One of the busiest places in Cass County last week was the Child Protective Service office in Atlanta.
For two hours, volunteer members of the board wrapped and sorted Christmas gifts for children.
The adults moved quickly and efficiently, totally concentrating on their work.
The CPS board is made up of Sue Berry, David Wall, Carol Ammon, Deborah Crenshaw, Pat Grogan and Cecil McCraw, all of Atlanta, and Zina Arnold of Linden and Ruth Ann Duncan of Marietta. Rose Tisdale is secretary.
The board meets monthly to see what it can do to help children who have been removed from their homes. It's a difficult but necessary and rewarding task, said Cecil McCraw, board president.
"We operate at an arm's length distance from the local courts, which make the decisions about children," McCraw said. The board even provides some financial assistance where needed and is always appreciative of financial support.
"Our budget is about $24,000 per year," he said. "We receive a lot of our support each year from a day-long auction held at the Mattie Lanier Community in the early spring. This is strongly supported by Robert DelGiorno and the local KPYN radio station."
The board is also needed because officials don't always have a place to send children needing care while in the state's temporary supervision. The local board is working with Cornerstone Assembly of God at the corner of West Main and South Louise streets to have their family life building serve as an emergency care center for children.
The CPS board is a voluntary group that assists the Texas Child Protective Services, the state's organization that functions when children are in state care.
TCPS has responsibility for investigating reports of child abuse and neglect, providing services to family and children in their own home, placing children in foster care and helping them advance to adulthood, and helping children get adopted.