Grant helps to transform home into safe haven for children in Georgetown County
GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WMBF) - Supporting the community’s most vulnerable members when they need it the most, is the mission behind The Childers’s Recovery Center.
Children’s Recovery Center helps children who are victims of child abuse. While the center has served the Grand Strand community for nearly three decades, they’ve never owned their own building in Georgetown until recently,
Plans are now underway to transform a 1938 home into a safe haven for children dealing with child abuse.
“Your environment reflects how you’re going to feel,” said Outreach Coordinator and Forensic Interviewer Rebecca Doherty with the Children’s Recovery Center.
When children dealing with abuse are brought to the center, Doherty is often one of the first people to talk with them.
She said a bigger space will help more than just the staff, but it will also help their young “clients”.
“We give them the space to tell their side of the story,” said Doherty. “They can tell us as much as they want or as little as they want.”
Children’s Recovery Center Executive Director, Louise Carson said that even though they’re based out of Myrtle Beach, this new, bigger facility in Georgetown will allow them to help more children.
“Child abuse is everywhere,” said Carson. “It’s in Myrtle Beach, it’s in Georgetown, it’s in every neighborhood we live in.”
Carson said the new building will be equipped with a forensic medical exam room, two forensic interview rooms, and a viewing room for police and DSS to watch the children’s interviews live.
A Crime Victim Assistance Grant from the State’s Attorney General’s Office will help staff the new facility, allowing the center to help more kids.
“Having a healing environment while they recount some terrible heartbreaking stories is only going to help them,” said Doherty.
Staff are hopeful the center will be operational by November.
The center plans to host a grand opening in January.
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