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“Children are one third of our population and all of our future.”
— Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health 1981
The KCIW Community Conversations show host Connie Hunter toured Wally’s House with Jackalene “Jackie” Atunes, Executive Director of Wally’s House. Wally’s House is a Child Abuse Intervention Center which provides a community-based collaborative, child-focused response to child abuse. Its primary focus is the reduction of trauma to children, with a secondary focus to provide improved investigative outcomes in child abuse cases.
The child-friendly, warm environment at Wally’s House is a huge improvement over the sterile, somewhat public facilities often provided in government buildings. Wally’s House has been privileged to have a commercially zoned home provided, remodeled, and furnished in order to provide these needed services. Services include forensic interviews in a child-focused setting, medical services, victim’s advocacy, case review and tracking. Jackie shares the story and vision of Wally’s House and tells how it provides a safety net for the children throughout Curry County.
Wally’s House is comprised of a dedicated group of volunteer board members with the energy and guidance of Jackie at the helm. The center is currently being operated with funding provided by the Curry County District Attorney along with other grants and donations. Wally’s House is in the process of becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that will operate completely apart from the County using public funding such as state Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Intervention grants and other fundraising and donations.
For more information about how you can support Wally’s House or about their prevention education program, please visit: wallyshouse.org. Adult workshops include Darkness 2 Light trainings. Children’s education includes school-based workshops for I Am the Boss of My Body and teen prevention education for recognition and prevention of abuse.
Hosts: Connie Hunter; Producer: Connie Hunter
The opinions expressed here are those of the individual participants. Curry Coast Community Radio takes no position on issues discussed in this program.
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