TV Anchor Tricia Sloma Talks About Wednesday’s Child At CASA Event
April 2, 2025 at 9:25 p.m.
Tricia Sloma, news anchor for WNDU channel 16, has been sharing stories of children who are in need of adoption every Wednesday for the last five years during a segment called Wednesday’s Child.
On Wednesday, she spoke at the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) of Kosciusko County Annual Pinwheel Garden Planting ceremony about the segment and children in need of parents. The ceremony is a kick-off to April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“It’s Wednesday! And on Wednesdays at WNDU, we like to share the stories of children who are in need of adoption,” Sloma said, noting that talking to the standing-room only crowd in the Superior Court I courtroom for the ceremony was easy because she was “singing to the choir, literally. Because each one of you has a passion. You care about children. You care about preventing child abuse. You care about helping kids get into a family that’s going to care for them and love them. And we need more people just like you.”
She recalled her boss approaching her five years ago about doing a story about foster children in need of adoption. At first, she was skeptical about doing a story about vulnerable children and putting their story out there for other people to see. Her boss then told her about what happened in other markets she had worked in and how Wednesday’s Child stories were instrumental in helping get the stories out about children, child abuse and the need for foster and adoptive parents.
Listening Wednesday at the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) of Kosciusko County Annual Pinwheel Garden Planting ceremony, which got moved indoors due to weather, are (L to R) Community Corrections Director Barry Andrew, Chief Probation Officer Tammy Johnston and Judges Chad Miner, Chris Kehler, Torrey Bauer and Karin McGrath. Photo by David Slone, Times-UnionAfter thinking about it, Sloma decided it was something she needed to do.
“We’ve been doing the stories for five years, and in five years, in the state of Indiana, I’m pleased to report 34 children from Wednesday’s Child have been adopted and 10 have been placed,” Sloma stated. “And as you know, I’m speaking to the choir here, if they’re placed that means they have the potential of being adopted into that family. And we pray and we hope that it all works out.”
She explained that she got help from the Department of Child Services at the state level who would vet the children.
“When this first started, in Indiana, and I started with Indiana kids, I was able to have 10-15 kids in a room at the Croc Center. We’d have a pizza party out there, and each one I’d kind of pull aside and we would talk,” she said.
That changed when the pandemic hit in 2020, and it was thought that was the end of the series until they found a way to still get the children’s stories for the series. The state of Michigan then reached out to Sloma to feature their children.
Fast forward and Sloma said it became even more difficult to do the series because of staff cuts at the state, difficulty getting the kids transportation, etc. Looking for another way to get the kids’ stories out, she found Indiana Kids Belong that provides her with supplemental stories.
“But, as the state has reached out to me, they said, ‘Tricia, we don’t want to lose that opportunity that you have to tell some of these stories.’ So they promised me, once in a while, I get a kid and transportation comes through. My next step is to work with Bowen Center or other facilities where I actually go to these locations. ... These kids deserve that chance, to have their story told. And now I’m all in,” Sloma said.
When Wednesday’s Child stories become successful, she is able to share some of those in a segment called “A Place to Call Home.” Sloma shared a number of those success stories to conclude her keynote speech.
CASA of Kosciusko County Executive Director Erin Rowland Jones welcomed everyone to Wednesday’s ceremony.
“I want to thank everyone for being here today. For standing together as a community, dedicated to protecting our most vulnerable, our children,” she said.
Rowland Jones said Child Abuse Prevention Month is a time to recognize the “responsibility we all share in ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, loving and stable environment. I say this every year: We’ve all heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child. But for children that have suffered abuse or neglect, the village is more than just the family and friends around them, it includes law enforcement, which we have some here today. Who respond in moments of crisis. The legal system, which is represented today by judges and community corrections and attorneys. They work to protect the children’s rights.”
CASA stands as the child’s voice in court, ensuring that they are not forgotten or overlooked.
“(CASA) volunteers play a vital role in this village, offering stability, hope and advocacy for children navigating the uncertainties of foster care,” Rowland Jones continued. “They work tirelessly to ensure these children are placed in safe, permanent homes where they can heal, but most importantly thrive. Their dedication reminds us that no child should face the aftermath of abuse and neglect alone.”
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Blue pinwheels (pictured planted in the Kosciusko County Courthouse lawn, are the national symbol for child abuse prevention. Photo by David Slone, Times-UnionThe truth is, she said, this village of law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, the legal system and oftentimes CASA volunteers come into the picture after abuse and neglect have occurred.
“The village of prevention starts before we see these children. It starts each and every day with each and every one of you. As neighbors, teachers, coaches, faith leaders, business leaders and community members, we all have a role to play in preventing child abuse before it even happens. We do this by supporting families,” she stated.
Prevention begins with awareness, education and communities coming together to create strong networks of support for families in need.
“Every child deserves to grow up knowing they are loved, they are protected and they are not alone,” Rowland Jones said.
Mark Kelly, local office director for the Kosciusko County Department of Child Services, said child safety is the number one goal for DCS.
“I feel privileged to live and to work in this community that will set aside an entire month to focus on that goal,” he said. “But I want us to remember that every month, and every week, and every day and every hour, we have families and community members, CASA volunteers, case managers and others - all represented in this room - who are working together around the clock to prevent child abuse and neglect.”
Kelly reminded everyone that in Indiana everyone is required to report any incident that may be considered child abuse or neglect. The hotline number to call to report child abuse or neglect is 1-800-800-5556.
Mike Murphy, Bowen Health community engagement director, stated, “Today we raise awareness for child abuse prevention, something that is very near and dear, I believe, to all of our hearts because if it wasn’t, I don’t think you would be here.”
He encouraged everyone to plant their blue pinwheel because it may give them an opportunity to explain what the blue pinwheel means to someone else.
“About how every child matters,” Murphy said. “Or when you put it out at your business, in your lawn, it represents something. It means something for us as a community in Kosciusko County, that every child matters. And at Bowen Health, that child and those families are important, they matter.”
He said Bowen Health is here for the children and/or their parents who may have a mental health challenge.
“Plant your pinwheel. Plant it proudly to say every child matters. It matters to us, and it matters to our community,” Murphy concluded.
Tricia Sloma, news anchor for WNDU channel 16, has been sharing stories of children who are in need of adoption every Wednesday for the last five years during a segment called Wednesday’s Child.
On Wednesday, she spoke at the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) of Kosciusko County Annual Pinwheel Garden Planting ceremony about the segment and children in need of parents. The ceremony is a kick-off to April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“It’s Wednesday! And on Wednesdays at WNDU, we like to share the stories of children who are in need of adoption,” Sloma said, noting that talking to the standing-room only crowd in the Superior Court I courtroom for the ceremony was easy because she was “singing to the choir, literally. Because each one of you has a passion. You care about children. You care about preventing child abuse. You care about helping kids get into a family that’s going to care for them and love them. And we need more people just like you.”
She recalled her boss approaching her five years ago about doing a story about foster children in need of adoption. At first, she was skeptical about doing a story about vulnerable children and putting their story out there for other people to see. Her boss then told her about what happened in other markets she had worked in and how Wednesday’s Child stories were instrumental in helping get the stories out about children, child abuse and the need for foster and adoptive parents.
Listening Wednesday at the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) of Kosciusko County Annual Pinwheel Garden Planting ceremony, which got moved indoors due to weather, are (L to R) Community Corrections Director Barry Andrew, Chief Probation Officer Tammy Johnston and Judges Chad Miner, Chris Kehler, Torrey Bauer and Karin McGrath. Photo by David Slone, Times-UnionAfter thinking about it, Sloma decided it was something she needed to do.
“We’ve been doing the stories for five years, and in five years, in the state of Indiana, I’m pleased to report 34 children from Wednesday’s Child have been adopted and 10 have been placed,” Sloma stated. “And as you know, I’m speaking to the choir here, if they’re placed that means they have the potential of being adopted into that family. And we pray and we hope that it all works out.”
She explained that she got help from the Department of Child Services at the state level who would vet the children.
“When this first started, in Indiana, and I started with Indiana kids, I was able to have 10-15 kids in a room at the Croc Center. We’d have a pizza party out there, and each one I’d kind of pull aside and we would talk,” she said.
That changed when the pandemic hit in 2020, and it was thought that was the end of the series until they found a way to still get the children’s stories for the series. The state of Michigan then reached out to Sloma to feature their children.
Fast forward and Sloma said it became even more difficult to do the series because of staff cuts at the state, difficulty getting the kids transportation, etc. Looking for another way to get the kids’ stories out, she found Indiana Kids Belong that provides her with supplemental stories.
“But, as the state has reached out to me, they said, ‘Tricia, we don’t want to lose that opportunity that you have to tell some of these stories.’ So they promised me, once in a while, I get a kid and transportation comes through. My next step is to work with Bowen Center or other facilities where I actually go to these locations. ... These kids deserve that chance, to have their story told. And now I’m all in,” Sloma said.
When Wednesday’s Child stories become successful, she is able to share some of those in a segment called “A Place to Call Home.” Sloma shared a number of those success stories to conclude her keynote speech.
CASA of Kosciusko County Executive Director Erin Rowland Jones welcomed everyone to Wednesday’s ceremony.
“I want to thank everyone for being here today. For standing together as a community, dedicated to protecting our most vulnerable, our children,” she said.
Rowland Jones said Child Abuse Prevention Month is a time to recognize the “responsibility we all share in ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, loving and stable environment. I say this every year: We’ve all heard the saying it takes a village to raise a child. But for children that have suffered abuse or neglect, the village is more than just the family and friends around them, it includes law enforcement, which we have some here today. Who respond in moments of crisis. The legal system, which is represented today by judges and community corrections and attorneys. They work to protect the children’s rights.”
CASA stands as the child’s voice in court, ensuring that they are not forgotten or overlooked.
“(CASA) volunteers play a vital role in this village, offering stability, hope and advocacy for children navigating the uncertainties of foster care,” Rowland Jones continued. “They work tirelessly to ensure these children are placed in safe, permanent homes where they can heal, but most importantly thrive. Their dedication reminds us that no child should face the aftermath of abuse and neglect alone.”
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Blue pinwheels (pictured planted in the Kosciusko County Courthouse lawn, are the national symbol for child abuse prevention. Photo by David Slone, Times-UnionThe truth is, she said, this village of law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, the legal system and oftentimes CASA volunteers come into the picture after abuse and neglect have occurred.
“The village of prevention starts before we see these children. It starts each and every day with each and every one of you. As neighbors, teachers, coaches, faith leaders, business leaders and community members, we all have a role to play in preventing child abuse before it even happens. We do this by supporting families,” she stated.
Prevention begins with awareness, education and communities coming together to create strong networks of support for families in need.
“Every child deserves to grow up knowing they are loved, they are protected and they are not alone,” Rowland Jones said.
Mark Kelly, local office director for the Kosciusko County Department of Child Services, said child safety is the number one goal for DCS.
“I feel privileged to live and to work in this community that will set aside an entire month to focus on that goal,” he said. “But I want us to remember that every month, and every week, and every day and every hour, we have families and community members, CASA volunteers, case managers and others - all represented in this room - who are working together around the clock to prevent child abuse and neglect.”
Kelly reminded everyone that in Indiana everyone is required to report any incident that may be considered child abuse or neglect. The hotline number to call to report child abuse or neglect is 1-800-800-5556.
Mike Murphy, Bowen Health community engagement director, stated, “Today we raise awareness for child abuse prevention, something that is very near and dear, I believe, to all of our hearts because if it wasn’t, I don’t think you would be here.”
He encouraged everyone to plant their blue pinwheel because it may give them an opportunity to explain what the blue pinwheel means to someone else.
“About how every child matters,” Murphy said. “Or when you put it out at your business, in your lawn, it represents something. It means something for us as a community in Kosciusko County, that every child matters. And at Bowen Health, that child and those families are important, they matter.”
He said Bowen Health is here for the children and/or their parents who may have a mental health challenge.
“Plant your pinwheel. Plant it proudly to say every child matters. It matters to us, and it matters to our community,” Murphy concluded.