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From a Child's Whisper to a Community Response: A Brief History of the Child Advocacy Center
by Beth Copeland, Contributing Editor
When a little boy crawled onto Rosemary Zimmerman's lap and whispered in her ear, she realized that she and the other professionals charged with investigating child abuse in Cumberland County needed additional training and resources. The six-year-old boy's older sisters had already disclosed being sexually abused by their father, but the little boy was afraid to talk about what had happened to him. He was at the police department for an interview but was so frightened by the police officers' guns that he would only speak to Zimmerman, a Department of Social Services investigator. He told her that what had happened to him was so bad he couldn't say it out loud. ... read the rest of the story |
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Introducing Our New Executive Director
The Board is extremely delighted to welcome Roberta Humphries as the new Executive Director for the CAC. Roberta brings strong, professional administrative, fundraising and grant writing skills to the Center. Having raised her family in Cumberland County, she also brings a passion for and knowledge of children's issues in our area.
In addition to these key skills and traits, she is an active community advocate. The Board's Search Committee saw her as a strong yet compassionate leader and quickly realized she was the best person to lead our Center.
Please join the Board in welcoming and supporting Roberta as she helps lead the Child Advocacy Center to the next level in fulfilling our mission of mobilizing collaborative community response to child abuse.
During this holiday season, the Board and Staff thank you for all you have done throughout the year to support the children of Cumberland County.
Sincerely,
Lucy Jones, Board Chair |
From Our New Executive Director
Dear Friends of the Child Advocacy Center:
I am very excited to have been appointed the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center. Having lived in Fayetteville since 1993 I have been fortunate to witness the growth of the Center from its beginning. It has been an organization that I have admired not only for the fantastic work it accomplishes in our community to reduce trauma to child victims of sexual abuse but for the loyalty and dedication of its board members, volunteers and staff. The ability of the Center to bring together various agencies and departments to work efficiently and effectively for the benefit of children is remarkable. I am fortunate to follow in the footsteps of some very competent and dedicated Executive Directors and thanks to their tremendous leadership, the Center is in a wonderful position to continue to grow and positively impact our community.
I have been involved in the non-profit arena for many years having served as the Executive Director of Better Health of Cumberland County for 6 years, founding a non- profit foundation, serving on various boards as both a member and officer, and most recently as the Director of Resource Development for United Way of Cumberland County. I am currently a member of the Cape Fear Kiwanis Club, Networth, The Care Clinic Clinical Services Committee, Ryan's Reindeer Run Race Committee and the RPK Memorial Foundation and attend St. Patrick's Catholic Church. I believe that my personal experiences, my professional background and community involvement will enable me to effectively lead the Center forward.
On a personal note, my husband Paul and I have been married for 4 years, and I have been fortunate to be blessed with three wonderful sons, a step-son, step-daughter and daughter-in-law. We also have two dogs and a cat that we rescued. I have completed three marathons and two 100-mile bike rides in memory of my son, Ryan, who died from Hodgkin's Lymphoma and finished a book he started, chronicling his 15-month battle with cancer. In my free time I like to run, hike, travel, read and spend time with my family. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve the community and our children as the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center.
Sincerely,
Roberta Humphries, M.A.
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Announcements
American Girl Fashion Show®
Sponsors and vendors
Interested in supporting a major fundraising event for the Child Advocacy Center, while receiving great benefits? Check out our sponsor and vendor packages at CAC's website
Models Needed
We need a diverse group of girl models who wear sizes 6-6x or 10 for the American Girl Fashion Show on Mar. 20 & 21. Models will participate in fundraising for the event. For more information, please contact Julia Adkins.Volunteer Information Sessions: Jan. 27, Feb. 24 & Mar. 24
Interested in volunteering for a very worthy cause? The Child Advocacy Center will host Volunteer Information Sessions on Jan. 27, Feb. 24 & Mar. 24 at 1 p.m. at the center. Volunteer Coordinator Faith Boehmer will present information about the CAC's mission, describe volunteer opportunities ranging from event planning to office work, and answer any questions. Please call 486-9700 to reserve your place at one of these sessions.
Speakers' Bureau
As you plan your new year of speakers for civic, faith and community organizations, don't forget the CAC has a group of volunteers who are eager to speak on the problem of child abuse and what individuals can do to prevent and stop it. Please call the center at 486-9700 to schedule.
Facebook page
Check out the Child Advocacy Center on Facebook and become a fan! Share our page with your Facebook friends. |
| Thank You!
 On September 17, the Kiwanis Club of Fayetteville hosted the fourth annual Kiwanis Care for Kids Golf Tournament with proceeds benefiting the Child Advocacy Center. This year's tournament raised $13,400 in support of the center. A special "thank you" goes to tournament co-chairs, Gary Cooper and Bruce Brown, and to all the Kiwanis Club members and others who supported the tournament by participating as golfers, sponsors and volunteers.
 The Blue Jean Ball & Chair-ity Auction Committee presented a check for proceeds from the 2009 event in the amount of $27,320.21 to the Child Advocacy Center. Pictured from right to left are: Avery Cameron; Kensley Edge; Carolyn Zahran, Committee Co-Chair; Kerri Hurley; Kimberly Rodriguez; Rosemary Zimmerman, Board Vice-Chairman of the CAC; Jackie Davis, Financial Manager for the CAC; Martha Spires, Committee Co-Chair; Lucy Jones, Board Chairman of the CAC; and Sabrina Brooks. Committee members not pictured are Sandy Ammons, Beth Birch, Jennifer Dole, Mary Gill, Eydie Hammaker, Cindy Huguley, Denise Lynch, Pam Mathias, Angelica Pantelakos, Carol Ann Pantelakos & Cary Risk. Thank you to all the adult and youth committee members, artists, auction donors and sponsors who made this event such a success!
 The Child Advocacy Center thanks Dylan Middleton and Boy Scout Troop 787 from St. Patrick's Church for all the work they did on Dylan's Eagle Scout project. On November 7 & 8, the scouts painted the CAC's conference room. Michael Middleton, Dylan's uncle who is also an Eagle Scout, designed and painted a beautiful mural of a tree with a friendly squirrel peeking out. In addition, Dylan's project included donation of new tables, chairs and a storage cabinet. Dylan is the son of CPT Timothy and Colleen Middleton.
The CAC is grateful to the following corporations, churches and community organizations for their generous donations:
The Raeford Road Financial Center of Wachovia chose the CAC as a recipient of a $1000 grant from Wachovia Foundation.
CenturyLink (formerly Embarq) made a generous donation of $1,000 in November.
Many thanks to Tim Edwards, Mark Moses of Carrabba's, Bank of America, Quality Sound and Video, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and Haymount United Methodist Church Youth Group for their generous contributions and support of the CAC's Open House.
Westminster Presbyterian Church donated $329.25 from a special offering in October.
During Operation Inasmuch held in October, Snyder Memorial Baptist Church donated "goody" bags for the young children and teens who are served by the CAC.
The Independent Order of Foresters' volunteers led by Palmer Mass raised $150 in parking donations during the International Folk Festival.
Special thanks to our office volunteers this fall - Maureen Devan, Charmaine Melchizedek, Christine Scott and Lacy Walters!
At the holidays, the Staff and Board of the Child Advocacy Center send their best wishes and heartfelt thanks to all who support the center and the children we serve. |
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Protecting Children from Abuse...
The Child Advocacy Center joins the family and community in mourning the death of Shaniya Davis. In the aftermath of such a tragedy, many of us wonder what we can do to protect children from child abuse and sexual exploitation.
In State Fiscal Year 2007-2008, more than 120,000 children were reported as abused or neglected in North Carolina. Some experts estimate that as many as 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before they reach the age of 18. We, as adults, must take responsibility for protecting children.
To aid in that effort, the Child Advocacy Center will present two educational programs in January for all concerned adults. On Saturday, Jan. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon, Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse will be offered at the Pate Room of the Cumberland County Headquarters Library, 300 Maiden Lane in Fayetteville. The training will cover types of and risk factors for abuse and neglect, indicators that abuse and neglect may be occurring and the appropriate process for reporting.
On Saturday, Jan. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon, the Child Advocacy Center will present Darkness to Light "Stewards of Children," a nationally-recognized, evidence-based prevention program that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. This training will also be held at the Pate Room of the Cumberland County Headquarters Library. The program emphasizes 7 steps for protecting children: learn the facts; minimize opportunity; talk about it; stay alert; make a plan; act on suspicions; and get involved.
Both of these programs are designed for parents, educators, youth leaders, and other concerned adults. The Child Advocacy Center provides this training free of charge, but due to space limitations, advance registration is required. Please call the center at (910) 486-9700 to make your reservation for one or both sessions.
Additional resource information on protecting children from abuse may be found at the Child Advocacy Center's website.
Get involved. Learn more. The future well being of a child may be at stake. | |
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