Zumba your way to supporting Wayne Child Advocacy Center

Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming – bringing along all of those holiday calories.But you can get a jump on calorie burning and contribute to a good cause at the same time. The Wayne County Children’s Advocacy Center (WCCAC) is hosting a Zumbathon Saturday, Nov. 16 in the gymnasium at Cornerstone Elementary School in Wooster.You don’t have to have any particular athletic skill to join in, according to WCCAC Executive Director Dawn Cazzolli. “It’s just dancing, certain dance moves and lots of fun.”Zumba will commence at 9 a.m. and continue until 11 a.m., although Michelle May noted that “participants can drop out for a song. We’ll have some healthy snacks and drinks” donated by the Wooster Exchange Club. May, the center’s coordinator for case management, participated in a Zumbathon held for the center in May. Zumba “instructors jumped on board and thought this was a good cause,” she said.Certified Zumba instructors Gia D’Amico and Janel Usternal, who led participants in the May event, will be joined this time by Tonya Garner of T.G.I. Fitness in Doylestown. Usternal, who teaches Zumba classes at the Wooster YMCA, also works in the court system and is a member of WCCAC’s multi-disciplinary team.The cost to participate in the event is $10 for those who preregister and $15 the day of the event. Preregistration can be completed by using a form available at www.wayneccac.org or on the organization’s Facebook page.Proceeds from the Zumbathon will go to the organization’s general fund, according to Cazzolli, where it most likely will go toward expenses involved in helping the center publicize and market itself and the services it provides. The WCCAC opened in 2004 and provides on-site interviews, medical examinations, information and referral services for children who have experienced sexual or physical abuse and their families. Among those partnering with the center, Cazzolli said, are local law enforcement agencies, Wayne County Children Services, mental health agencies and professionals, victims’ advocates and the court system.Cazzolli and May are WCCAC employees, while Dr. Shellie Russell serves as the center’s medical director and Mary Ann Belanger and Chris Hawkins are pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners. While it originally was housed at Wooster Community Hospital, the WCCAC now rents a house near the hospital that is being provided by the hospital. It provides a less clinical, more home-like atmosphere where clients can be interviewed and examined.The caseload at the center is growing, Cazzolli and May agreed, from 165 clients in 2011 to 263 in 2012. That trend does not appear to be changing so far this year, May said. “People recognize and report (abuse) more frequently than they used to,” Cazzolli said, adding that the center’s partners can rely on them because “we have a stable team of professionals who handle the cases.”While the center gets some grant funding and is a United Way of Orrville member agency, Cazzolli said, there is always a need for either cash donations or for supplies – all of which are tax deductible. For more information about the WCCAC or how to donate, contact 330-262-1063.