Funds raised to fight child predators
By KAYLEIGH KARUTIS, The Leader-Herald
POSTED: March 23, 2008
Article Photos
“You can’t open a newspaper or turn on a TV today without hearing about it,” said Joseph Pazzaglia, owner of Martial Arts & Me, a martial arts school in Gloversville.
“I just got fed up with it,” he said.
So Pazzaglia said he decided to organize a fundraiser to raise money for the National Missing and Exploited Children Research Foundation, a group dedicated to finding missing children and preventing future abductions.
Pazzaglia said while his school has sponsored and organized other fundraisers, this was the first fundraiser focused on this particular issue. He said he anticipated holding it again.
The focus of the fundraiser, Pazzaglia said, was to not only inform the children about protecting themselves, but to educate parents about where their children face danger.
“A lot of people don’t realize that it’s not always strangers. Something like 90 percent of abductions happen from someone the child knows,” he said.
Pazzaglia said children also face danger online, where it is harder for their parents to monitor them.
“It’s a growing national problem but it’s also becoming a huge problem locally … I can’t do much at the national level but I thought doing something like this would help out around here,” he said.
From 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the fundraiser sold baked goods, had informational talks, and hosted other events, most of them with a theme of child safety and protection.
Firefighters from Johnstown let children explore the fire trucks, and police officers gave tours of their cruisers.
Police also offered free fingerprinting to the children at the event.
Fulton County District Attorney Louise Sira attended the event, offering an informational seminar on abduction prevention.
Pazzaglia received a few cuts and scratches after he offered to demonstrate the power of a K-9 crime fighting dog with officer Wayne Peters and his K-9 companion, Blitz.
“That’s a good name for that dog,” he said.
Not all the events were focused solely on the issue at hand, though.
“We wanted to have some fun things for the kids too,” Pazzaglia said.
Marty the Magician dazzled with card tricks, and children were offered free face painting.
Martial Arts & Me members battled in a “spar-a-thon,” where each round observers could place bets on the winner, with all the proceeds going to the Foundation.
Joseph J. Fish, a licensed massage therapist, attended the event and donated all the proceeds from his massages to the Foundation, a gesture Pazzaglia said he greatly appreciated.
Tables at the event offered pamphlets on child abduction, including tips for parents on safeguarding their children and what to do if your child has gone missing.
The pamphlet encourages children to trust and follow their instincts about people and situations, and asks parents to develop strong communication with their children.
“Stress the importance of not keeping secrets,” it says.
A DVD about abduction prevention called “Zero Tolerance,” created and distributed nation-wide by Martial Arts and Me, was on sale at the event, with 15 percent of sale proceeds going to the Foundation.
Pazzaglia said he anticipated raising at least $500.
“It’s been a very eventful day,” he said.
Kayleigh Karutis covers rural Fulton County. She can be reached at ruralnews@leaderherald.com.
