CityView Magazine

giving Hub for Hope Child Advocacy Center celebrates 20 years of helping and healing W By Kelly Twedell hile dealing with the dark topic of child abuse, one organization in our community works tirelessly to bring healing and hope to the children and families affected ��� The Child Advocacy Center. In the early 1990s a group of concerned professionals came together after recognizing the need for child abuse cases to be handled better in Cumberland County. Modeling their organization after the Child Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Ala. the local group received funding through the NC Governor���s crime commission to first open the doors in 1994 to serve children. Roberta Humphries, the executive director of Fayetteville���s Child Advocacy Center, is thrilled with the growth and the footprint their organization has had in the community. This year the Center is celebrating its 20th anniversary and moving into its own building, a dream come true for the organization���s founding board members. The move to the permanent location was made possible through an anonymous donor providing the down payment for their building space, located at 222 Rowan St. Some of the original board members who still remain in- volved to include: Debbie Jenkins, The Honorable Elizabeth Keever, Dr. Howard Loughlin, Rosemary Zimmerman and Margaret Buntie Russ. The Child Advocacy Center serves as the central hub for bringing local resources together once an allegation of abuse has been determined. The family comes for victim advocacy services. Something unique to the Center is the dedicated forensic interview room that is used for the children during the investigative process. Last year 349 forensic interviews were conducted on site. In 2000 the Junior League was instrumental in making the Child Advocacy Center a signature project, enabling them to move into their facility and provide operational support. Every April is National Child Abuse Prevention month and this is when the Center���s annual pinwheel planting takes place. Perhaps you���ve seen rows of blue pinwheels in the yards of organizations and residences across town �����displayed to show support and raise awareness for the prevention of child abuse. The pinwheels symbolize the bright future each child deserves and honor the 487 children the Center served in 2012. Programs have continued to be added and increased over the years, such as the prevention and intervention work the CityViewNC.com | 31

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