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By Charlotte Underwood
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- The community came together on Tuesday in support of area children at the 16th annual Campbell County Children’s Center Child Abuse Awareness Luncheon held at the Ball Farm Event Center.
This year’s theme is “Champion for Kids” which is what all the hard-working staff at the children’s center is. The center shared credit with CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) of Campbell County, the Department of Children’s Services, Omni Family of Services, who “are all working together to be a champion for our children.”
Sandra Fuller Campbell County Children’s Board President opened the luncheon on Tuesday with some facts from the state and from the county regarding the need to support child advocacy centers.
“We have over 14,000 children in Tennessee alone that is in custody….in Campbell County we still have approximately 70 to 75 children in foster care in Campbell County. Since we met here last year, Carey’s Cave has been very very active and so many of you have supported us in this endeavor and we certainly appreciate it, but since we met last year, there have been 78 children come through Carey’s Cave. They are there because there is no other place for them to go at that moment in time, so it is so important to support our children in that regard,” Fuller said.
She also said that “cyber-attacks” against children was on the rise.
“I encourage each of you to really look closely if you are around children or you have children or grandchildren to look at what they are looking at,” Fuller said.
Children’s Center CEO Tracie Davis thanked everyone for taking time out of their day to support the children’s center and help spread the message of education and prevention on child abuse.
“I want to thank my board of directors and my staff. As you know, it takes a village, but this is a hard job and we have some really wonderful people in the community and also on staff and on our board of directors and I want to thank them for what they do daily to make this happen,” Davis said.
The keynote speaker for this year’s event was Olympic swimming medalist and children’s advocate Margaret Hoelzer, who shared her story of surviving child sexual abuse from when she was five to seven. She is from Huntsville, Alabama, and attended Auburn University.
She spoke about her experiences and shared the message that her abuser was someone she knew and someone she trusted as the father of one of her friends.
“It happens when you’re alone with a group of people. …Unfortunately, these people blend in, they are good at what they do and like us, they look normal, and this process, getting to know the kids, getting to know the family, that’s grooming,” Hoelzer said.
She also shared that in the aftermath of her abuse after she shared what had happened, she and her mother went to the children’s advocacy center in Alabama.
“I remember how warm it was and how friendly and I can remember that at no point did I feel that I was not believed. I just remember feeling so utterly supported,” Hoelzer said.
She said that the support that child advocacy centers provide, not only for the children going through abuse, but for the families affected as well is invaluable.
“It’s not just about the work they do with the kids; it’s also helping the entire family, helping the parents, the caregivers, it’s helping everybody sort of get their life back on track because this does affect everyone involved. It’s giving everyone a plan of attack and a plan of action and how to move forward and you can move forward,” Hoelzer said.
She also said that abuse affected everyone differently, that some act out and others overachieve.
“I challenge everyone to look for those kids as well, because they are not as easy to spot,” Hoelzer said. She also said she wanted victims of child abuse to be “proud to be survivors.”
“Being a survivor is not a thing of shame…it’s not something to hide in the closet or shove under a rug somewhere….If this has happened to them, I want people to be proud to be a survivor, not something to be ashamed of, is it hard, absolutely, but that’s what makes you a survivor, overcoming something. Husbands, daughters, children’s, wives, it’s something to be proud of…continue having those hard conversations, this is not something to be ashamed of, the more we can educate people, the more we can make people aware and that’s how you help people and that’s how you protect people. For any survivors out there, continue reaching for your goals and going for them,” Hoelzer said.
Eighth Judicial District Attorney General Jared Effler spoke briefly, thanking County Mayor Jack Lynch and the commission for providing funding for the safe space waiting room in the Campbell County Courtroom.
“We have the finest safe space waiting room in Campbell County as anywhere in the state. It’s a space where crime victims can go during the trial where they are not subjected to intimidation from the offender or the offender’s family and Mayor Lynch and the Campbell County Commission make sure that room is maintained and is there to support our crime victims,” Effler said as he introduced County Mayor Lynch.
Lynch read a proclamation in honor of the Campbell County Children’s Center and the many community partnerships, including law enforcement, health officials, schools, businesses, as well as civic and faith-based organizations, who all come together for the kids.
“Thank God for the support system we have for the kids in Campbell County. I see every type of person here, every type of job and they all relate to children, and I know everyone in this room is an advocate of children; thank God for the support system and you are the support system,” Lynch said prior to reading a proclamation.
Children’s Center CEO Tracie Davis invited members of CASA, Community Health of East Tennessee Domestic Violence Shelter and also the Department of Children’s Services to be on stage as well as the proclamation was read since all “organizations work together as a team.”
“We acknowledge that we must work together as a community to increase the awareness about child abuse and contribute to promote the social and emotional well-being of children and families,” Lynch said. He proclaimed April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month in Campbell County. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-04/16/2025-6AM)
(WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-04/16/2025-6AM)