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Childrens Advocacy Centers of Georgia

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Words of Hope and Healing

The Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia has published a one-of-a-kind resource for survivors of child abuse titled, “Words of Hope and Healing: Encouragement and Empowerment of Survivors of Child Abuse.” Along with forewords by National Children’s Advocacy Center Executive Director Chris Newlin, CACGA Consultant and former National Children’s Alliance Executive Director Nancy Chandler, and “Jane Doe,” a mom whose child was served by a Georgia CAC, the chapters that follow were all written by a director of a Georgia CAC.

In this book, our directors from across the state of Georgia have written about hope, encouragement, and empowerment. They have imagined through their writings what it would be like sitting with a child and non-offending caregiver on their final day at the CAC when a child asks: What now? What is my life going to be like? What happens to kids like me who’ve had things like this happen to them? How can I be successful? How can I trust? How can I love? Who cares about me? Or any number of the many questions that have been asked by children over the years.

The result is a powerful book rich in words of hope, healing and encouragement from dedicated and professional advocates who see, and serve, children who allege abuse, neglect, and exploitation every day. Our hope at CACGA is that every child and family who is served by a CAC, upon leaving our services and transitioning back into the journey called life, be given a copy of this book so that they can continually review and reflect upon these powerful words of hope and healing. We also hope that anyone who suffers from any trauma, regardless of its cause, be given this book for its source of positive and productive influence.

For the children.

Five Questions for Laurie Whitworth

Laurie Whitworth is the Executive Director of Harmony House Children’s Advocacy Center in Royston.

CACGA:  What is Harmony House Child Advocacy Center for kids?

Laurie Whitworth:  Harmony House Child Advocacy Center serves the Northern Judicial Circuit. Elbert, Franklin, Hart, Madison and Oglethorpe Counties make up this circuit. Our mission is to provide a central location, using multidisciplinary team approaches to the evaluation, intervention, prosecution, and treatment for children (and their non-offending caregivers) who have been alleged victims of child abuse.  No single agency, individual or discipline has all the knowledge, skills or resources to provide needed assistance to abused children and their families. Harmony House Child Advocacy Center combines the wisdom and professional knowledge of child protective services, law enforcement, prosecution, medical professionals and mental health professionals by bringing together all of these entities and individuals under one roof in response to an allegation of abuse. Harmony House Child Advocacy Center maintains the focus on the child and works to ensure that the system designed to protect children is able to do so more effectively.

CACGA: What would you like the community to know about the professionals who work at Harmony
House Child Advocacy Center?

Laurie Whitworth:  Harmony House staff consist of professionals who are qualified, highly skilled, extensively trained and most of all passionate about making a difference in the recovery of a child who has experienced abuse and the family who are walking the path with them. [Read more…]

Five Questions for Mark Smith

Mark Smith is the Executive Director of the Power House for Kids in Toccoa.

CACGA:  What is the Power House for Kids?

Mark Smith: The Power House for Kids is a child advocacy center that serves the Mountain Judicial Circuit.  Habersham, Rabun and Stephens Counties make up the Mountain Judicial Circuit.  Our mission is to provide a safe place for children who are victims of sexual or physical abuse to come and tell their story, one time, to people who care and want to make a difference in the life of that child.  Under our roof we provide the following services:  forensic interviews by a specially trained interviewer, full medical facilities including the collection of rape kits, trauma focused therapy through our relationship with Turning Points Counseling which is located in our building and we assign an advocate to work with the child victim throughout the investigative process, judicial process and the healing process. We want to see the child safe and a perpetrator off the street.

CACGA:  What would you like the community to know about the professionals who work at the Power House for Kids?

Mark Smith:  The professional staff at the Power House for Kids is one part of a much bigger group of professionals all working together for the child known as the multidisciplinary team.  This multidisciplinary team is made up of law enforcement, medical personnel, DFCS workers, school counselors, advocates, therapists and interviewers who each play a role in the crisis and the follow up of each case.  We each have a role in working a case and making sure the interests of the child are best met and represented.  This team wants to see the child be able to return to normal relationships in the future.  The Power House professionals on this team meet the challenge any time a child needs help, day or night, 24/7.  We are always on call and ready to respond.   We believe in children and that every child has the right to grow up without being sexually or physically harmed.

CACGA:  What would the Mountain Judicial Circuit be without the Power House for Kids?

Mark Smith:  I feel the Power House for Kids helps to fill a need in the Mountain Judicial Circuit.  Through accepted protocol any child sexually or physically abused in the Mountain Judicial Circuit is brought to the Power House for Kids.  We provide a central place that is properly staffed to meet the needs of a child in crisis and assist other members of the team in working each case.  In this manner there is one central location for all abused children [Read more…]

Five Questions for Brooke Woods

Brooke Woods is the Executive Director of Stepping Stone Children’s Advocacy Center in Dublin.

CACGA:  What is the Stepping Stone?
Brooke Woods:  Stepping Stone Child Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization located in Dublin, Georgia which serves victims of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, as well as those children who witness domestic violence. The mission of Stepping Stone is to lessen the trauma suffered by children who have been abused by providing evaluation in a safe, caring place and to encourage collaboration of services for the benefit of the child, family, and community. Stepping Stone currently serves the children and families of the Dublin Judicial Circuit by providing them with free prevention, intervention, and education related to child abuse.

CACGA: What would you like the community to know about the professionals who work there?
Brooke Woods:  Employees of Stepping Stone have a passion for the health and well-being of all children. You will often hear our staff and volunteers say, “All children matter.” Our vison is to one day live in a community where children flourish free from child abuse and neglect.
As the Executive Director and Forensic Interviewer at Stepping Stone, I have direct contact with all of the families that come to our center. It is my hope that each child and family member that leaves Stepping Stone will feel like they have an advocate who will walk with them through the traumatic experience of abuse. I earned my bachelor degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Science Education. Although I worked in the teaching field for many years, I felt a calling to get involved with child advocacy work after serving on a jury that convicted a serial child molester. At the center my responsibilities include: conducting forensic interviews, providing victim advocacy, testifying in court, writing grant proposals, providing community prevention and awareness, assisting during sexual assault exams, coordinating and facilitating the multi-disciplinary team, fund raising, and other random duties. [Read more…]

Five Questions for Jackla Lawson

Jackla Lawson is the Executive Director and SANE Coordinator for The Treehouse, the children’s advocacy center and sexual assault center in Thomasville, Georgia, serving Thomas County.

CACGA: What is The Treehouse CAC?

Jackla Lawson: The Treehouse is a children’s advocacy and sexual assault center in Thomasville serving Thomas County. The Treehouse provides a safe, comfortable environment for children to give their statements about abuse or witnessing a violent crime and to receive a sexual assault exam. The Treehouse operates under the multi-disciplinary approach working with numerous agencies involved in the investigation, intervention, and treatment of child abuse.

CACGA: What would you like the community to know about the professionals who work there?

Jackla Lawson: Each of our staff members, like many other professionals in the field, have a passion for the work they do. They recognize the need for services provided by The Treehouse Children’s Advocacy Center in our community and are committed to providing the best service possible to children and families in Thomas County. In addition to their heart for helping others, each staff person also has extensive training in the field of child abuse and sexual assault.

I am our Executive Director, SANE Coordinator, and conduct the majority of forensic interviews at The Treehouse. I began working in the field of child abuse and domestic violence in 2007 and have been the Executive Director of The Treehouse for 3 years. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Valdosta State University and have received extensive training in the areas of child abuse, sexual assault, forensic interviewing, domestic violence, and victim advocacy. I conduct forensic interviews, schedule sexual assault examinations, facilitate multi-disciplinary team meetings, testify in court, write grant proposals and provide community awareness presentations in addition to other administrative tasks. [Read more…]

Five Questions for Amy Boney

Amy Boney is the Executive Director of the Lighthouse Children’s Advocacy Center in Americus, Georgia. 

CACGA:  What is Lighthouse CAC?

Amy Boney: The Lighthouse Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) is where healing begins for abused children in the Southwestern Judicial Circuit. Lighthouse CAC provides a coordinated, multi-agency approach to the investigation, intervention, and treatment of child abuse.

CACGA:  What would you like the community to know about the professionals who work there?

Amy Boney:  Employees of the organization are visionaries who hope to make everyone they meet an ambassador for its mission. We envision a world where children belong to strong families rather than live in ‘at risk homes’. We see children playing unencumbered rather than concerned with the threats of ‘stranger danger’. We see the challenges our communities face in rural South Georgia and collaborate to strengthen our work plans and strategies to overcome the statistics. We believe in solid partnerships, strong collaborations and supportive networks.

Brad Ray is our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director.  Brad is the former owner of an advertising and public relations firm for over ten years and co-owner of one of the largest and most successful privately owned college newspapers in the country. Brad, at the age of 23, became a volunteer Guardian ad Litem (Florida’s equivalent to Georgia’s CASA program).  In 2007, he received The President’s Call to Service Award, the highest honor bestowed to a volunteer by the White House. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Office of the Child Advocate and the Governing Boards of the National CASA organization and Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia. While doing all of this, Brad still has had time to color with one of our 4 year old victims on the floor while she waited to be interviewed. Did I mention he squeezed in earning his MPA last year?

I am our CAC Director and Forensic Interviewer. I have 21 years of experience in the field of sexual assault, 15 years of experience as a CAC Director; extensive experience in the areas of substance abuse, family and child assessments, social and mental health work, forensic interviewing, and child advocacy; a Bachelor and Master’s in Social Work from the University of Georgia and Valdosta State University respectively; a wealth of experience working in rural communities, and is a trained facilitator of Stewards of Children and is currently training in Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I provide forensic interviews, consultations, assessments, testimony, drafts protocols, provides prevention and education workshops and crisis counseling. I also chair Child Fatality Reviews and MDT meetings and frequently drive Brad and Karan crazy.  [Read more…]

Five Questions for Kris Rice

Child's drawing of Kris Rice

Kris, as drawn by Sarah(age 4)

Kris Rice is the Executive Director of Coastal Children’s Advocacy Center, in beautiful Savannah. Kris is  one of the founding members of what is now known as the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Georgia. 

CACGA:  What is Coastal CAC?

Kris Rice:  CCAC provides a confidential, child-friendly site for video-recording forensic interviews with children who have alleged sexual or severe physical abuse or who have witnessed violence.  By recording interviews, we prevent kids from having to talk about their abuse repeatedly, thus decreasing the trauma of disclosure, and preserve children’s initial statements for court purposes.  The center serves as a liaison with other involved agencies and offers play and trauma-focused therapies, crisis intervention, case management, emotional support, and follow-up services for child victims and witnesses and their non-offending family members at no charge.  CCAC also provides community education and professional training on child abuse and related topics.

CACGA:  What would you like the community to know about the professionals who work there?

Kris Rice:  Our staff is made up of genuinely talented and dedicated professionals.

Melissa Dotterweich, clinical coordinator, is an extraordinarily gifted and creative clinician who began as a graduate intern and has now been with the center for 11 years.  In that time, she has made an enormous difference in the lives of hundreds of young victims and their families, has taught and mentored numerous interns, and has truly earned the respect of her colleagues on the MDT.

Meaghan Ready, therapist, is new to our center this year, having come to us from the CAC in Augusta.  She brings energy, enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn to her new role here, and we’re looking forward to great things from her.

Victoria Burch began as an accounting intern at the center almost six years ago, was hired as administrative assistant following graduation, and subsequently promoted to office manager.  In that role, she continues to amaze us with her self-taught skills in a variety of media and technologies, in addition to her terrific talents for financial and organizational management.

I have been with the center as director since it opened in 1992, and am contemplating retirement in the next year or two—so anyone with an interest in relocating to Savannah and experience in providing high-quality services to victims of child abuse should send us a resume (ccac@ccac-savannah.org).

[Read more…]

Five Questions for Sally Sheppard

Sally Sheppard is the Executive Director of The Cottage Sexual Assault Center & Children’s Advocacy Center in Athens, Georgia.

CACGA:  What is The Cottage and its mission?

Sally Sheppard:  The Cottage is a non-profit organization that serves both victims of sexual assault and child abuse.  Our mission is to provide intervention, advocacy, referrals, and support for survivors and families impacted by child abuse and sexual assault.  The Cottage also raises awareness and provides prevention education about these issues.  We serve individuals and families living in Clarke, Oconee, Madison and Oglethorpe Counties.

CACGA:  What would you like your community to know about the professionals who work at The Cottage?

Sally Sheppard:  We have the most professionally, passionate and well trained staff of all agencies working with child abuse and sexual assault.  I truly believe this because it is a high priority to pay my staff a salary that is deserving of a professional within the field of child abuse and sexual assault.  I also feel that it is important to offer my staff incredible opportunities to expand and renew their knowledge of child abuse and sexual assault, annually.  It is also a priority of The Cottage that our staff maintain healthy boundaries and self-care. This work is incredibly intense and affects our lives outside of work.  We need to take care of ourselves so we can help take care of others.

CACGA:  What would the Western Judicial Circuit be without The Cottage?

Sally Sheppard:  Our judicial circuit would lack a safe place for child to come talk with a caring professional about an incident of abuse.  The families of that child would lack a supportive professional to talk with them about the process of an investigation of child abuse, to explain to them the symptoms their child may exhibit due to being a victim of abuse, to give them resources for help and to set them up with therapy for both them and their child within days after the forensic interview.  The children and families impacted by child abuse would lack a safe place to attend free individual therapy sessions along with free support groups for all age groups.  The Western Judicial Circuit would lack competent professionals in the field of child abuse and sexual assault to testify in Juvenile and Superior Court about a child’s statement of abuse or about the dynamics of abuse.  The child victim and their family would lack support during the criminal justice process.  In short, there would be a great number of both children and families impacted by child abuse and sexual assault that would not receive viable services and resources to help them to the path of healing. [Read more…]

Five Questions for Dan Hillman

Dan Hillman is the Executive Director of Child Enrichment, Inc., the Child Advocacy Center, CASA – Court Appointed Special Advocates and the Clothing Closet for foster youth.  Child Enrichment is a full member center of CACGA, and also is fully accredited by the National Children’s Alliance.

CACGA:  What is Child Enrichment and its mission?

Dan Hillman: Child Enrichment is a 501©3 non-profit charity which began in 1977, and began serving children in an emergency shelter in 1978.  Child Enrichment’s mission is provide and coordinate comprehensive intervention, stabilization, advocacy and prevention services in the best interests of abandoned, abused, neglected and sexually abused children.  The Child Advocacy Center began in 1986, CASA was added in 1995 and the Clothing Closet began in 2008.  The emergency shelter closed on February 7, 2007, when the last children, a sibling group of four were placed with an adoptive family.

Child Enrichment is a guiding light for other agencies, organizations or individuals who are concerned about the health and safety of children.  We work hard to actually place children as the number one priority, and we expect other youth serving organizations to do so as well.  We will help you, respect you, yet, confront you if your words, behavior, or efforts are not in the best interest of our mutual clients.  We will encourage you, and you will become our ally, and we yours.  Child Enrichment is a philosophy, as well as a wonderful organization.

CACGA:  What would you like your community to know about the professionals who work at the Child Enrichment?

Dan Hillman:  Heroes and angels… and, I attempt to be the angel herder.    Ginette Williams is our CAC director, Kari Viola, Forensic Interviewer; Denise Field, Therapist; Cheryl Boucher, Therapist; collectively these four women ARE the Child Advocacy Center of Child Enrichment;   To me, faith is a personal matter, yet, when I speak of the child advocacy and other professionals who are employees, I say: THEY HAVE BEEN PLACED HERE TO DO THIS WORK.  Almost everyone reading this knows that child advocacy work is difficult and stressful.  We also know that few things are more important than protecting children.  The twelve full and three part time employees of Child Enrichment are heroes, as were their predecessors.   I work very hard to inform the community about CEI and our mission, as well as the specific work being done to help child victims to recover.  Our MDT allies provide our most significant support, and it is mutual among all members.  Yet, if we surveyed the adult population of the Augusta [Read more…]

Five Questions for Amy Economopolous

Amy Economopolous is the Executive Director of the Anna Crawford Children’s Center in Woodstock, Georgia.  She has been the executive director since 2000.

CACGA:  What is the Anna Crawford Children’s Center and what is its mission?

Amy:  The Anna Crawford Children’s Center has transformed our community’s response to child abuse, giving families hope in their darkest moments.  The Anna Crawford Children’s Center, located in Woodstock, Georgia, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect; and protecting and serving children and families.  Since opening the doors in 1990, our staff has worked together to serve over five thousand families in Cherokee County, allowing them to live safer, healthier, fuller and more rewarding lives.  Services are provided in English, Spanish and Portuguese, at no charge to the children and families.

Programs based out of the Anna Crawford Children’s Center include the following:

Child Advocacy Center (CAC) – The CAC program provides a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to child abuse investigation, intervention and treatment aimed at minimizing trauma and anxiety for child victims and their non-offending caregivers.  Services include forensic interviews, individual and group therapy and support sessions for child victims and their non-offending caregivers, victim and family advocacy services, multidisciplinary team case review meetings, and expert testimony. [Read more…]

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