HANCOCK COUNTY — Not all superheroes wear capes. That was the message of the first awards ceremony for Zoey’s Place Child Advocacy Center.
Without the support of law enforcement agencies and the community, Zoey’s Place would not have been able to open its doors in September, officials said.
Board members held a superhero recognition night on Thursday, April 15, and handed out their first law enforcement and citizens awards to honor those who helped get the program off the ground in 2020. It’s a ceremony they plan to have every year during Child Abuse Awareness Month in April.
Crystal Wiley, executive director; and Aimee Herring, chief deputy prosecutor and board member, handed out the awards to Maj. Bobby Campbell on behalf of Sheriff Brad Burkhart and Ross Ferson, who picked up the award for NineStar Connect.
“We wanted to show the community that their investment in this program has come to fruition,” Wiley said. “This shows that we are committed to recognizing the people who were critical in making this happen.”
Zoey’s Place — named for Zoey Wagoner, a 1-year-old girl who died of severe abuse in 2015 — is a safe haven where victims of abuse and their families are able to share their stories and assist law enforcement.
Since opening their doors several months ago during the pandemic, they’ve been able to talk with 22 children in a place where the young victims can feel safe.
Herring noted they would not have been able to open Zoey’s Place without the community’s support.
“It’s great to know now that we are open and can positively affect the lives of the children in our community,” Herring said. “We’re just staring out, but we want to be the best of the best, so we’ve got to build a solid foundation, and we are in that phase right now.”
Campbell read a letter from Burkhart, who could not attend the ceremony. In the letter, Burkhart said he would always support the center and wrote about how he was tired of seeing scared children walk into the sheriff’s department and have to tell investigators about the worst moments of their lives in the basement of a police building.
The sheriff was instrumental in making sure Zoey’s Place acquired the evidence-gathering technical and recording equipment it needed to get operations up and running.
“I m extremely honored, grateful and humbled to be able to receive such an award,” Campbell read from the Burkhart letter. “It’s unfortunate we live in a world where children are subject to such abuses and various dangers and that we would need a place such as Zoey’s Place.”
Ferson, the chief technology officer with NineStar Connect, told the board and supporters at the awards ceremony that the staff at NineStar has a huge heart for the community and they were pleased through a matching program to be able to be the biggest financial contributor to the center in 2020 after donating $12,000.
“It’s great that we can support Zoey’s Place. Obviously, we want to support a community that supports us, and there isn’t a better cause to support than Zoey’s Place,” Ferson said.
While it’s troubling to know the county needs this type of place where kids have to go and share terrible stories, Herring noted children and families leave feeling like they have support.
“The staff has done such a great job of making this a neutral, yet friendly environment, and we could not have done it without the help of the sheriff and people at NineStar,” Herring said.
Bridget Foy, commander of the Hancock County Jail, was one of the key people who helped get Zoey’s Place off the ground and attended the event. Afterwards, she was thrilled to see how far the vision for the child advocacy center has come.
“It is amazing,” said Foy, whose work with young victims as a detective with the sheriff’s department inspired her to work toward establishing a child advocacy center. “It just seems like yesterday when we were looking for a place. Because of all the support, we’re a lot further along than many places who are still trying to get the support we have from law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office.”
Wiley seconded that and wanted to remind people the center is not only for children who have experienced sexual abuse, but it is also for those who have suffered through or seen any type of crime. Anyone wishing to learn more about Zoey’s Place services and donate to the cause can do so by visiting its website, zoeysplacecac.org.
