On Thursday, April 19th, CACI staff, Illinois CAC Directors, staff and their MDT members gathered at the Illinois State Capitol for Legislative Day in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month!
We will had an informational table set up in the Rotunda of the State Capitol and attendees took this opportunity to visit their representatives to discuss the importance of CACs in the state of Illinois.
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CACI Staff
(l-r) Michelle Hammitt, Mike Burns, Jean
Garner, Kim Mangiaracino, Barbara Karr,
Cara Vock
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CLICK ON THE BELOW IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD THE NEW CACI BROCHURE
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COUNCIL MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2018
10:30 AM - 2:00 PM
- 10:30 am - 11:00 am NETWORKING
- 11:00 am - 2:00 pm MEETING
Lunch Provided
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CACI: If your entire life was a made into a movie, what title would it be given and who would play you?
CARRIE:
Actually, my husband Mike came up with this one…“When Carrie Met Tally” Starring Meg Ryan as Carrie. In 1999, I moved to Tallahassee, Florida to complete my MSW. This was a big move, across the Country and I didn’t know a single person there. I learned a lot from this move. I gained confidence in my ability to survive and thrive on my own and gained a network of friends and colleagues who are still a regular part of my life. I gained knowledge, resources, mentors, and friends who built on the foundation of my future career in social services. I learned about college football…Florida State was a bit bigger than Truman State where I received my undergraduate degree…and the School of Social Work happened to be in Doak Campbell Stadium. And I met Mike…who quickly became an important part of my life and is now my husband of 11 years and the father of our two children, Carter and Adelyn. When Carrie Met Tally….her life was forever changed.
CACI: Do you have a nickname?
CARRIE:
"Nope"
CACI:
What are the top 3 qualities that draw you to someone new?
CARRIE:
"Honesty, integrity, and a little bit of fun"
CACI:
Pizza....what do you put on yours?
CARRIE:
"Pepperoni…and if I’m feeling a little crazy some green peppers"
CACI:
When you were little, what did you want to be "when you grew up"?
CARRIE:
"A teacher, I taught a lot of stuffed animals and dolls with my blue chalkboard in the basement. I went to Truman State University intending to complete their masters in teaching program. Then I fell in love with psychology…"
CACI:
Who is the most famous person you met, where, when?
CARRIE:
"
Hummm…Stan Musial…in the airport, when I was probably 7 or 8. My grandma had flown next to him in the airplane and she talked about this nice gentleman who talked to her the whole way. This was back when you could walk up to the gate to pick up your arriving guest. My dad recognized him, and he signed some pictures for us. Grandma had no idea who he was and was a little embarrassed."
CACI:
If staff karaoke night was a major part of your job responsibilities (and in the opinion of the person asking, it should be)....what would be your go-to MUST sing song?
CARRIE:
"
Thank goodness this is not a part of my job responsibilities!"
CACI:
So far, what has been the biggest highlight of your CAC career?
CARRIE:
"Watching the Center grow over time. We have come a long way, together with the staff, boards, multidisciplinary team and the community. We have refined our expertise and I am proud of the staff and the quality of service they provide. We have grown and evolved with our MDT. I am honored to be a part of a team that continues to strive for higher levels of excellence for the children and families we serve."
CACI:
Ask your staff to finish this sentence: "If I had to describe Carrie in one word, that word would be......
CARRIE:
"that word would be passionate"
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Pictured: Capt. Mike Dixon, chief of investigations at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office
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Kudos to the Southern Region for the 26th year of Downstate Conference
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M
ARION — According to Capt. Mike Dixon, chief of investigations at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, some deaths are harder to take than others. One of those cases was the death of 8-year-old Sabrina Stauffenberg of Olney on Nov. 23, 2016, the day before Thanksgiving.
Sabrina, the daughter of Nancy Stauffenberg of Olney and Glenn Stauffenberg of Ina, was on the front porch talking to her grandma on a cell phone at around 6:30 p.m. waiting for a church bus. Although, her parents called the police to report her missing within 12 minutes of that time, she was gone.
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Hi everyone!
I am the new Strategic Coordinator for the Child Advocacy Centers of Illinois. I am very excited to work with each CAC as I become further acclimated to my new role.
I hope to learn the extent to which data is being collected at each CAC, what additional data might be beneficial for capture, and to work to streamline current capture process.
Jean
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I am happy to announce that we will be conducting two separate customized CAC/MDT trainings this month. The first one was May 11th and 14th in Sangamon County. The second in Lake County on May 24th and 25th.
The first day of training is for CAC staff and the second day for the entire MDT. The MDT presentations cover the CAC process, Forensic Interviewing Overview, Corroborating the interview and Case Review.
If you would like a customized training, please contact me for information.
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MRCAC
is always keeping CACI informed through
If you are not already receiving their information,
today is the day to fix that!!
Below is just
a few
of the
many
pieces of information that has recently been shared.
- Did you know that the Office for Victims of Crime offers professional development scholarships for professionals working with victims of crime?
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CONTACT GINGER FOR MORE INFO
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Ginger L. Meyer, MSW, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Phone 618.833.6488
Children's Medical and Mental Health Resource Network
SIU School of Medicine
PO Box 179
Anna, IL 62906
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Three Cities, Three Dates, Three Training Opportunities
Washington, D.C. - Minneapolis - Albuquerque
Overcome the challenges of interviewing crime victims with limited communication abilities.
Find out how to plan ahead for language access and how to use new technology.
CONNECT
with the Center on Victimization and Safety to reserve your spot today.
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www.netsmartz.org
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children educational resource
www.iroc2.org
Institute for Responsible Online and Cellphone Communication
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Pictured: Lisa, Diane, Brinkley & Carrie
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April House Executive Director Carrie Melton shared these 2 pictures Brinkley, Sterling Police Department comfort dog. Carrie shared, "he has and is going to part of our team during intake/assessment for children and families. Brinkley will also serve as a comfort dog for MDT members and eventually in the interviews!"
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Pictured: Brinkley & her handler, Tekla
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April House Celebrates Child Abuse Prevention Month
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April House celebrated the month with "Plant Your Pinwheel for Prevention" where Carrie Melton, Executive Director, Terry Costello, State's Attorney and 2 law enforcement officers spoke to a small crowd on a chilly April morning.
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Children's Advocacy Centers of
East Central Illinois
Child Champions Day
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left to right: Anna Renkert, Robyn Carr, Curtis Ropiequet, Marilyn Ridgway, Erin Merryn and Pam Riddle.
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left to right: Erin Walters, Pam Riddle, Erin, Noelle Cope, Becky Parker, Andrew Bunyard and Effingham Mayor Jeff Bloemker
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2018 CAC of East Central IL Children’s Champion Award recipient, Susan Majors, Effingham State’s Attorney Office Victim Witness Coordinator.
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Proclamation of CAC and
Erin Merryn
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The April 10th Luncheon with Erin Merryn, was in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month.
135 people attended the sit-down luncheon with Erin Merryn, author of "Stolen Innocence," "Living for Today," and "An Unimaginable Act," at the Keller Convention Center in Effingham.
Merryn is an activist against child sexual abuse and founder of Erin's Law, which requires public schools to teach children personal body safety on the prevention of child sexual abuse. It is the first law passed in the U.S. requiring sexual abuse prevention education taught to students in school every year.
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All Our Children's Advocacy Center held our first "Pinwheel Project for Child Abuse Victims".
We had almost 300 Pinwheels purchased and raised over $10,000!
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ChicagoCAC recognized Child Abuse Prevention Month in April by wearing blue and offering special trainings, events and resources.
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On Sunday, April 8, our Community Advisory Council hosted BEYOND WORDS at ChicagoCAC in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month. We had a great turnout, with guests enjoying artwork created by youth from ChicagoCAC and The Simple Good, spoken word poetry & an ice cream sundae bar
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On Friday, April 6, ChicagoCAC staff and partners joined other organizations throughout the nation by wearing blue in honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month. Wearing blue throughout the month is a way to make a visible commitment to preventing child abuse.
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We held held three prevention-focused trainings at ChicagoCAC this month! Guest expanded their knowledge about prevention and how to recognize, respond to and report child sexual abuse.
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