A Word from the President

Jeff Burkett, President

Children are precious. Their naiveté and wonder at the world are such a joy to behold. Sadly, too many children have that innocence stolen by those who victimize them. CARES exists to care for these children. Before CARES, when a child was abused in Jefferson County and it was reported to the authorities, all of a sudden that poor child had to tell their sad story of abuse time-after-time. Even though children do not like talking about their abuse these kids had to tell it time after time to people from various agencies. What’s more, many of the people they talked to did not have special training in child interviewing. To add insult to injury, the agencies investigating the incident, many times, did not work together. Now, because of CARES, a trained, child forensic interviewer talks to kids using nationally accredited interviewing techniques while all the key agencies involved in the investigation watch on a monitor. As a result, the agencies not only get to have input in the interview but they also work together. And best of all, the child only has to tell his story once, not over and over. CARES can only fulfill its mission with adequate resources and funding. We are excited that you are interested in the mission of CARES and hope that you will join us in our quest to “eliminate the cycle of child abuse, one child at a time.”

Jeff Burkett, President