ST. CLAIRSVILLE, Ohio – More than 100 leaders, child advocates and community members gathered Thursday at Undo’s West in St. Clairsville for the Annual Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Luncheon, hosted by the Belmont County Department of Job & Family Services (DJFS).
The annual luncheon was held in observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month and was a reminder of the community’s commitment to protecting children along with awareness about opportunities for people to help youth through foster care. Belmont County DJFS has held the luncheon for more than 20 years.
Belmont County DJFS Director Jeff Felton opened the luncheon with a message of unity and responsibility, emphasizing the essential role each person in the room plays in fostering a safer, healthier environment for children.
All three Belmont County Commissioners (J. P. Dutton, Jerry Echemann and Vince Gianangeli) were present along with Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack and members of his department plus Belmont County Court of Common Pleas, Juvenile and Probate Judge Albert Davies and other dignitaries.
“Each of you plays a vital role in this mission,” Felton said. “Together we are creating a stronger, safer community where children grow up healthy, safe, and loved.”
Belmont County Fiscal Administrator Jack Regis Jr. led those assembled in an opening prayer.
Felton praised the exceptional cooperation between local agencies, including disabilities services, mental health providers, law enforcement, the prosecutor’s office and the courts.
“We don’t often hear this locally, but when I travel across the state, it’s clear—our collaboration here is unsurpassed in Ohio,” he said. “It makes me proud to attend state-level meetings and share what we’re accomplishing in Belmont County.”
The keynote speaker, Stephanie Beleal, Program Director of Connect Our Kids, spoke about the importance of kinship connections — where children are supported within their extended families instead of being separated from them — and family-focused support in preventing child abuse and neglect.
She commended Belmont County’s early adoption of the Connect a Family initiative, a program focused on developing kinship supports for children entering the child welfare system.
“This year’s theme is Powered by Hope, Strengthened by Prevention—and hope really is at the center of what we do,” Baleel said. “We believe that people can change. Families can heal. Children can thrive—not in isolation, but in connection.”
Felton recalled how Belmont County came to be involved in the program after hearing about its success elsewhere. “I asked, ‘Why not us?’ And reached out,” he said. “And like many of the great initiatives we’ve taken on, our team has embraced this wholeheartedly, even if it means a little more work.”
Beleal cited growing evidence that children fare significantly better—mentally, physically, and emotionally—when they maintain connections with family.
“Kinship is normal. It’s going to your grandparents during the summer or staying with your aunt after school,” she said. “We’ve all experienced it. And the children we serve deserve those same opportunities.”
Belmont County DJFS Children’s Services Administrator Christine Parker echoed Beleal’s emphasis on the importance of kinship and connections for children.
Parker and Felton also emphasized the need for foster families, particularly treatment foster care homes where youth may need extra mental or physical care.
If you are interested in offering foster care or treatment foster care, please call CHRISTY DEVORE, the Treatment Foster Care Supervisor for Belmont County DJFS at (740) 579-0354 or email her at Christy.Devore@jfs.ohio.gov
