WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — On Dec. 12 the Children's Safety Center (CSC) of Washington County opened its doors to the public to celebrate its 15,000 square foot, $15 million new building in Springdale.
The new space is three times the size of the old one and was made possible by donations from the community.
"We've been waiting on this day for 26 years. But it's finally here, it's three times the space that we have to be able to serve child abuse victims," Emily Rappe Fisher, Director of Development for the CSC, said.
“[The community] are the ones who helped us build this building it was a $15 million project and now we’re here standing in front of it and in it and using it. It just helps us do our jobs to the best of our ability," Rappe Fisher said.
The CSC had been in its original space since it first opened in 1997. Rappe Fisher said they had outgrown this space. They broke ground on their new facility in June 2022.
“Unfortunately, child abuse is not going away anytime soon. The county is growing, the population is growing, and unfortunately, that also means child abuse is more prevalent," said Rappe Fisher.
At the old space, the CSC had over 14,000 handprints covering the walls from every child they served. In the new space, they made sure to keep the handprints prevalent.
“We brought over all of them digitally. So, we have different art and things that they're involved in. They're incorporated throughout the entire space," Rappe Fisher said.
Matt Durrett, Prosecuting Attorney for Washington County, said his office works hand-in-hand with the center.
“For those who are in the darkest places that there is. There's always a light shining, and it's the Children's Safety Center," Durrett said. “You have individuals from the Children’s Safety Center say, 'hey, what can we do to help in this case? How can we help you? What can we do to make your case better;' they're always looking for ways to help.”
Durrett said having a larger space will help his office do more to contribute to cases in Washington County.
“You know, they outgrew their old space, it would be great if we lived in a world where you just needed a tiny little space, because there were so few child victims. But the fact is, we don't live in that world, and so you need a place like this: a state-of-the-art facility that can cover every need a child has,” Durrett said.
“It's not just helping us with court cases, it's the bigger part is helping children heal. Because anytime a child has been harmed or been abused, they need some place they can go heal" Durrett added.
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