GREENFIELD — Catherine Sykes began by describing what had happened to her daughter by an abusive boyfriend.
It was a packed house at Greenfield Community College, with about 150 people sitting in the dining commons for the 5th annual Hope and Healing Breakfast, as Sykes story continued: He “approached her and asked her to have sex with him, and pulled her pants down.”
Her daughter told her in February 2016, but it wasn’t the first time her daughter had shared a story with her. Sykes reported it to the Greenfield Police Department and, once again, met with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Area, the branch out of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office to assist with child abuse.
The difference this time around in the process was Sykes and her daughter came to the center’s new building, dedicated to issues like this and not rolled in with the rest of the office space for the district attorney. Over the course of this year, the center has made its final renovations to the building.
“My daughter can’t help to reminisce about the beautiful murals on the wall,” Sykes said.
The children-friendly facility and the updates to it have made instances like for those of Sykes and her daughter slightly easier to cope with. “She’s been able bounce back rather quickly,” Sykes told the audience as the keynote speaker.
“The appearance of that space alleviates anxiety,” Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy Center Irene Woods said in her remarks.
She said in 2017 the center saw 107 children, 38 boys to 69 girls. Of the children, 32 of them were 6 and under, 31 between 7 to 12 and 40 between 13 to 18 years old. Among them, 87 of the reports were in regards to sexual abuse and 22 on physical abuse, according the center’s statistics.
The director emphasized the continued need for people to feel comfortable to contact local authorities when there are issues, like Sykes did when she called the police. Woods said they hope to continue to work on outreach, education and case management over the next year.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of you who stand up and make a difference in these kids’ lives,” Woods said.
Present for Friday morning’s annual event, which acts as a fundraiser for the program that is partly assisted through grant funding but also supported by donations, were representatives from the District Attorney’s Office, members of the Opioid Task Force, including Register of Probate John Merrigan, Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh, Athol Police Chief Russell Kleber, a handful Greenfield city councilors and state Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru.
Receiving awards was Bikers Against Child Abuse, which was recognized for its help in the community. Kena Vescovi, the director of Athol’s Valuing Our Children, was honored with the “Champion of Kids Award.”