The Central Texas Council of Child Protection Boards presented its 2011 Volunteer of the Year Award to Bill Swiss at the annual Regional Awards Luncheon on May 19 in Salado. The Central Texas Council of Child Protection Boards includes Boards from 30 counties in Central Texas.

Bill has been a member of the Blanco County Child Protection and Family Advocacy Board since 2004, and served as Vice-President in 2005 and 2006 and as President from 2007 through 2010. Bill’s leadership has been instrumental in the Board’s growth into a robust, active, and generous partner to Blanco County children in Child Protective Services (CPS) custody and to underprivileged community children and families in need of services. After networking with other Child Protection Boards, Bill applied for, and received, 501c3 (non-profit) status for the Blanco County Board, then began speaking to local churches and civic organizations about child protection, actively raising funds and increasing the size of the Board from 4 to 12 members. To further advocate for prevention of child abuse, Bill has worked with legal and law enforcement entities and has helped the Board develop a strong relationship with Blanco County schools.

The Board also works to raise awareness of child protection in the community and supplements the support provided for children in Child Protective Services custody. Each Blanco County child in CPS custody receives money for fall and spring clothing from the Board in addition to birthday money, Christmas gifts, and bi-monthly greeting cards with spending money. The Board also provides funds for summer camp, music lessons, and other extracurricular activities based on the children’s interests. When made aware of underprivileged community children’s needs, the Board has provided clothing, school supplies, and other basic services.

The Blanco County Child Protection and Family Advocacy Board is grateful to Bill for his leadership and his dedication to serving these children and congratulates Bill on this very well-deserved award.

One of Bill’s concerns is that child abuse cases in Blanco County are under-reported. If you know of a child who is being neglected or abused, please call the Abuse Hotline toll-free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 1-800-252-5400, or make your report through the secure web site, www.txabusehotline.org. If it is a life-threatening or emergency situation, call your local law enforcement agency or 911 immediately, and then make a report to the Abuse Hotline or website.