Taste of Rockwall May 13 features local restaurants, benefits family violence victims

(ROCKWALL, TX – Hungry? Then you’re invited to feast on “All-You-Can-Eat” free food samples from 20+ Rockwall area restaurants and food businesses at the “Taste Of Rockwall,” Saturday, May 13, 5-8 pm, at Rockwall High School, 901 W. Yellow Jacket Ln.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or, soon, online. The cost is $20 per person and $10 for children, 6-12. Children 5 and under are free.

The event is organized to benefit local family violence victims and prevention campaigns.by the Rockwall-based Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation. Board members include State Rep. Cindy Burkett, former State Sen. Bob Deuell, Rockwall attorney/author John Browning and Foundation President J.J. Smith, who previously owned The Rockwall News. The Foundation’s new website will be online soon for more info.

In years past, the event was organized by the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club, but they stopped scheduling it last year.

Smith said they especially want to launch programs to teach young children that they should tell on anyone who tries to harm them physically or sexually. He is himself a child abuse victim, having witnessed the murder-suicide of his mother by his father when he was 10 years old.

“It’s a state law that all public schools and daycare centers must provide programs that teach children, grades K-12, that they should tell on anyone who tries to harm or molest them,” he said. “Most don’t seem to know about the law passed in 2009 and we want to help them put the law into practice to dramatically reduce child abuse.”

He added over 80 percent of child abuse victims are age 5 and under, according to numerous studies. The vast majority of child abusers are the children’s parents – mothers are the perpetrators 55 percent of the time.

To co-sponsor the event, for ticket info or to schedule a child abuse prevention presentation by the Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation, call Smith at 214-317-1718 or email him at jj@lilliansmith.org.

Submitted by J.J. Smith, Founder/President, Lillian Smith Family Violence Foundation.

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