(ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX – September 30, 2015) Our local community has a huge heart for meaningful causes – and now there’s an outpouring of support for one that will bring much needed services for victims of domestic violence and child abuse in Rockwall County. An advocacy center will soon make its home in a building owned by the Rockwall Soroptimist Club.
Rockwall County currently contracts with the Collin County Child Advocacy Center to provide forensic interviews and other services for victims of child abuse. According to Rockwall County Criminal District Attorney Kenda Culpepper – who helped pioneer the idea for an advocacy center in Rockwall – while she appreciates the work done by the Collin County CAC, she became increasingly concerned about the additional trauma sustained by children having to travel out-of-county for those services. She was also concerned about the increase in child abuse cases seen at the DA’s Office and wanted to bolster opportunities for those child victims to receive counseling after their abuse. So she started looking into the idea of creating a child advocacy center in Rockwall County and received strong support from the Collin County CAC to move forward.
Victims of domestic abuse are served by Women in Need (WIN), which is located in Greenville but has a satellite office in Rockwall. WIN provides protective orders, legal advocacy, crisis counseling, a 24/7 hotline and support groups. The nonprofit organization has seen its number of clients almost triple in recent months, from about 30 clients per month to nearly 100. According to WIN Shelter Outreach Director Cheryl Bahm, about 10 percent of those are new clients, and they average around two to three new clients a week. She said she believes the increase in clients is not necessarily because domestic violence is happening more often, but more due to WIN’s efforts to increase community awareness about their services.
“For the most part, I think domestic violence has always happened; it’s just that now victims of domestic violence know where to go to get help,” Bahm said.
The idea to create a general Rockwall County advocacy center really began with a conversation Culpepper had with members of the Rockwall Soroptimist Club last December, when she learned that the Soroptimist House was vacant and on the market. She needed a building to start a child advocacy center. She also knew that WIN was looking for new space to increase services. Because DA Culpepper and Connie Pettit, the executive director of WIN, work closely together on issues of domestic violence, they started discussing a possible collaboration to offer services for victims of child abuse AND victims of domestic violence. The Soroptimist Club, whose mission is to provide services for women and children in need, threw their total support and their building into the collaboration, and the Advocacy Center for Rockwall County was born.
Once word spread about the Advocacy Center, local businesses and organizations have come forward to donate time, money, services and materials. Among them are: Amica – $2,850 grant for playground equipment; Burris Windows – discounted cost of windows; Byers Custom Homes – construction consultant; Carpet Direct – carpet at discounted price; CASA – volunteers; Classic Rock – landscaping materials; City of Mesquite and City of Rockwall – mulch; Eagle Scouts – various projects; First United Methodist Church of Rockwall – materials; Home Depot Rockwall – construction materials and services; Journey Church – volunteers; LakePointe Hospital – medical services for child abuse victims; Lyons Heating and Air Conditioning – services; Murphy Remodel – consultation services; National Charity League – volunteers; Masters Touch Plumbing – plumbing services; Red Oak Insulation – discounted insulation in the attic; Reinhardt Elementary School (teachers and staff) – volunteers; Rockwall County DA’s Office – landscaping and remodeling supplies and volunteers; Rockwall County Probation Department – volunteers and materials; Rockwall Women’s League – $5,000 grant for new windows; Sherwin Williams – paint; and the Soroptimist Club – volunteers, building/rent/utilities, money, and construction materials.
Recently, 50 teachers and staff of Reinhardt Elementary School volunteered their time to paint and remodel the Advocacy Center – as well as to organize toys, books and do a little painting at the Helping Hands Thrift Store – in an effort to get the building ready for move-in. WIN moved in to the house in mid-August while the CAC plans to begin counseling services at the house in the near future.
“I think this is so incredibly neat of the staff and teachers to volunteer their time in this way,” said Rockwall Soroptimist President Holly Lyons. “I hope the momentum gains so others can see just how generous the Reinhardt staff has been, and possibly coordinate with other clubs in the community so they can provide assistance, too.”
The Reinhardt volunteers also helped organize Eloise’s Closet, a boutique that provides gently used clothing to women in need who are re-entering the workforce. Originally operated by the Soroptimists and available to only clients of WIN, Eloise’s Closet will now be open to the public to shop and make donations five days a week. Located inside the Soroptimist House, the boutique will be run by WIN, which hopes to eventually expand to include clothing for men and children as well.
Although the entire advocacy center project has received major support already, there’s still a long way to go before the Child Advocacy Center for Rockwall County becomes official.
In order to be formally recognized as an advocacy center, the CAC must receive certification from the State Child Advocacy Centers ofTexas. According to Culpepper, the CAC of Texas has offered them an official timeline, and she is hoping to formally roll out full services in September of 2016. In the meantime, Culpepper plans to begin offering counseling services as soon as funds are in place.
Fundraising efforts will continue during the next year for the Advocacy Center. WIN has several annual community awareness events already scheduled, including a Candlelight Vigil on Oct. 9 at the Rockwall County Courthouse; a Rockwall County First Responder and Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on Oct. 16 at the Rockwall County Courthouse; and the 2nd annual Glow Run on Oct. 24 at Harry Myers Park. The Child Advocacy Center has formed a task force to support organization, programs, and fundraising efforts.
For more information about how you can help, call 972-772-3000. Additional volunteers, services, materials and donations are appreciated. “The Rockwall County Child Advocacy Center, Women In Need and the Rockwall Soroptimists are all in this together. It’s all done by donations and grants, so we need the community’s help,” said Soroptimist member Sue Reeves.
“It’s exciting to see the interest that the Child Advocacy Center and the Advocacy Center in general has generated,” District Attorney Culpepper said. “Rockwall County is my home, and I’m incredibly proud to know our community has such a huge heart. People have rallied to this cause seeing not only the need that we have, but also how they, individually, can have such a direct impact on another person’s life.”
Story and photos by Austin Wells, Blue Ribbon News staff writer.
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