There was cause for celebration, Wednesday, November 29, 2017, at the Holiday Open House held at April House Children’s Advocacy Center of Whiteside County, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. April House is located at 501 N. Madison Street, Morrison, IL, opposite the Whiteside County Law Enforcement Center and Court House. Employees of both facilities attended.
“April House Children’s Advocacy Center of Whiteside County, as a result of increased funding, has gone through a few changes, including the addition of staff. Previously, there was one employee; now there are three,” stated Executive Director Carrie Melton. She is one of the new staff members and began her duties the end of August. Melton comes to April House with more than 22 years of experience in victim services. She is responsible for writing grants and reports; overseeing the overall program; aiding the other staff in their advocacy; other duties.
Melton added, “We are a United Way Community Partner and receive Federal, State, and local funding.”
The purpose of April House is to bring help-systems together with child victims of sexual abuse/assault, serious physical abuse, or serious neglect, in a humane and responsive manner, while offering a comfortable environment for those victims and their non-offending caretakers. Adults with developmental challenges and those who are severely traumatized also receive services through April House.
Victim Advocate and Multidisciplinary Team Coordinator Diane Heath began work the end of September. She is a Domestic Violence Professional with ten years of specialty training. Currently, Heath has “20 open cases, but only a couple were carried over. A lot of those [now] have been closed out.”
Forensic Interviewer Lisa Zacharski also started her duties in September. She holds Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Education and has completed Special Forensic certification. Zacharski has “been working on interviews since the end of October.”
Standing left-to-right in the newly-decorated Waiting Room are Victim Advocate and Multidisciplinary Team Coordinator Heath; Forensic Interviewer Zacharski; Executive Director Melton. The latter’s grant request from Morrison Area Community Foundation funded updated decor, new toys, and a television.
Multidisciplinary Team personnel sit in the All Purpose Room that adjoins the Interview Room, watching the intake process on television. They include members of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Illinois State’s Attorney’s Office, and various law enforcement agencies. They assist Zacharski, ask questions, and guide the interview as it applies to legal matters. “This is standard operating procedure in other” Children’s Advocacy Centers, she noted.
Two Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office Detectives often have sat at the All Purpose Room table. Billy Murray estimated he observed “25-to-30 intake interviews from 2016 until today.” David Molina stated he attended “about the same” number. Referencing the Morrison murder of Peggy Sue Schroeder on July 8, 2017, Molina noted, “You have to treat [suspected felons] like humans, but you can’t unhear what you hear or [unsee what you] witness” in disturbing situations.
Morrison Police Chief Brian Melton attended “less than a dozen intake interviews this year. That’s too many for Morrison.”
Support for April House child clients comes from these personnel and others in law enforcement and the judicial system. Left-to-right, enjoying a light moment are Sheriff’s Office Lieutenant John Booker; Chief Melton; Detective Molina; Whiteside County Sheriff Kelly Wilhelmi; Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Kris Schmidt; Director of Whiteside County Court Services Kevin Johnson.
