(bright upbeat music) - Will you consider this?

There is something very troubling in our world today, and we're going to address it with Jill Sisk and Julie Herzog.

and they are with the Children's Advocacy Center serving Tazewell, Woodford, and Mason counties.

So, and it has to do with children being abused, which is very unfortunate.

But thank you very much for what you're doing.

First of all, let's start with you, Jill.

How did you get involved in the CAC?

- A friend of mine was on the board already and asked if I wanted to join and help out, and I did.

And honestly, I didn't think that I would be in as long as I have.

It's been, I think, 12 years now.

But it's just such an opportunity really to do something in the community that you can actually see the immediate results.

The money we raise goes towards counseling, goes to other services, and so you can see how much a difference it makes.

- All right, and Julie, now, I met you years ago on the advocacy committee for the Children's Hospital of Illinois.

So you're still advocating for kids.

Tell me.

- I'm still advocating for kids, yeah.

I've been advocating for kids for the last 30-plus years.

And I was doing it more often in the community, and stepped away from a position and started working remote, and was really looking for more ways to be able to engage and be a champion for kids.

And so one of my friends and former colleagues was on the board already, so I started helping out.

- Good.

Well, now, tell me everything.

Well, I mean, in a certain order.

What goes on at the Children's Advocacy Center?

I know that you have different programs and outreach.

First of all, let me back up.

Statistics, that is very troubling, the statistics of the numbers of kids who are abused, and the ages.

So which one of you would like to address that?

- Well, you're right.

It is very troubling.

And unfortunately, for all that we see in the community and even nationwide trying to address it, the statistics haven't got any better really throughout the years.

I think, one thing that we have noticed is that people are reporting it more.

So some of the programs in schools and stuff have actually helped, in that kids are coming forward and reporting it.

So where we are helping, but statistics don't really show it, because people are reporting it.

It may not be happening as often or as bad, but kids are reporting it now, which is a good thing.

So that's one of the sides of it, make a difference.

- So one in five girls, is that what it is?

- [Jill] One in four.

- One in four girls will be sexually abused- - By the age of 18.

- And boys?

- Boys also, which is a misconception that it's, you know, all girls and not boys.

But boys, the numbers there are kind of, depending on who you listen to, but it can be as high as one in six in certain areas, or, say, one in 10 is kind of an average.

- And then you have programs that you go into the schools, and you also, you can present to the PTAs and other parents' groups and things like that, in order to let them know, again, if you see something, say something, or if your child reports something or is having some kind of different behavior that you can suspect something?

Julie?

- Yeah.

Those are just some of the things that they do, but primarily, they're focused on ensuring that a child has a safe environment to talk about what's happening in their lives.

And the funds that we raise go towards that and ensuring that kids have the confidence to come forward and don't feel scared, and making sure that they continue to stay safe.

- So when you go into the schools to make this presentation to kids, do you have to get approval from the parents first, in order to make the presentation to let them know about their safe bodies?

- Right, the presentations, the program is always age appropriate.

But the schools will send a note home first to say this is going to happen.

If you don't want your child involved, let us know, and we'll back 'em out.

- [Christine] So age appropriate, what age do you start?

- It's actually pre-kindergarten, the program can really start talking about safe body, that sort of thing.

And obviously, as you get older, it gets much more into, you know.

- More more detailed, yes, uh-huh.

- Yeah, more so like appropriate places for an adult or someone else to touch the child.

- Mm-hmm, I had a grandchild say, "Well, you can see me in my underwear because you're family."

(Jill and Julie laugh) We were getting ready for school, so, you know.

- Well, that's good that she's aware of that, or he's aware of that.

- Yeah, but that was good, and you know, it's like, they finally got through.

So how about the statistics in your tri-county region, so Tazewell, Woodford, and Mason County, are the numbers the same as national average?

Are you able to reach more people through all of your programming and outreach?

- I really don't know how they would compare to national.

Unfortunately, what we have seen is an uptick in cases.

Pre-pandemic, the CAC was seeing probably about 225, on average, kids a year.

And since 2020, the number now, last year was 345.

And, again, kids are reporting it.

So we know that's part of it, but still alarming that it continues to rise like that.

- And why do you think that?

Because of homeschooling, or why do you think that?

- What we heard was like, during the pandemic, when folks had to work but couldn't take their kids to daycare, right, they would find a cousin, they would find somebody just to watch their kids, so there was definitely some of that going on back when things weren't normal on the working conditions.

But really, I think they attribute it to kids coming forward more and that awareness in the community to say something, like you mentioned before.

- Okay, and Julie?

- I'd also add in, too, you know, during the pandemic, kids were at home.

And so, you know, teachers and doctors and the different people that were seeing the kids more often are often the mandated reporters.

So there were not extra eyes on the kids.

So that may have increased some of the numbers as well, now that, you know, they're back in the school, they're back doing their regular activities, and people have more interactions with the children.

- And I read one of the statistics.

Most of this abuse is not a stranger?

- Right.

- And what are those stats?

- Yeah, definitely, it depends on which sites you look at, but anywhere between 5 to 10% are from strangers.

The rest of it, 90-some percent, is somebody they know, somebody the family trust.

- Mm-hmm.

It really is very disturbing.

But you are in the communities.

And people know about you.

So how do they contact you, or how do they find out about you?

Or how did this all come about?

'Cause, you know, we've had one in Peoria for a while, and then yours is... How old is the CAC?

- [Jill] 1999- - Okay.

- was when it was put in place.

And it is based on the law that says every county has to have a program to address the identification, treatment, and prosecution for child abuse cases.

So every county is supposed to have one.

So that's how it came about in 1999.

And from there, they set up in a, what we used to call a little white house in Pekin.

It's a family setting, right?

So the kids get to come to what looks like a normal house.

They will be interviewed by trained professionals that, you know, know what they're doing, know the age-appropriate type of scenario, but the setting isn't intimidating to the kids.

It keeps them out of having to go to the police station.

And then the other thing that's really nice about it is, they bring the different police, DCFS, whatever the agency is that needs to also be a part of this case, they come to the CAC- - To this little white house.

- Yep, they come to the white house.

And the kids are interviewed when they're doing, right, that initial interview.

So it's not like they have to repeat the story- - Right, just once.

- to multiple different, you know, agencies and folks.

So it really is meant to make it as easy as possible on the child but also their families, right?

They know they have a place to come to.

That's where the counseling is done.

- It takes place there?

- The free counseling for anybody that has been through, you know, something like this.

- Mm-hmm.

So when the kids are telling their story, do they know that all the other people there, the police officers, do they know all those people, DCFS, are there, also?

Or they're just talking to the counselor?

- [Jill] They're really just talking to the counselor.

- Okay.

- I mean, if they're older, obviously, they're probably aware that there's gonna be other people.

But it's in a room, you know, that just looks like a normal room.

And there's actually a couple different interview rooms, one more childish, and one for, you know, perhaps a little bit older.

But they're really just talking, answering questions, telling their story to that one trained professional.

- But it's not intimidating to them, and that's the best thing.

And that's where you get the truth from the kids.

- Right.

- when they don't feel the pressure.

- Right, and you don't wanna re-traumatize 'em.

- No.

- I mean, they've already gone through a trauma, and whatever situation's happened.

So we wanna decrease the trauma as much as possible, make 'em safe, feel comfortable.

That's really hard to tell someone, in general, that someone's hurting you, not alone, you know, a child that has to now open up to- - About it.

- people that don't really know.

- [Christine] Right.

- So this creates a comfortable, friendly environment that they feel supported in.

- Mm-hmm, and you said, so you follow the process to prosecution.

So are you advocates there?

Are you speaking for the child when it comes to prosecution, or what?

- Advocacy, yes.

Really, the interview tapes and those things is what is gonna be speaking for the child.

But the CAC will help them prepare for the court if they have to do a court appearance, will help them prepare for that, and then really follow them throughout that whole process, even to the point where if they didn't feel that they had, like, clothes to appear in court, they will get them clothes so they feel more comfortable in going in and making that court appearance, if that's required.

We really hope that the tape does the job for 'em, and they don't have to do that, but- - Right, so that would be the in-camera interview.

- Yeah, but if they have to, yeah, the CAC supports 'em throughout all that, all the way through, like I said, the counseling, which is really critical for the kids.

- Mm-hmm, and you said that, so you are training people, you're even training parents on how to report and what to look for, is that right, in some of your education programs?

- Yeah, you can show them the signs and signals of various things, and the different age groups.

I don't know, Jill, did you wanna expand on that?

Like do you know more about- - The signs and signals?

- Yeah.

- It's really the program in the school that gets the most focus.

We try to do things out in the community from an awareness perspective, but the focus of the CAC really is to support and fund the school programs that in our community will then educate the children.

- So how many schools are... Do you know the number of schools in those, in the three counties?

So you're talking grade school, middle school, and high school?

- Mm-hmm, all public schools are required to have the program.

When it first started, after Aaron's Law was passed in 2011, there wasn't anybody, right, there weren't professionals out there that could do it.

So we actually had at the CAC, somebody that went around to the schools, really busy, right, trying to cover- - Service all of them, right.

- the different schools, but since then, the schools have picked up and continued the program on their own.

So every public school should have a program.

- So teachers are anxious to have this, also, in their classrooms because it helps them.

And so it also helps the kids to come forward to the teachers if the teachers know how to respond to whatever a kid might say when they first walk into school, something happened yesterday or something.

Yeah, it's just really...

This world, it's a great place to live, if everybody gets the right message.

- Right.

- That's for sure.

So you do have a lot of other messages.

So what other kind of programs then do you offer throughout the year?

- Well, the programs really don't change.

It's a standard set, really focusing on, as I said, following the case from the start to the finish.

- [Christine] And how long does that usually take?

Is there an average?

- Yeah, it just all depends.

I don't know of any really set time for that.

So the programs we actually, Julia and I are most involved in is the fundraising aspect of it, that side of it.

'Cause everyone knows that, right, funds from the government, the grants, are, you know, not what they used to be years ago.

And so the fundraising to continue those services has become more and more important.

And so that's really our focus on the Friends Board is, how do we the funds to keep the counseling available, to make those programs available in the schools?

- Okay, so what kind of fundraising do you do?

And I know you have some partners, you know.

You have some major, I guess, sponsors, right?

Is that how it works?

Or Julie?

You've been a fundraiser for a long time.

- I've been a fundraiser for a very short time.

But I think, mostly, it's donations and sponsorships during the events that we have.

They've held, I say they, the CAC, prior to me, held, like, a trivia night, and they did dueling pianos.

Our most successful current ones, last year we held our first golf outing, and we had over 30 sponsors for that and 12 teams and made it a really fun event, raising $4,000.

- And how many programs will that help?

I mean- - I don't know on hand, but it also goes towards, you know, Jill talked about clothing to go to court, for day-to-day services, like we just are paying for, like, flooring and different things in the building.

And that may seem like it may not be connected, but it really is in order to have that safe environment.

- Exactly.

- So the funds go to various things.

I mean, it could be even stuffed animals for the kids just to make them feel like a little kid- - Like they're loved.

- And they're loved.

- Exactly, yeah.

- So we have our second annual golf outing coming up on April 26th.

And we are in the process of doing registration for golfers.

It's $90 per golfer or 360 for a team of four.

And then we also have sponsoring opportunities from different levels.

- So whole sponsors and contest sponsors and food and all that kind of thing.

- Exactly.

The goal is to make it a fun event but yet also raise awareness.

And we have it during April.

And I'm not sure if you know what April is.

- That's Child, yeah- - Child Prevention- - Child Prevention.

- Awareness Month.

- Yeah, okay.

- So we figured we could heighten and raise awareness- - That way.

- about child abuse and also raise the funds at the same time - A twofer.

- A twofer.

- It's always good.

It's always good.

- Exactly.

- And that's April 26th, you said?

- April 26th.

It's at the Parkview Golf Course in Pekin.

- [Christine] Okay.

- And like I said, we are still taking sponsors, and we're trying to get the word out.

We're still registering golfers.

We just wanna make sure that this is a profitable event, and they- - Fundraising, fundraising, and awareness.

- Yes.

- Yeah, that is- - Yes.

- good goals.

- 'Cause like Jill said, you know, grants are pretty...

I've always been in grant world.

And some years, it's great, and some years, it's not.

And right now, it's pretty scary.

So we also wanna make sure... And granted, 4,000 doesn't go far, but we continue to fundraise and do different activities so that we can continue to help support as much as possible.

- And the more you get the word out, the more awareness there is and the more likely you are to get a check from somebody who wants to help in some way.

- We do a annual appeal every year, obviously annual, but where to past sponsors and folks that have donate, we send out a letter, and it's just, you know, no programs attached to it, it's just a reminder of what the CAC does and ask for, you know, a donation.

And so that is one way folks can help.

If they're not, you know, not into golf and not attending, right, they can always just straight donate through the annual appeal.

- That's right.

- Yep.

- Money's money.

- Mm-hmm.

- Dollar signs.

- Yep.

- So do you have any people who continue to support you who were serviced through the CAC over the years?

Have there been any, they're now adults that have come forward and- - Yeah.

- We are not allowed to know that, because we're not privy to any of the cases that go on or names of any of of the kids.

We do have, have had in the past, folks set up trust, right, and have that donated to the CAC, could be just outta the goodness of the heart, or it could be because they, you know, know somebody.

- Because they...

Right.

- But yeah, we wouldn't know that.

That's kept very confidential on that side of it.

- Well, that's good thing to know, also.

- Mm-hmm, yep.

- But you do know that you have some successes.

Over the years, you've had some successes.

And then what happens to the perps?

I mean, how much jail time do they get, or do you have any idea?

- [All] No.

- I think that's a case by case situation, depending on what the situation is.

- It's really up to the state's attorney at that point to- - So you work closely with the state's attorney's office and with the sheriff's department and the police department and DCFS, and obviously family members, who are supporting this child and need to get the child to and from appointments and things.

It's a whole big...

I mean, it is a village that is taking care of these kids.

- [Jill] Absolutely.

- Yeah.

- Absolutely.

- So where do you go from here?

What do you do after this?

You gotta keep raising money.

- Mm-hmm.

- All right.

- Keep raising money, and really, one thing that I think that we need to continue is to find folks like Julie that are willing to help.

Because to do some of these programs takes a lot of people.

And we have people that, you know, past board members that will help out on special events just because we need more bodies.

But really, if folks have any time at all, there's some use we probably could find for, you know, their talents.

If they do bookkeeping, we have to do bookkeeping, right.

We have a website.

It needs website administration.

Currently, that's something I'm doing.

I am by no means qualified to do it.

- [Christine] Well, let's hear what that website is, really fast, before I forget.

- Uh-huh.

- What is it?

- It's at tazewellcac.org.

- [Christine] Okay.

- And you go onto it, and it talks about all the services.

and we just redesigned it a few years ago.

And now up in the top corner, top right corner, there's an Exit button.

So if somebody's on the site, and somebody, you know, walks by, and they don't want anybody, it's literally one click, and it's all gone.

So that was something that was added.

But we talk about the events on there.

So folks can go there to find the golf outing.

They can see the past events we've done, so the trivia night.

We did a Halloween party.

We're doing another party at the end of the summer, which is gonna be kind of like a summer throwback music-type party.

It's with a band, so they can find information there.

It's truly, some of the things we've talked about today are all out on that website.

- Right, well, and it's good to get people awareness and get 'em involved in some way, and just small ways, because you said, you kind of were drawn in, and you were, too.

- Yep.

- It's like, somebody's doing a little something, and then all of a sudden, it's like, oh yeah, that kind of rattled my little, jingled my little bell in my brain.

- Right.

- Yeah, exactly.

Okay, so you look like you need to say something, Julie.

- I was just gonna say, you know, again, I've been in this for a long time as far as working with kids and families, and I just think that the awareness needs to be greater.

I just think people do not want to think about it, of child abuse, and they don't know what the great impact is of in the communities.

They think it's always gonna happen somewhere else.

So, you know, continuing to raise awareness, and make sure that people understand this is happening, and understanding what those signs and signals are, and then continuing to raise funds to support it.

- [Christine] Yeah, don't look the other way.

- Correct.

- Because it is going on right underneath our noses, yeah.

And well, all right, so you're gonna have a couple of good events that will generate a lot of good stuff for you- - (chuckles) We hope.

- Yeah.

- and for kids and their families as well, but the kids really need it.

And that's just, that's the whole thing.

And you're a mom, and you're a mom and a grandma.

You're not a grandma yet.

- I am.

- Are you?

Okay, so we know that this is really something that we have to keep an eye on.

All right.

So how do we encourage people to volunteer?

Where would be the first place that you'd want them to volunteer?

Not bookkeeping, don't ask me.

- [Julie] I don't wanna do bookkeeping either.

That's not my forte.

- Bookkeeping is out.

- Honestly, the Friends Board, we kind of have the directors who have to have to do the mundane stuff, right.

You have to pass, you know, voting on spending money and that kind of thing.

And that's where we have a treasurer, and we have the kind of record keeper, those kind of functions, those things.

- [Christine] But they can get in there, and they can- - If they have that kind of, like- - Skill.

- If they want to do accounting or bookkeeping, that kind of thing, we could certainly use them from that perspective.

But then we have really what we call the fundraising committee and it's- - And that's you guys.

- Mm-hmm.

- All right.

- With several others.

- Yeah.

- All right, that's good.

- We spell it F-U-N, capital.

- Right, good.

- Then the rest, raising.

- I like that.

- And that's where really anybody can be a part of that.

- Can pitch in.

- If they don't, you know, wanna come to our monthly meetings, but they wanna help out in the events- - [Christine] Go for it.

- We can use 'em there.

If they have ideas, love people that come in with ideas.

- Ideas are good, too.

- You know, try new things.

We got a little stagnant, to be honest, with our trivia night.

It was such a huge fundraiser for us, 10,000, 12, $15,000 every year.

That was just the only thing we really needed to do.

- Okay, but now you need to change it.

- But then that went away after the pandemic, and so we're doing smaller, more frequent-type programs.

- Well, that's the way to do it.

- Yeah, and new ideas, I mean, always can use new ideas.

- I like ideas, if my brain functions.

Let's leave it there.

(Jill and Julie laugh) Thanks so much, ladies, for being here.

And I hope you learned a lot about the CAC.

And until next time, be well.

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