A Kaleidoscope of Safety

By Stephanie Weaver

For several weeks, the walls on the second floor of the Berks County Services Center will be adorned with special artwork as part of a collaboration between Berks County Children and Youth Services and GoggleWorks Center for the Arts.

The artwork, which is on display until April 17, will help raise awareness and recognize April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Berks CYS and GoggleWorks teamed up years ago to host a similar art display that featured adult artists, but this time the colorful creations are all from local children.

The exhibit will feature between 50 and 60 individual and collaborative pieces that represent what being safe means and looks like to the young artists.

“We’re rekindling the relationship with GoggleWorks to give us the opportunity to have the children in our community creatively express what safety means to them,” said Elizabeth Monick, Manager of In-Home Services for Berks County CYS.

Monick said the project is a great reflection of Berks County Children and Youth Services’ mission to protect children and assure their physical and emotional well-being as provided by law, and to preserve, strengthen and empower their families.

After their time in the Services Center, the artwork will be moved to the GoggleWorks, where it will be on display for the rest of April. Levi Landis, the executive director for GoggleWorks, said it was an honor to partner with Berks County CYS on this meaningful project.