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Advocacy center gets new director
By Becky CampbellPress Staff Writer
bcampbell@johnsoncitypress.comTo look at the 519 white square tiles in a back room of the Children’s
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Email ArticleAdvocacy Center — each colorfully painted with a different design - they
seem to simply be a collage of children’s artwork.
And they are, in a way.
But the fact is, each tile represents an individual - one tile, one child;
one abused child who received services last year from the Children’s
Advocacy Center of the 1st Judicial District.
The wall of tiles, each one attached to a metal board by magnets, is a
daily reminder of the important work at the CAC, staffers said recently.
And now, with a new executive director at the center and some recent
renovations provided by Grace Fellowship Baptist Church and Lowe’s of
Jonesborough through the Day of Giving, the center is more dedicated than
ever to helping children.
“The passion and the vision of the CAC is to continue to help hurting
children,” said Tara Hodges, the new executive director at the center.
“We deal with the harsh realities of a broken society,” she said. “There
is a very sad component of what we do but while there is a sad component,
there is a happy component.”
Part of that “happy component,” involves the atmosphere where abused
children go to tell investigators and counselors about what’s happened to
them.
That’s where donated labor from Grace Fellowship and supplies from Lowe’s
of Jonesborough played a huge role in the mission of the CAC.
Lauren Almanzor, the CAC’s forensic interviewer, said she approached
Lowe’s of Jonesborough store manager Chris Meadows about helping with
supplies to spruce up the center and he immediately took action.
“They were very gracious,” Almanzor said of Lowe’s generosity.
Meadows’ store donated new exterior lighting, a front door to replace one
that was vandalized, exterior paint, window shutters and materials to
improve the center’s building sign.
Meadows said the CAC is a worthy organization and needs help from the
community. Like many, however, he was unaware of the work the CAC does
until Almanzor approached him about making a donation.
“If you have a love for children, it’s very easy to make a donation to
help,” he said.
“Hopefully the number (of children needing services) goes down. That’s not
a statistic you want to,” maintain, he said.
“Basically, we need to put them out of a job,” Meadows said, and he had no
complaints from Hodges or Almanzor.
For more information about the CAC, visit the center’s Web site at
www.childrens-advocacy-center.net.