(Murfreesboro) – “Shock was the first feeling that I felt when I saw the 98 backpacks that were donated for needy children,” said Beth Porter with the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office. “Rutherford and Cannon Counties are communities that genuinely care about children.”
Thirty-nine Sheriff’s Office employees donated school supplies for needy children who are served by the Child Advocacy Centers in Murfreesboro and Woodbury. Beth Porter and her daughter Brittany organized the effort to collect the backpacks and school supplies. In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, contributors included Alexander’s Army, Jerusalem Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Realtor Vandy Vanmeter of Parks Real Estate Auction Group, and community members in Cannon County. Brittany coordinates Alexander’s Army, a group they formed to remember her son, Alexander Romeo, who passed away at birth.
“Our family and the Sheriff’s deputies just love to give back to our community,” continued Porter. “It makes our hearts happy to know children will have the school supplies they need for the start of the new school year.”
The Child Advocacy Center works as a multidisciplinary team with the Department of Children’s Services, law enforcement, and the District Attorney’s Office to respond to child abuse cases, investigate the crime, arrest perpetrators, aggressively prosecute offenders, help children heal, and help families rebuild their shattered lives.
The Sheriff’s Department assists child victims with the CAC daily and they know the need. In the last 21 years, the Child Advocacy Center and the Child Protective Investigative Team have impacted the lives of 11% of the population of Rutherford and Cannon Counties by serving 38,478 people.
Child Advocacy Center director Sharon De Boer said “When Beth contacted me at the end of June she thought they would sponsor 30-40 kids, within two weeks she called us back needing the names of more kids to sponsor. There are 98 Rutherford and Cannon County children excited for school to start and many relieved parents who didn’t know how they were going to pay for school supplies. The Child Advocacy Center was overwhelmed by the generous outpouring of support from the Sheriff’s Department and our community.”
For information on ways you can get involved and help child abuse victims contact Development Coordinator Katie Enzor at (615) 867-9000.
