RCC plans background checks on volunteersBy Tom Joyce, The Mount Airy News click here to link back to original source In what one official described as a sign of the times, Reeves Community Center has announced plans for criminal background checks on facility volunteers for the first time in its 57-year history.
Alexander explained that the small-town atmosphere of a community where everyone knows everyone else has made criminal background checks seem somewhat unnecessary in the past. However, times are changing, and efforts to safeguard children from predators are on the increase.
“It is, across the state, becoming more imperative,” Alexander said. John Moore, the chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, said that a similar program has been in place for soccer programs statewide for the past two years. The launching of the background checks is coinciding with RCC's spring sports season, for which signups will begin soon. Information about the new requirement will be included in the coaching packets issued for spring sports. “I think it's a very bold, positive step for our programs,” Alexander said, adding that she sees the new requirement as elevating them to a higher level. All volunteers who lend their services throughout the year will be required to undergo a criminal background check that the RCC official called “pretty standard.” She could not supply a precise figure on how many individuals will be affected. The background investigations will be performed by the Mount Airy Police Department, so Reeves Community Center will incur no costs as a result of the new initiative. Many of the center's volunteers are parents with children enrolled in programs there, Alexander said, some of whom coach their own kids. The new requirement should provide an assurance to those with children in programs they aren't directly involved in, she added. Alexander pointed out that since Reeves Community Center is an arm of city government, the background checks will offer protections for the municipality as well, showing that a “good-faith effort” was mounted to prevent cases of victimization. “It's an important step,” she said. 0 TrackBacksListed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: RCC plans background checks on volunteers. TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.inforegistry.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/62 |
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