Article by Mary Jane Dye, Editor, Golden Gazette, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2021 October)
Volunteering captures the all-American spirit of helping one’s neighbors—young, old, and in-between. In Fairfax County, this spirit thrives and swells with people wanting to make a difference in someone’s life. In fact, there are so many options for volunteering that sometimes it is difficult to pick one. Luckily, the choice was easy for Jackie Hess: the Body Safety Program.
It was May 2019 when Jackie retired after a 48-year career during which she held several interesting and diverse positions. She was looking forward to helping others on a local level in a meaningful way. “I care a great deal about children and was looking for a program that focused on their welfare,” says Jackie. “The Body Safety Program immediately came to mind. It stood out as extremely important.”
She first learned about this valuable year-round program through the Golden Gazette. “I read it every month and always peruse the volunteer section,” she explains. “It’s really great to see all the diverse programs, but I knew this was the one for me.” Without hesitation, she called the program lead and just two months after retiring, Jackie completed training and was certified to instruct children in Body Safety.
Body Safety is housed under the umbrella of the Department of Family Services’ Volunteer & Partner Services program providing support to families with children at risk of abuse and neglect. Jackie felt that if children needed help, she would do it. “It’s so important that children be safe from abuse!” she emphasizes.
Jackie understands that safe children will thrive physically, educationally, and emotionally. “If not safe, all aspects of their development suffer terribly.” According to Francesca Watson, Body Safety Program coordinator, most child abuse and neglect cases occur when the child knows or lives with their abuser. “As adults we owe it to children to do all we can to protect them,” says Francesca.
Jackie’s responsibilities with the program changed during COVID-19. When the schools closed, Body Safety began offering virtual instruction. Now that schools have re-opened, she is excited to get back into elementary school classrooms to instruct children. “Body Safety has an excellent curriculum based on teaching five basic rules and importantly, it is tailored to each grade.” Jackie says that the virtual training reduced the number of children reached but, “We were able to have individualized instruction with children who would benefit the most.”
The program includes specific type of survey to track progress made by the children in learning how to help adults keep them safe. Jackie does her best to reassure and persuade her students to disclose abuse to an adult who can help them. “The single hardest thing for them is to accept that it is okay to tell a secret if that secret is hurting them.”
Jackie firmly believes that Body Safety makes a difference. “It may not be immediate, but the ideas that we convey may help them deal with a difficult situation years later,” she explained. Although talking with children about abuse and neglect is not a fun thing to do, Jackie is convinced it’s an extremely important thing to do. “I’m proud to be associated with a program that reaches so many children and helps them acquire the vocabulary and tools to deal with any current or future threats to their safety.”
Volunteering is nothing new to Jackie. She’s always volunteered, but her former positions were less time intensive. Jackie says that one of the things she was looking forward to in retirement was having the ability to get deeply involved with one or two programs. “There’s simply a great need for volunteers in every aspect of life and across all age groups.” She doesn’t want to spread herself too thin, though. “I’ve picked two programs that I can devote adequate time to.”
In addition to the Body Safety Program, Jackie is currently the president of George Mason Friends which is associated with the George Mason Regional Library. “Our activities provide a great deal of resources for several libraries and for adult and child literacy programs throughout Fairfax County.”
Jackie’s message is to encourage everyone who has the capacity to volunteer to do so. “There’s really nothing more important than helping people, particularly the most vulnerable among us.”
Get more information about the Body Safety Program or call 703-324-7459.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).