Ed's Carve Aid for Child Abuse Charity Extravaganza at Merritt Square Mall

Artists with a cause

Teaming up to fight child abuse

By Billy Cox — FLORIDA TODAY

Taking a cue from charity extravaganzas like "Live Aid" and "Farm Aid," a handful of local artists are banding together this weekend to make their own contribution, calling it "Carve Aid for Child Abuse."

Nine Brevardians, whose talents range from tiki carving to metal sculpting, will present their works to the public this Friday and Saturday at Merritt Square Mall, and proceeds from sales will go toward the Brevard County Child Protection Team. The non-profit CPT will funnel the money into its newly formed Sexual Abuse Task Force, a multi-agency committee providing diagnosis and recommendations for the victims of sexual abuse, and their families.

"We really need money to offer a comprehensive treatment, not only for the victims, but the offenders so that they don't offend again," says Team Coordinator Joie Nace-Goldsmith. "And hopefully, if they get help, the children won't suffer and grow up to abuse their own children."

Carve Aid, the latest grass-roots effort to help the CPT, was the brainstorm of Merritt Island tiki carver Ed Volannino, owner of Ed's Heads.

"It was kind of neat to see the way people responded to all the other benefits, and I thought it'd be a good idea to get something started locally," Volannino says. "I wanted it to be non-profit. I wanted it to go directly to a good cause without all the red tape, so I checked around and found out about the child abuse center, and I figured helping kids who had all these problems sounded like a good thing."

Volannino had little time to get his one-man campaign rolling — one month; the mall had only one convenient opening before the Christmas rush — but he managed to enlist the support of David Farmer, Ted Travers, Lou Coleman, Tiki Louie, Frits Van Eeden, Aletha Rector, A.G. Capp, and Kee Briggs. "PM Magazine's" John O'Connor will emcee the event on Saturday.

"We're very fortunate in this community," says Nace-Goldsmith. "The Sexual Abuse Task Force came about as the result of contributions from the Brevard County Cosmotologists Association. They came to us last year and told us what they wanted to do. Then this year, the Junior League asked to help and make a nice donation, too. So when Ed asked if we needed help, I said absolutely. That's how things are done in Brevard County."

Carve Aid runs Friday and Saturday. Mall hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

At a glance

What: "Carve Aid for Child Abuse."

When: Friday and Saturday.

Where: Merritt Square Mall.

ED VOLANNINO: Merritt Island tiki carver and other artists will be selling some of their works on Friday and Saturday at Merritt Square Mall. Proceeds will benefit the Sexual Abuse Task Force of the Brevard County Child Protection Team.

Theresa DeCapua, FLORIDA TODAY