Bowling Green, KY: Child Advocacy Center Celebrates Impact Despite Canceled Fundraising Event
On a recent afternoon in Bowling Green, Kentucky, supporters of the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center gathered for a special VIP luncheon. The event aimed to celebrate the center’s efforts over the past year and to shed light on the experiences of those affected by child sexual abuse. Although the current weather forced the cancellation of the much-anticipated Over the Edge fundraising event scheduled for Saturday, the spirit of community support remained strong.
Fundraising and Support Services
In previous years, the Over the Edge event has proven to be a significant source of funding for the center, consistently raising over $100,000 to support vital services. The funds provide crucial support for children and families affected by sexual abuse in the Barren River area. Leah Thompson, the executive director of the Child Advocacy Center, highlighted that child sexual abuse rates in Kentucky are approximately 60 percent higher than the national average, affecting around one in three children.
Keynote Speech Inspires Action
The keynote speaker for the luncheon, Joelle Hirst, shared powerful insights from her personal journey dealing with the repercussions of child sexual abuse in her family. Hirst emphasized the importance of recognizing that many of the reported cases are a result of successful prevention efforts that are bringing issues to light rather than an increase in occurrences. “So, I don’t want anybody that sees the large numbers to think, ‘Oh, our prevention efforts aren’t working.’ No, we’re not gonna see our prevention efforts work right away and our numbers go down,” she explained. “But what we are going to see is an increase in the number of people already being affected by child sexual abuse getting the help they need.”
Creating Specialized Care
As part of her mission, Hirst is working on developing a pediatric sexual assault nurse examiner program for Horton Healthcare. In her role as a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE), she collaborates with child advocacy centers across the state to establish new initiatives focused on the health and safety of survivors. Hirst pointed out the unique challenges faced by child victims, stating, “With children specifically, a lot of times it’s a series of events. It’s likely ongoing and with somebody that they trusted, so trust can be very challenging.” She reassured the audience that many trustworthy individuals are available to help.
Surging Demand for Services
Leah Thompson shared some staggering statistics about the demand for services at the Barren River Child Advocacy Center. In the last year alone, the center provided crucial support to over 1,000 child sexual abuse survivors and received more than 3,000 calls seeking assistance. To address the rising number of cases, the Center places a strong emphasis on prevention programs in local schools.
Prevention Education in Schools
One initiative that Thompson mentioned is the ROAR program, which teaches children about body safety from an early age. The program aims to equip kids with the knowledge to recognize warning signs of grooming and to empower them with the tools to reach out to safe adults if they need help. “Something that we try to do in all of our schools is prevention education,” she said, outlining how these educational efforts are pivotal in combating child sexual abuse.
Supporting the Child Advocacy Center
While the weekend’s planned fundraising event was canceled, there are still numerous opportunities for community members to support the critical work being done by the Child Advocacy Center. Those interested can find various ways to contribute through their website, ensuring that the center can continue its mission to aid survivors and educate the community.
As Bowling Green comes together to support the Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center, the community remains hopeful for positive changes and continues to fight against the silent epidemic of child sexual abuse.
