Our Mission:

To restore dignity, trust, and hope to individuals and families traumatized by child sexual abuse through accessible and effective therapy, advocacy, and education.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self Defense: Equip Your Child to Better Defend Himself

January is Personal Self Defense Awareness Month. As parents, we would all like to believe that our children don't need to be able to defend themselves because we will be there with them to protect them. The reality is that we aren't with our children all the time.

There are things that even the youngest children should know in case they are separated from an adult or in case the adults responsible for caring for them turn out not to be trustworthy.

Lauren Book, author of "It's OK to Tell," and founder of Lauren's Kids, a non-profit organization in Florida to prevent sexual abuse, how put together an online presentation for parents to do together with their young children to teach a child what she or he can do. The video does a great job of teaching kids skills without scarring them. It's designed for children 11 and younger and teaches children to honor their instincts and use their "I Mean Business Voice," to tell people to stop. Finally, it helps children identify people who are trustworthy and safe that they can go to if they need help.

If you have teenagers, the Teen Section of the Kids Health Web Site is a great place to start. You and your teen can read together strategies to avoid danger. The best defense strategies are actually to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

If you'd like to take your teens safety education one step further, you can watch the "Just Yell Fire" training online. Just Yell Fire is a teen-driven education effort designed to protect teens--especially young girls--from falling prey to predators and date rape. Just Yell Fire was founded by a thirteen year-old girl who studies martial arts and the video teaches the use of self defense techniques.

All parents wish that we could protect our children 100% of the time. Unfortunately, our children--especially our teens--aren't with us all the time. These online tools help us teach them ways to protect themselves when we aren't with them.

Wise Mental Health Consumer Month

February is Wise Mental Health Consumer Month. Mental health care can be very beneficial. Yet, people often misunderstand what counseling and other mental healtlh services are about. The Children's Center for Hope & Healing specializes primarily in care for children and adolescents. Here is a great article, published on military.com about whether or not your child can benefit from counseling:

Can Your Child Benefit From Counseling?

 

>>Purchase Pictures from this Year's Gala<<

4th Annual Gala for Hope and Healing

presented by

AVITA

Honoring 3 Women of Distinction

 

Gala2010On Saturday, October 22, the Children’s Center for Hope & Healing hosted its fourth annual Gala for Hope & Healing. The event, presented by Avita Community Partners honored three women who have played a vital role in the twenty-seven year history of the organization:  Lyn Orr, Evanda Moore, and Madge Burch. 

Evanda Moore was one of the organization’s founding board members when the organization, then known as The Family Relations Program, formally incorporated in January of 1987.  She worked with greater dedication than any employee would have and was instrumental in helping the organization to raise some of the first funds that helped it get started. 

Lyn Orr and Madge Burch also served on the board of directors—Lyn Orr serving as President—more recently in the organization’s history.  Both Lyn and Madge’s terms ended in 2002.  In the late 1990s, the organization held monthly meetings in people’s homes where they would gather children and their families, feed them dinner, have activities, and conduct therapeutic sessions.  Both Madge Burch and Lyn Orr repeatedly opened their homes and their hearts to the agency’s children.


During the 1980s and 1990s, these three women championed the cause, ensuring that children who had been sexually abused received the help they needed at a time when people did not discuss sexual abuse.  As a result of their efforts, thousands of children have come through the doors of The Children’s Center for Hope and Healing.  The October 22nd gala will honor the courage, vision, leadership, generosity, hard work, and determination selflessly contributed over many years by these three women.


The gala also featured the exciting live musical entertainment of award-winning Daddy-O-Strut, a high-energy six piece dance band based in Atlanta that is hailed as “Atlanta’s Finest Rockin’ Funkin’ Swingin’ Groovin’ Strutin’ Party Band!”


A silent auction that evening presented guests with the opportunity to purchase a variety of interesting items, including the work of several local artists, jewelry, a one-week vacation on St. Simon’s Island, a weekend getaway to Las Vegas, or a weekend getaway at a lake-side cabin in the North Georgia mountains. 

The funds raised at the event will help the hundreds of abused children the agency serves each year.  Since 1984, the agency has provided free therapeutic services for children who are the survivors of sexual abuse.  Without treatment, children who have been sexually abused are at higher risk for alcohol or drug problems, teen pregnancy, academic failure, eating disorders, depression, health problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or suicide.  Because so few people in society talk about sexual abuse, most do not realize how common it is: 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday.  In the U.S., it is estimated that there are 39 million adult survivors of sexual abuse.

 

Missed the Gala, but want to Make a Donation? Make a Donation Now >>> »

 

Has the Penn State Scandal Upset You? Want to Know What You Can do?

 

If you are like many, recent news about allegations of sexual abuse at Penn State have you concerned. If you would like to know more about what you can do to better protect your own child, your grandchild, or other children in the community, read this brief article, outlining 7 tips, written by the Children's Center for Hope & Healing's Executive Director, Rebecca H. Davis, PhD, and learn what you can do. If you would like to know more, call us and we'll be happy to talk to your group.

 

 

 

Want to Protect the Children in Your Community?

We'll Present A Special Training Called Stewards of Children: Invite Us!

We know that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys under 18 are sexually abused.
Most abusers are people children know, love or trust.
And most victimized children never tell.


If your organization serves the needs of children, it is your duty to be aware that it happens, to recognize it when it does, and to put policies and procedures in place to protect the children. Everyone who works with children needs this training, which is offered at minimal cost. We will bring the training to you.

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STEWARDS OF CHILDREN
Sexual Abuse Prevention Training Series

This revolutionary training program, presented by Rebecca Davis of the Children's Center for Hope and Healing in partnership with Georgia Center for Child Advocacy will teach you how to protect children you serve.

The three-hour program, developed byDarkness to Light provides effective training for organizational staff and volunteers who are responsible for children.

Participants will learn to prevent, recognize and react responsibly towards child sexual abuse by teaching seven principles of sexual abuse prevention through an interactive video, workbook and group discussion.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to gain the knowledge it takes to keep children safe from sexual abuse. The benefits will be anDescription: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: http://www.gcn.org/files/partnerinpreventionlogo.jpgorganization that has reduced risk and is alert, aware and educated in helping to stop this epidemic problem.

 

call 770-532-6530 to schedule today!


CEU Credits:
Credit hours for LCSWs, LPCs, LMFTs, nurses, lawyers, law enforcement officers (through POST), early childhood education providers (through Bright From the Start), and professional development hours for teachers are all offered. CEUs are offered at no extra charge with the exception of CLEs for legal professionals, which require an additional cost for processing.
 

 

 

GALA SPONSORS

America's Home Place

Halski

Gainesville-Hall County Jaycees

The Fudgery

John & Carol Perkins

Joan Alford

Diane Bryant

The Davis Family

 

PATRON SPONSORS

Alexander, Almand & Bangs

Bart Patterson & Associates

Arturo Corso, Attorney

Cargill Cares

Fox, Chandler, His & Homan

Georgia Power Company

Lisa Jones

Andrew & Meribeth Joyner

Laurelwood

Matthews Printing

Peach State Bank

Protein Products

Schreiber

United Community Bank

Michael & Mickie Westbrook

Jennifer & Justin Wilson

 

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Print Newsletter Archive

arrowVoice, Fall 2011

Voice, Winter 2010

Voice, Summer 2009

Voice, Summer 2008

Voice, Spring 2008

**Voice is the print newsletter of the Children's Center for Hope & Healing. By breaking the silence surrounding the cruelty of child sexual abuse, the newsletter honors the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The ultimate
tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.”

If you would like to receive a copy of the print newsletter, call 770.532.6530 x 10 and request to be put on the mailing list or email: Rebecca Davis. Note that we do not ever buy, sell, rent, or otherwise share our mailing lists ever, under any circumstances. Your privacy is important to us.

Sign-up for our electronic newsletter to receive monthly updates about our news and events:

Email Newsletter
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Copyright 2008-2010 - Children's Center for Hope & Healing- All Rights Reserved. All pictures of children on these pages are stock photos used with permission for illustrative purposes.
To protect the privacy of our clients, no actual clients are depicted.
The Children's Center for Hope & Healing has three locations with the main office at 226 Main St SW, Gainesville, GA 30501.
Note mailing address: P.O. Box 907401, Gainesville, GA 30501.
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