It’s Gala Time!

Do you have your tickets for Saturday’s Big Event?

Accreditation Update

Carousel Center is on the cusp of submitting its National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Accreditation Package for Child Advocacy Centers! New Hanover County’s Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) is in the final stages of signing the official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which outlines standard procedures each agency commits to provide when responding to child abuse victims and cases.  This MDT, the very CORE COMPONENT of a successful NCA Accreditation, is comprised of the District Attorney’s Office, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Social Services, Health Department, area public and private schools, NHRMC-Emergency Department, Guardian ad Litem, CoastalCare, Rape Crisis Center, Domestic Violence Shelter and Services and the Carousel Center.  Once the community’s MDT MOU is finalized and signed, the Carousel Center hopes to submit its final accreditation package for consideration by May 31, 2013.  Stay tuned!

EXCITING GRANT NEWS!

The Carousel Center, Inc. is proud to announce being selected for a Cape Fear Memorial Foundation grant for general operating!!!  This grant will not only ensure qualify, skilled professionals to assist our community to hold child abuse perpetrators accountable, while also assisting child survivors to do the hard work of healing, but Cape Fear Memorial Foundation’s GENEROUS grant will allow for our community to design and implement a complete upgrade for a Child Forensic Interview Suite of rooms.  Utilizing the top-of-the-line forensic interview equipment, iRecord, Carousel Center’s Forensic Interview Suite, will allow for all the dedicated professionals in law enforcement, prosecution, and advocacy to ensure the best foundation for each child abuse investigation.  A sound foundation for case investigation will go a long way for the Cape Fear Community to ensure a higher level of accountability for perpetrators of child abuse.

Forensic Interviewer Training

Carousel Team members, Lisa Brooks, MSW, LCSW and Windy Ezzell, MA, LPC attended the Recognizing Abuse Disclosure And Responding (RADAR)-Evidence-Based, Child Forensic Interview training, facilitated by Mark Everson, Ph.D. and sponsored by the Wake Forest School of Medicine.  Brooks and Ezzell are excited about the opportunity for Carousel Center to utilize this evidence-based strategy to to expand and enhance current in-house child forensic interviewing capabilities.  Carousel also plans to begin holding a Forensic Interviewer Forum, the goal of which is to establish standard community child forensic interview protocols. 

With the assistance of community partners such as the Wilmington Police Department, the New Hanover Sheriff’s Office and the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, implementing in-house Child Forensic Interviewing helps the Carousel Center meet National Children Alliance standards for accredited Child Advocacy Centers.

TF-CBT Training

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is the GOLD STANDARD, evidence-based therapeutic model for treating children who have experienced sexual abuse.  Additionally, this model actively engages the non-offending parent/caregiver to walk the healing journey right alongside their child.  This time-limited therapy strategy allows for a reduction in a child’s trauma symptomology within 12-20 sessions.  In the Cape Fear Area, the Carousel Center proudly reports having 3 TF-CBT therapists on the Team already, with Celine Adair, LMFT, our newest Team Therapist planning to attend the TF-CBT Training at Hunter College in NYC the first week of May 2013.

Todd Godbey and Justin Sorrells

April 12, 2013 - Wilmington, NC

Over 20 acts are booked for the show.  The volunteers, staff and stage producers are checking off their lists, and Executive Director Amy Feath’s office is starting to look like a Christie’s showroom.

As part of the fun of the ”Making Legends Local,” gala event which takes place April 27th, the Carousel Center for Abused Children will also be conducting a silent auction 

Guests will have the opportunity to bid on some amazing items including the following:

• Original, commissioned artwork pieces by Wilmington’s artistic prodigy, George Pocheptsov  

“Carousel”

24″ x 32″

Acrylic on Canvas

Artist Notes: The Carousel is every kid’s favorite toy. It brings a certain, wonderful joy that springs from the imagination of these children. Toys are the most important thing for a child – they make childhood a vivid and exciting adventure.This artwork portrays a girl holding the Carousel in her hands with other boys and girls.

“Harvard Polo”

22″ x 28″ 

Artist Notes: This past summer, the Harvard Polo Team, which I play on, was invited to the actor Tommy Lee Jones’ ranch in San Saba, Texas, for an unforgettable polo experience. Watching eight magnificent thoroughbred horses dash across a cinnabar field in the heat of summer was an inspiration I had yet to discover. I felt an artistic goal to connect the fervent desire, barely-controlled chaos and luminescent color of a polo match with the surface of a canvas.

 Helen of Troy

36″x 48″

Surfer

22″ x 22″

• “Be Careful with My Heart”  Original sculpture by Creations by Justine artist, Justine Ferreri

• A pair of exquisite emerald earrings. Generously donated by David D. Keefer, Jr.                              

• A beautiful diamond and white gold brooch, approximately two inches in length, set with over 100 small round diamonds.  Valued at over $1,500. Our heartfelt gratitude to Katherine F. McKenzie who donated the exquisite piece.

• An elegant oriental rug donated by the Gallery of Oriental Rugs.  More information available soon!

• Gourmet Dinner for eight from one of the finest restaurants in the Port City…Szechuan 132

• Coffee for a Year courtesy of Port City Java.  The winner takes home a gift box that includes four pounds of freshly roasted whole bean coffees, two 16oz branded travel mugs, two branded t-shirts, a Bodum French press pot PLUS a gift card for $50 per month for 12 months.

“Having the chance to bid on these items is worth the price of a ticket alone,” says Feath. “Not to mention we have some hysterical acts that should prove to be quite entertaining.”  

Doors open for the stage show at 7:30 p.m. The curtain goes up at 8:00 p.m

There are two ticket options available for this year’s event. For $75 you can purchase a ticket to the Red Carpet Reception which runs from 6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. This also includes admittance to the show. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Carousel Center at 910-254-9898.

Show only tickets are only $25 and are available through the Thalian Hall Box Office or by calling 910-632-2285.

For more information about the center or the 2013 Making Legends Local Gala, contact the Carousel Center for Abused Children at  910-254-9898 or visit www.carouselcenter.org.

Thank you to our Silver  Level Sponsors 

Thank you to our 2013 Gala

Platinum and Gold Level Sponsors

The Katherine F. McKenzie Foundation

 Louise Burevitch

10 years. Over 200 acts. Over 50 locals getting ready for their close ups. 

Tickets are now on sale for the 10th anniversary of “Making Legends Local,” the Carousel Center for Abused Children’s premier fundraising event of the year which will take place Saturday, April 27th at Thalian Hall’s main stage in downtown Wilmington, NC. 

“It is a fun-filled evening with lots of recognizable local ‘personalities’ ip-syncing to songs we all know from the stage, screen and the recording world.” says Amy Feath, Executive Director of the Carousel Center.

Doors open for the stage show at 7:30 p.m. The curtain goes up at 8:00 p.m.

This year’s lineup includes over 20 acts with songs spanning the decades.

“Whether you are a long time fan of our gala or a first time attendee, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.” says Justin Sorrells, 2013 Gala Co-Chairperson.  

Keeping the evening moving will be Distirct Attorneys Ben and and Jon David as they pair up to serve as hosts for the show. 

Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on some amazing auction items including the following:

• Original, commissioned artwork by Wilmington’s artistic prodigy, George Pocheptsov
• Original sculpture by Creations by Justine artist, Justine Ferreri
• A beautiful diamond broach donated by Katherine F. McKenzie
• An elegant oriental rug donated by the House of Oriental Rugs
• A pair of exquisite emerald earrings valued at over $10,000 donated by David D. Keefer, Jr.
• Szechuan 132 – Gourmet Dinner for 8
• One Year of Port City Java (free coffee!)

There are two ticket options available for this year’s event. For $75 you can purchase a ticket to the Red Carpet Reception which runs from 6:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. This also includes admittance to the show. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Carousel Center at 910-254-9898.

Show only tickets are only $25 and are available through the Thalian Hall Box Office or by calling 910-632-2285.

The Carousel Center is a non-profit organization committed to assisting victims of child abuse, providing critical care services to children from several counties throughout southeastern North Carolina.  The Carousel Center for Abused Children board of directors recently earned the 2012 Fundraising Board of the Year Award as presented by the Cape Fear Region Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

For more information about the center or the 2013 Making Legends Local Gala, contact the Carousel Center for Abused Children at  910-254-9898 or visit www.carouselcenter.org.

On Sunday, April 28, the 2nd Annual Sons of the American Legion Post 10 Golf Tournament will take place at the ECHO Farms Country Club located at 4114 Echo Farms Blvd. in Wilmington, NC. The event is opened to the public and on-site registration begins at 8 a.m. A shotgun start will begin at 9:00 a.m.

Registration is open now and will continue to run until the morning of the event. The cost of registration is $70 per person, which includes one mulligan. The cost of registration for a team of four is $280. As tradition holds, tournament-goers will enjoy a “Famous Breakfast” upon arrival at the course, complementary beverages while on the green and a delicious lunch at Post 10.

Opportunities for sponsorship are also available for this event. Individual hole sponsorships are readily available for only $100. For $400 your organization can become a corporate sponsor and receive a hole sponsor sign, waived registration fees for up to four golfers and lunch vouchers for six individuals.

Prizes will be awarded at the tournament for 1st and 2nd place finishers in each flight, as well as closest to the pin on a selected hole, and men’s and women’s longest drive on a selected hole.

Proceeds from the golf tournament will directly benefit The Carousel Center.

The Carousel Center for Abused Children opened in 2000, and is a non-profit organization committed to assisting victims of child abuse. In 2012 alone, The Carousel Center provided forensic/medical services for 172 new child clients, as well as 577 therapy sessions for children who are doing the hard work of healing from abuse. The Carousel Center is dedicated to providing these services, regardless of a family’s insurance coverage status or their economic ability to pay for services.

The team at The Carousel Center is excited to see your team on the morning of April 28th at ECHO Farms Country Club for the 2nd Annual Sons of the American Legion’s Golf Tournament. 

For more information, call Bill Coddington at 910-790-8721.

What is Child Abuse?

Taking steps to eliminate child abuse in our community means creating a dialogue around such topics. On its most fundamental level, we must realize that these incidents actually exist in our community.

Child abuse is an umbrella term that envelopes physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect.

Child physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment. CPA is defined as non-accidental trauma or physical injury caused by punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning or otherwise harming a child.

Child sexual abuse encompasses sexual contact with a child, touching and non-touching offenses, and is inclusive of all acts of sexual exploitation. The legal definition of child molestation is an act of a person—adult or child—who forces, coerces or threatens a child to have any form of sexual contact or to engage in any type of sexual activity at the perpetrator’s direction.

Child neglect is defined as a type of maltreatment that refers to the failure by the caregiver to provide needed, age-appropriate care although financially able to do so or offered financial or other means to do so.

Other forms of neglect include poor hygiene, poor weight gain, inadequate/delayed medical care, or frequent absences from school without plausible explanation.

What does an abused child look like?

An abused child may:

-Have injuries, bruises, or welts                              

-Have trouble walking or sitting

-Wear inappropriate clothes to cover up injuries    

-Shy away from touching

-Display knowledge or interest in sexual acts inappropriate to his/her age and development

-Without reason, make strong efforts to avoid a specific person or, on the contrary, the child may develop an inappropriate attachment to aforementioned person

As a general note: Each child’s reaction to abuse is situational and individualistic. There is no “normative” case.

How do you report abuse or neglect?

Your voice matters! The effect of child abuse is lifelong and pervasive in nature. Everyone has a legal duty to report any “Suspected” abuse and/or neglect of a child to the Dept. of Social Services Child Protective Services. Do not be afraid to report, as long as you are acting in good faith, you cannot be held liable.

Childhelp® is a national organization that provides crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all calls are anonymous. Contact them at 1.800.4.A.CHILD (1.800.422.4453).

To report suspicion of maltreatment locally:   New Hanover County: 910-798-3400

Brunswick County: 910-253-2077

Pender County: 910-259-1240

If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape, sexual assault, or child sexual abuse, contact the Rape Crisis Center of Coastal Horizons Center, Inc. at 910-392-7460. Rape Crisis offers free and confidential support, counseling, advocacy and referrals.

What can you do today?

Simply by reading this PSA you have taken a step in the right direction. Be aware of your surroundings and the interactions between children and adults around you. By participating in dialogue surrounding issues such as this, you are bringing said topics into the light, giving a voice to the most delicate, vulnerable, and voiceless- our children.

Be an advocate. Be aware. Engage and plug-in to local organizations such as:

The Carousel Center (TCC) 910-254-9898

The Rape Crisis Center (RCC) 910-392-7460

The Child Advocacy & Parenting Place (CAPP) 910-791-1057

The Department of Social Services (DSS) 910-798-3400

Information provided by http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/cps/about.htm.

For more information about child abuse prevention programs and activities throughout the year, or to inquire about open positions on our Board of Directors, please contact the Carousel Center for Abused Children.

Submitted by Jordan Brackett, CCAC Spring 2013 intern

The Carousel Center for Abused Children is happy to announce that our very OWN Lisa Brooks has been nominated for the Smart Start Children’s Champion Award!!!  She is our champion every day!