MONTGOMERY—A nonprofit center dedicated to assisting child abuse victims in southeast Alabama is receiving grants totaling $208,264 awarded by Gov. Robert Bentley.
The Southeast Alabama Child Advocacy Center will use the grants to continue helping victims in Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.
The Dothan-based center offers counseling, a child-friendly atmosphere for conducting investigative interviews and therapy programs. Advocates employed by the center help victims and their families navigate the criminal justice system.
Established in 1994, the organization assists more than 600 victims and family members each year. The center has presented more than 2,000 educational programs about child abuse prevention to law enforcement agencies, churches, schools and other community groups.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Justice. ADECA manages an array of programs that support law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, workforce development, water resource management and recreation development.
Bentley informed Scott Applefield, president of the center’s board, that the grant had been approved. Matching funds of $52,066 are supplementing the grants.
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Contact: Russell Sellers, Mike Presley