Taylor’s first ever “Break the Silence 3K Walk/Run and Kid’s Fun Run” featured perfect weather, live music, presentations, free food and plenty of giveaways, providing laughter and fun for the whole family.
But the event, which was held April 15 in Murphy Park and created to raise awareness about childhood sexual abuse, also caused some participants to trade hugs and even shed a few tears, as they remembered.
“Fellow survivors, I’m here to tell you that the narrative is false,” said Taylor native Marcus Reese, one of the founders of the “Break the Silence” project, at the event. “You are not what happened to you. You are not the things the person who hurt you told you, you were. You are NOT your silence.”
Hundreds of people, including parents with children, adult survivors, community leaders, childhood advocacy organizations, and other service groups, attended the event, which was organized under the umbrella of the Williamson County Childhood Advocacy Center, and spearheaded by a newly forming nonprofit organization “Break the Silence,” founded by Reese and Isabella Tebeau, a columnist for this newspaper.
“Most victims don’t know that help is available,” Tebeau said. “Nobody wants to talk about it, but by not talking, we are protecting predators.”
Despite the serious subject matter, the day included a variety of free family-friendly activities, including face painting, live musical performances from Kelly McRae and Brother Stone, games, a bounce house, face painting, barbecue sausages wraps donated by Thorndale Meat Market and Catering By Mopsie, and more than 50 giveaways, including new bicycles, gift cards and more. But the speakers, including Reese, and Sgt. Amy Gonzales, investigator at the Office of the Attorney General, as well as information and resource tables, including from WCCAC, the Sam Bass Chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse, Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, Taylor Police Department’s Victim Services Unit and other organizations, were the primary focus.
Organizers said the main purpose of this event was to educate children and families about childhood sexual abuse and make them aware of the resources available nearby.
“Hearing ‘We believe you. It’s going to be OK’ helps stop abuse sooner,” said WCCAC CEO Kerrie Stannell. “This is so fantastic. What Taylor has done, no other communities have done.”
District 1 Councilman Gerald Anderson, whose daughter was coached in tennis by Reese, said this event was needed.
“Break the Silence is a great event, and definitely an accomplishment to put it together,” Anderson said. “It takes courage to do this, and I am proud of Marcus for speaking out.”
