Children at the Crisis Center
Sometimes, when children first visit the Crisis Center, I am reminded of an early line in Rachael Carson's Silent Spring, "It was a spring without voices." Kids of all ages walk through our front doors - weary, guarded, taciturn. Some head to the Corbett Trauma Center; others to Family Stabilization. Some, children under 13 years old who have been physically abused, now come on evenings or weekends to Sexual Assault Services for forensic exams. These little ones are often clinging to their mother's leg, not out of shyness, but out of fear. One would expect them to cry out in protest, but they seldom make a sound.
Imagine how cold and colorless the world would be without the laughter and sounds of children. Then imagine being a child who comes home after school to sweltering heat and darkness because his mom got behind on the utility bill and the electricity was turned off. Or think about the little girl who shrinks under her blankets, praying that her abuser will be too drunk tonight to make his way to her bedroom. Imagine being a child who battles going to school each day because he knows that the other kids will tease him and call him names or pick fights because he is too fat or too small or stutters. It's hard to giggle or joke or take delight in childhood's wondrous adventure with uncertainty, fear and heartache crowding you in on all sides.
Then imagine the transformation that comes when the lights and air conditioning are turned back on, the dreaded abuser is gone, along with the painful memories that hounded your days and sullied your dreams, or the bullying stops. You feel safe, you relax, you smile and maybe even get a little silly. This is nothing you have to work at, being a kid, that is. It's in your DNA. You can make noise again because the silence has been broken.
Each year the Crisis Center responds to over 180,000 requests for help, most of which come from families with children. The average caller to our 2-1-1 Crisis Line is a single mom, age 36, with two or more kids. The working poor, who we serve in Family Stabilization, are similarly mostly single parent families with young children. The Corbett Trauma Center, our new Family Strengthening program, youth suicide prevention program and Help Me Grow service, some of which you will read about in this newsletter, likewise all focus on kids.
Our mission as your Crisis Center is to ensure that no one in our community has to face crisis alone. Our vision is to be that extraordinary place of help, hope and healing where lives are saved and futures restored. The only way we can fulfill our mission or reach towards our vision is with the support of people like you, our donors and volunteers, who receive this newsletter.
Yet, I know as I write this that for every child who comes to us and learns to laugh and play again, there are many more whose voices are still silent. Please won't you help us reach these kids as well? Become a sustainer, if you are not already. Or, if you have a few hours to give each week, become a volunteer. If you do, you will experience the profound joy and satisfaction that comes when silence is broken by a simple smile or a child's squeals of delight.
