Inmates to Walk--to Benefit Abused Children

The President designated April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, which prompted some San Diego inmates to use their feet to show their support.

Inmates at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility have planned a 10-mile walk-a-thon on Saturday. Proceeds from the fund-raising event will be donated to the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation in San Diego.

The inmates will walk on indoor tracks at the Otay Mesa prison. About 3,000 inmates are expected to participate in the walk and other daylong fund-raising events, such as basketball, weightlifting, and table tennis.

The state prison was invited to participate in the fund-raising events, which are being held statewide. An inmate advisory board at the Otay Mesa facility agreed to help, said Lt. J. R. Sandlin, spokesman for Donovan.

“They believe that child abuse is wrong and that everyone should do something to prevent it. Also, they are challenging other agencies to do the same. They believe that, if we can do it, anybody can do it.”

The event will also run in conjunction with National Victims Rights Week.

“This is the first time this institution has been involved in a major fund-raising campaign,” said Sandlin.

He said last year that some inmates took a recreational theater course and produced three, one-act plays at the Lyceum Theatre in Horton Plaza, raising $2,500 for the victims of crime.

At a news conference Wednesday, the inmate advisory board presented a $2,000 check to the foundation. More money is expected to be donated after Saturday’s events, Sandlin said.

“The men raised the funds among themselves and consolidated the funds,” Sandlin said.

Law enforcement officers from throughout the county will also participate in a walk-a-thon in San Diego, which will start at Seaport Village, continue to Harbor Island and back to Seaport Village, he said.

Also, correctional facilities statewide are participating in fund-raising activities, said Diane Larson, associate director of the nonprofit foundation.

“We found that this is a cause that everyone has sympathy for. You can always find someone who would say that an adult could have prevented an abusive situation, but you won’t find anyone who would say the same about a child. A child is a complete victim.”

Last year, she said the foundation raised $1 million and hopes to eventually raise $15 million to build a 133-bed center for treatment and prevention of child abuse to replace the 22-bed Hillcrest Receiving Center.