In times of thankfulness, we often look for ways to give back.
The Davis House, a child advocacy center started by a task force formed by an elected official, Ronald L. Davis, opened its doors in 2000. Sam Cosby, Director of Advancement, explains in depth what they do. “Children who come to Davis House are brought to us by law enforcement, whether police, sheriff’s office, FBI, or Homeland Security. Once they’re here, we conduct a forensic interview. The benefit of our forensic interview, and Davis House, is that the child tells the story once, and we get it on record. As a result, we get the information relevant to whatever charges may be brought against the perpetrator in a way that’s admissible in court. We can advocate without having to make the child relive the story by retelling it.”
The children aren’t the only victims. “When severe trauma happens, it doesn’t only happen to the child; it happens to the parents and non-offending caregivers. So while the child is going through the forensic interview process, our child and family advocate works with the family to ensure that they have all the resources they need to help them get through the process and begin to heal.”
With 387 new child clients in Williamson County in 2021, 632, if you include the satellite offices in Hohenwald and Centerville, Davis House wants to teach our community how to combat child abuse. “As the staff is growing, we’re building a prevention program. We offer free training to any group that wants training on the signs and symptoms of abuse. We have the services to address the children who come in after being abused,” Sam says, “but we also have a responsibility and a duty as an organization to try to prevent the abuse. Abuse is not bound by socioeconomic class or demographics.”
Davis House provides all of these services for free, and monetary donations go a long way. “People in our community have a heart for philanthropy and helping others. Our community cares about these kids.”
See the link below if you’d like to donate to Davis House. They are also accepting donations of stuffed animals.
davishousecac.org/
