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Author plans book signings, seminar for Child Abuse Prevention Month
The Manchester Times, March 29, 2006 by Linda Barr
K.F. Stewart of Beech Grove, author and columnist for the Manchester Times, is planning a number of events to get her message across for Child Abuse Prevention Month (April).
She plans to hold a book signing for her first published work, “Twenty-One-Gun Salute: Memoirs of Inno-cence Lost — Freedom Found,” at the Manchester Christian bookstore My Se-cret Place on April 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The book signing, originally set for April 22, was moved forward due to a scheduling conflict. Another signing is set for May 6 at Hastings book and novelty store in Tullahoma from 2 to 4 p.m. Both stores have agreed to shelve Stew-art’s book.
The author knows all too well the horrors of child abuse. “Twenty-One-Gun Salute” is Stewart’s personal story on how, at a very tender age, a close family member stole her childhood inno-cence. But that wasn’t the end of her nightmare. After her abuser was laid to rest with a 21-gun salute, she became the victim of sexual and physical abuse as a teen and young adult.
Stewart leaves out the lu-rid details and offers hope to others through her victory by “giving it to God.”
In addition to the book-stores mentioned above, Stewart’s book can be or-dered through any bookstore, ISBN # 1-41376226-3, or online at www.publishamerica.com/books/8143, www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.
Stewart wants to leave no doubt that her primary pur-pose in telling her story is to save other children from the debilitating effects of abuse. She has pledged all the royal-ties from “Twenty-One-Gun Salute” to the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center, a child-friendly shelter for severely abused children in the area. More than 103 child victims have been inter-viewed at the center since its inception on June 1, 2005.
She has created a chil-dren’s picture-book adven-ture story — “The Magical Dolphins on Personal Safety,” that “teaches valu-able lessons on personal safety in a fun, yet non-threatening manner.” A Mot-low student is currently illus-trating the book. Sam Davis, a Coffee County Central High School student is creat-ing the cover design.
The main purpose through the lessons of the children’s book, Stewart says, “is to teach children that they don’t have to be afraid to say ‘no’ and most importantly to tell if they are being threatened or touched inappropriately.” Stewart is hoping that, with the help of the Coffee County school system, The “Magical Dolphins on Personal Safety” can be placed in every school in the county, state and be-yond through the Scholastic book program.
“Coffee County schools would get credit as well as the funds this book would bring in through royalties,” she says. “It will be an in-valuable resource for children as well as parents.”
Although Stewart would like the school system to support her in getting the book published, she is seek-ing any organization within the county that shares her vision and can help get the resource into the schools.
Although she is now a pre-nursing student at Motlow, Stewart is forging ahead with yet another project, a chil-dren’s coloring book that teaches safety lessons — Lennie the Lion Knows all About Personal Safety. Jackie Barr, also a student at Coffee County Central High School, has been commissioned to do the illustrations.
Stewart was recently in-terviewed by Fantasy 101.5 FM on child abuse preven-tion. Her show will air on the radio station’s Mature Mood program hosted by Winston Wallace on Sunday, April 9, and Sunday, April 30, at 8:05 a.m. both mornings.
In addition, Stewart will speak on child abuse preven-tion at Motlow State Com-munity College. The pro-gram, titled “An Informed Child is a Safe Child,” is set for April 12 from 11 a.m. to noon in the Forrester Center Jack Daniel Dining Room. Stewart says her talk will focus on parent safety tips designed to protect children from predators. For details, contact Marilyn Cooley, Motlow director of health services and wellness, at 393-1768 or mcooley@mscc.edu.
“My hope is that this seminar will be the first of many,” Stewart says. “I am only one person, but believe there are many others who there are many others who share my vision.”
Stewart hopes to educate others on the dangers of child abuse through her “Parenting Jewels” column in the ‘Times,’ as well as her safety tips for both children and parents on her Web site, www.safekidzz.com. Her mission appears in the “About the author” section on her Web page:
“Author, mother of 10 and grandmother of six, K.F. Stewart, a victim of sexual molestation as a small child, has become driven with a fierce heart of compassion to get other concerned par-ents/grandparents on fire and involved in their children’s lives…
“Her deepest desire is to get others fired up with the crucial message that child molestation is a horrendous crime and resources are needed to empower children with the courage to tell.”
Through her endeavors she hopes to share with commu-nity clubs, schools, etc. the most important fact that ‘Our children are our greatest treasures; therefore deserve our greatest protection.’”
Stewart believes that “Strong lives are motivated by dynamic purposes.” Any-one interested in joining Stewart’s fight to protect children can contact her at kfstew@safekidzz.com.
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