BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Thursday, Dec. 10, the Butterfly Bridge was the recipient of donations from the Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce during the “Giving Luncheon” for Chamber members.
Emily Hutcheson, with Butterfly Bridge, was the guest speaker at the event, and explained the extremely important services the Butterfly Bridge organization offers for children who have been the victims of violence and sexual assault.
The luncheon was held at the Catfish House of Millbrook with great attendance. Many of the members donated requested items for the organization, that help Butterfly Bridge workers as they interview children in very difficult circumstances. Other members opted to make a monetary donation for the cause.
Hutcheson is the Assistant Director and one of the forensic interview specialists for Butterfly Bridge.
In speaking of the donations made by Chamber members, Hutcheson said, “You don’t know what they means to us. Especially right now. This has been a tough year for all of us, but especially for agencies like ours and other non-profits. It has just been a really tough year financially.”
The Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center serves the 19th Judicial Circuit in Autauga, Elmore and Chilton counties. They have offices in Prattville, Wetumpka and Clanton.
Children are referred to Butterfly Bridge for forensic interviews. When a report of abuse is made to DHR or law enforcement, interviews are set up with the child to talk about the allegations. Trained staff then meet with the children for the interview.
“We don’t want to further traumatize those children. The children that come to see us have been through horrific things. Very heartbreaking things that we have to hear every day. We want to talk to them in a way that will not further traumatize them,” Hutcheson said.
A lot of those cases go to trial months or years down the road, and interviewers can testify in those trials as experts. Hutcheson said the team gathers all of the facts about what they believe has happened to the child, without leading or suggesting.
“We also utilize facility dogs throughout the state. The dogs are wonderful for the children, but also for us as the staff. So many days we want to get on the floor and cry, but we are able to get on the floor and play with the dog,” Hutcheson said.
Another service is free therapy for the children called Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy. It focuses on the trauma the child has endured, and there is no length of time set for cases.
“This is something that unfortunately (the children) are never going to forget,” Hutcheson said.
Advocates are also on staff that work with caregivers and parents. There is no handbook out there on what to do when a child is sexually or physically abused, Hutcheson said. “We try to provide support to them any way we can.”
In the past fiscal year, Hutcheson said Butterfly Bridge had 375 new children come through the program throughout the three-county area. The organization provided over 5,000 advocacy services, and 2,000 therapy services in all three counties. “We hate that we actually have to exist. We wish abuse did not happen, but unfortunately it does. And it doesn’t just happen Monday through Friday from 8-5. We are on call 24/7.”
You can make donations with checks, cash, card or you can text “wings” to 41411 and set up a donation payment. You can also visit the website (listed below) and make a donation.
To learn more about Butterfly Bridge or make a donation, visit their website at http://butterflybridgecac.org/index.php
The following information is taken from their website.
Why We Serve:
Every day children victimized by abuse come to the Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center where they find caring professionals and community partners who dedicate themselves to helping them through the nightmare of abuse and neglect. The Center provides a friendly environment where children can safely tell their story and receive the support they need. Within the Center, families find support, resources, and most importantly a place where healing begins.
How We Do It:
Providing security, restoration, and justice at the Children’s Advocacy Center is a team effort. We have a close relationship with local law enforcement, child protective services, therapists, caseworkers, interns, nurses, and volunteers, forming a strong team able to handle the most difficult of situations. Additionally, we work hand-in-hand with the District Attorney’s office. Every day our team provides families security, support and the resources they need for restoration to some semblance of normal life.
Our Mission:
Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center offers a safe, child-friendly environment to children victimized by abuse or neglect as it carries out the mission to provide restoration and justice in their lives.
Our Vision:
The vision of Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center is that every abused child will receive the services, advocacy, and support needed to move beyond the abuse to a life full of possibilities.
History of Butterfly Bridge, Children’s Advocacy Center
Child Protect, Children’s Advocacy Center located in Montgomery, Alabama historically served child abuse victims in Chilton County for more than 20 years. The services were only provided at the office in Montgomery. Under the leadership of Jannah Morgan Bailey and Jana Conlee Zuelzke, in 2009 the community saw the need for a local center to serve the children in Chilton County. Because of the overwhelming support from the community, some of the child advocacy center services began to be provided in a rental space at the office of Renee Smith and Associates in October of that year. Through the generosity of the family of Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson and Mr. and Mrs. J. Sam Johnson, needed renovations were done at the facility to make it suitable for the children who would come there. The addition of the new satellite office would greatly lessen the difficulty for all children who needed the services to receive them.
After the satellite office had been in existence for two years in Chilton County, it was clear that a new space was needed due to the amount of children being seen. A space was chosen in an old building in downtown Clanton. Extensive renovations were done under the guidance of Zuelzke Contracting and Mr. Tommy Glasscock. Many community volunteers had a hand in the renovations and donated hours of their time. The children’s advocacy center moved in October 2011 to the new and more spacious location. Since then, more and more children are being served and are able to receive all of the services that the child advocacy center offers.
Due to the high demand for the services, board and staff of Child Protect, Children’s Advocacy Center felt that the next best step was for the center in Chilton County to become an independent children’s advocacy center and no longer a satellite office of the children’s advocacy center in Montgomery. In the fall of 2012, the center in Chilton County was approved as a 501c3 non-profit under the new name, Butterfly Bridge, Children’s Advocacy Center. The founding board members are Mrs. Angie Barnett, Mr. Hoyt Chastain, Mr. Mike Curry, and Mr. Mike Schiermann.
The center functioned as a satellite office of Child Protect until the end of the 2012-2013 fiscal year and officially changed the name to Butterfly Bridge, Children’s Advocacy Center in October 2013. Today, children are able to receive specialized services at a center full of childhood comforts. On site, a specialized staff conducts forensic interviews at the request of local law enforcement and DHR, coordinates the local multi-disciplinary team, provides therapy for the children, and advocacy throughout the life of the case in the criminal justice system.
In October 2017, the service area of Butterfly Bridge CAC extended to Autauga and Elmore counties. Similar to Chilton County, a satellite center was established in each of those counties in early 2017 by Child Protect Children’s Advocacy Center staff under the leadership of Emily Hutcheson. The satellite centers officially became a part of Butterfly Bridge CAC on October 1, 2017.
Today, children in Autauga, Elmore, and Chilton counties are able to receive specialized services at a center full of childhood comforts right in their own community. On site, a specialized staff conducts forensic interviews at the request of local law enforcement and DHR, coordinates the local multi-disciplinary team, provides therapy for the children, and advocacy throughout the life of the case in the criminal justice system.
