es said.

For more information, Van Es can be contacted at 316-838-8601, and Hill can be reached at 316-943-1437.

This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 6:57 AM with the headline "Grandmothers against child abuse working to help center raise money."