First Lady ready to walk through county to help child abuse victims: Local visit part of her walk across Tennessee
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The job entails creating awareness about the advocacy center, but involves much more than that. Moore recalls two examples of abuse that illustrate that point precisely.
“The youngest client we have had in here was a 3-year-old girl who had been sexually molested by a teenage male baby-sitter,” she said. “The oldest was a girl close to 18 years old who had experienced rape over a period of years from a biological relative.”
Those are just two reasons Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte’s fund-raising walk, a 650-mile trek that makes its way to Warren County late next week, is so important to the advocacy center.
The local center serves child abuse victims in Warren and Van Buren counties and has been open since last summer. It is intended to provide a child-friendly environment for victims who are interviewed by law enforcement or social services workers.
Having the First Lady of Tennessee stroll through town goes far to boost advocacy efforts, Moore said.
“This is priceless in our community. I could go and speak to each civic and church group for several years and not get the awareness this one walk will do in two days for the Child Advocacy Center,” Moore said. “And it just lets the public know we are here to fight child abuse in every way and form.”
Moore said since the center opened, 40 children have been interviewed, noting the center also accommodates victims’ families. The intentional look of the interviewing center, which has a home-like rather than professional-looking atmosphere, has been well received.
Now that the center has been opened, goals are to expand services to provide medical exams because victims of sexual abuse have to travel to either Nashville or Chattanooga for those exams, as well as offer mental health services for victims and their families.
In short, the local center would like to become a one-stop center for victims of abuse and their families. Hopes are efforts like Conte’s walk will help the advocacy center achieve some of those goals.
Although last-minute details of the walk route are still being planned, Conte will begin walking at the Coffee County-Warren County line at 8 a.m. Nov. 11.
From there, Conte is expected to walk to Morrison Elementary and then to the Morrison Dollar General, which will be the official kick-off site for the Warren County portion of the walk at 10 a.m., before ending that day’s walk at Warren County High School.
Nov. 12, Conte and walkers are expected to begin walking near Hickory Creek Elementary and will cheered on by a Pioneer Lane parade. The walk route extends into McMinnville and to the Children’s Advocacy Center, which is located on Sparta Street.
Final route details will be announced as soon as they are available, Moore said, adding supporters are welcome to cheer walkers on as they make their way through the community.
Those who would like to participate as walkers or sponsors can register on site or obtain information at www.andreawalks.com. The walk, which began in Memphis on Sept. 8, benefits all of Tennessee’s Children’s Advocacy Centers and concludes in East Tennessee next year.
Warren County’s portion of the walk has been named, “AndreaWalks: Growing Awareness in Warren County.” More information can be obtained by calling the Children’s Advocacy Center at 507-2386.