Editor’s Note: This is one in a series featuring the agencies supported by the Scurry County United Way Lend a Hand campaign.
The West Texas Children’s Advocacy Center, Inc., (WTCAC) conducts interviews with children who have been the victims of alleged physical or sexual abuse and is one of the eight agencies that benefits from the Scurry County United Way campaign.
The WTCAC serves Scurry, Borden, Fisher, Mitchell and Nolan counties. Although their headquarters are in Sweetwater, the organization has a full-time advocate available at the Snyder office, located at 1907 40th Street.
The funds the WTCAC receives from the United Way campaign help allow for many of the services and events the center provides to children, Executive Director Kelsey Zimmerman said.
“The funding really helps with events like our Back to School Bash,” Zimmerman said. “It also helps fund our family advocate. Our family advocate in Scurry County serves Borden County as well, and we need that funding to help her with the forensic interviews.”
In addition to forensic interviews, the WTCAC helps with crisis intervention, victim advocacy and counseling. The center also gives presentations at local schools to raise awareness about child abuse and how to prevent it.
Other services include child abuse prevention education classes for both children and adults.
During the 2014-15 fiscal year, which was the most recent statistical year available, the WTCAC conducted 45 school presentations and reached a total of 1,534 children.
In 2014-15, the WTCAC served 360 children, 125 of whom were in Scurry County. Agency staff members conducted 261 interviews.