Guest Article: Investing in our Children

Back Row: Bryan Burgess (Newaygo and Lake CPS), Danielle Vandeweg (PCA Evergreen CAC), Barry Wolf (Michigan State Police), Chad Palmiter (Newaygo County Sherrif's Office), Representative Joseph Fox, Timothy Rodwell (City of Fremont Chief of Police), Nicole Klomp (City of Fremont and City of Newaygo Police Social Worker) Front Row: Rachel Robinson (Prosecutor), Nicole Skrabis (PCA Evergreen CAC), Tara Nelson (PCA Evergreen CAC), Lady (PCA and Evergreen CAC Service Dog), Amanda Wilson (Newaygo and Lake CPS)

By Tara Nelson, Executive Director of Newaygo County Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

One in seven children.
That’s how many will experience sexual abuse before their 18th birthday. It’s a devastating statistic…one that should shake every community to its core. This isn’t a far-off issue. It’s happening in our own backyards, in neighborhoods across Michigan, and especially here in rural counties like Newaygo and Lake.
Yet while the number of child victims grows, the resources to help them are shrinking.

The Evergreen Child Advocacy Center, a nationally accredited program of the Newaygo County Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (PCA), exists to prevent child abuse and neglect and support children who have been victims of crime- including sexual and physical abuse, exploitation, and neglect. It’s the only child-focused environment in the area where young survivors can tell their stories safely to a trained forensic interviewer, receive help, and begin to heal.

Between January and August 2025, our forensic interviewer conducted 106 interviews with children who disclosed abuse or other trauma. That’s 106 kids, just this year, who needed immediate, expert help.

Every interview is more than a conversation. It’s a crucial step in an investigation. It allows law enforcement, child protective services, and prosecutors to hear the child’s account in a trauma-informed, legally sound way. Most importantly, it protects children from having to retell their abuse over and over again.

Despite the urgency of this work, rural Child Advocacy Centers like Evergreen operate on a shoestring budget. Unlike urban centers that may have access to larger funding networks, our center has relied almost entirely on local grants, community donors, and small-scale fundraisers to stay open.
This creates a dangerous inequity. Children in rural Michigan are just as vulnerable as those in cities, yet they have far fewer resources. 
At present, PCA employs just three full-time staff and one part-time team member to cover both CAC services and K–12 prevention education in Newaygo and Lake Counties. 

The Evergreen CAC offers a full wraparound approach to support children and families, including:

• Crisis response and family advocacy
• Referrals to mental health and trauma therapy
• Medical exams in child-friendly environments
• Court preparation and support
• Continued case management and advocacy throughout the child’s healing journey

These services save lives and restore hope. But they require trained professionals, dedicated space, and sustainable funding.

The numbers aren’t just statistics, they’re children in your town, your school, your extended family. Statistically, the number of children in Newaygo County who have disclosed sexual abuse could fill an entire grade level. Think about that for a moment
Every person, whether they realize it or not, knows a child who has experienced sexual abuse. And when we fail to fund CACs, we fail them.

On September 15th, State Representative Joseph Fox toured the Evergreen Child Advocacy Center and met with our Multidisciplinary Team serving Newaygo and Lake Counties. We are grateful for Rep. Fox’s continued advocacy and support for critical state funding and legislative action to help us protect children. But we need more champions. More action. More awareness.

Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility, and your support can make an immediate difference:

• Donate directly to Newaygo County PCA at 601 N. Evergreen Drive White Cloud, MI 49349
•  Attend our Christmas Charity Ball on December 4th-your ticket helps fund vital services
• Host a fundraiser through your workplace, church, school, or civic group
• Educate yourself on child sexual abuse, online safety, and prevention by signing up for our free virtual trainings on our website

No child should suffer in silence. And no Child Advocacy Center should be fighting to keep its doors open.
If we want stronger, safer communities, we must invest in the well-being of our most vulnerable, our children. That starts with funding services like PCA’s Evergreen, speaking out, and refusing to look away.
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PCA is thankful for their Multidisciplinary Team including: Newaygo County Prosecutors Office, Michigan State Police, Newaygo County Sheriff's Office, City of Fremont Police, City of Newaygo Police, City of Grant Police, City of White Cloud Police, Newaygo County Mental Health, West Michigan Community Mental Health, Newaygo and Lake CPS, and Helen Devos Center for Child Protection. This outstanding, caring team of agencies has seen the need and urgency for a unified approach for children and works together monthly to ensure safety for children. 
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One in seven is not just a number. It’s a call to action.