[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 45 (Tuesday, April 11, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         A TRIBUTE TO THE WATCHFUL SHEPHERD AND JOSEPH FEMIANI

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                           HON. FRANK MASCARA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 11, 2000

  Mr. MASCARA. Mr. Speaker, today, during National Child Abuse 
Prevention Month I praise the organizations which work tirelessly to 
end our children's suffering. I am proud to say that one such 
organization and its originator in my district are part of the crusade 
to make all children safe from harm. I am speaking of The Watchful 
Shepherd and Joseph Femiani.
  Every day, 78 babies die, 2162 babies are born into poverty and 3,453 
babies are born to unwed parents. Added to the likelihood that one in 
two children will live in a single parent family at some point in 
childhood, one in eight is born to a teenage mother and one in 60 sees 
their parents divorce in any year, it is no wonder that our children 
live in peril.
  While Congress works to reverse these trends, The Watchful Shepherd 
protects children already suffering at the hands of relatives and 
family friends. Piloted in Southwestern Pennsylvanian hospitals in 1993 
and 1996, The Watchful Shepherd program unites the resources of 
Children and Youth Services agencies, police departments health care 
professionals and community residents in a unique effort to improve the 
protection of children at risk for abuse.
  Since its successful adoption by Washington County Children and Youth 
Services, other communities such as Tom's River, New Jersey; Dover, 
Delaware; and Chesapeake, Virginia have employed the program with great 
success for families currently enrolled in Watchful Shepherd. 
Surprisingly, most families voluntarily agree to the program, which 
consists of a panic button worn on the child and a telephone unit which 
are monitored by hospital, police or trained volunteer personnel. Many 
law enforcement agencies take Watchful Shepherd calls so seriously that 
they have classified the alarms as a level one priority. To date, there 
have been no false alarms and the system is constantly improving to 
serve children and their families together.
  All great ideas have a creator. The chief champion of The Watchful 
Shepherd program is Joseph Femiani, whose idea has become a noble 
crusade. Borne out of personal experience, The Watchful Shepherd has no 
greater promoter. Mr. Femiani, a successful Washington County business 
owner, husband and father, could have savored the good life he had 
created for himself after a painful childhood, but he chose to make 
life safer for children everywhere.
  Joe Femiani's tireless promotion of child abuse prevention and The 
Watchful Shepherd program has led to a feature in Time, an interview 
with National Public Radio and a segment on NBC's Dateline in addition 
to numerous grassroots campaigns to get the message out about his 
lifesaving program. All of this effort is not in vain. Mr. Femiani 
continues to receive national and international interest in The 
Watchful Shepherd program and works endlessly to organize financial 
support for those communities seeking to adopt the program.
  Many marvel at Joe's stamina and commitment to his cause, as was the 
case in an interview with the Pittsburgh Catholic. ``Whenever Joseph 
Femiani questions whether his efforts makes a difference, he reaches 
for a card he carries in his wallet which bears the names of children 
who have been murdered.'' That--it seems--has made all the difference.

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