Child Advocacy Centers are Changing the World by Helping Children

The Heroes of the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County in Wichita Kansas. Saving the lives of vulnerable children. Led by Interim Executive Directors Suzi Thien & Jean Hogan while the wonderful Diana Schunn was out on Sick Leave

Look at the faces in the above photo. Do you see what I see?

Do you see the resolve?

Do you see the dedication?

The professionalism?

Do you see the fact that they save the lives of Children each and every day.

Vulnerable Children. Children that have been abused.

Children that have been sexually abused.

They are the staff of the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County in Wichita Kansas. November 4th, 2022, the Child Advocacy Center there held their annual Heroes Gala. The first such in-person annual event for a few years because of COVID. The theme of “Celebrating Heroes and Restoring Hope.” I (Dominic Carter) served as their keynote speaker. But it wasn’t about me. I was there to honor the phenomenal community work done by these professionals.

Wichita, Kansas. (Nov 2022) Dominic Carter received a standing ovation at a Child Advocacy Center Gala.

On this day in Wichita, upon my arrival it was about 75 degrees outside and beautiful. I thought what wonderful weather. But the next morning — -the day of the event — -which happened to be a Friday….the first Friday of the month in November…it rained all day and was quite cold. From the moment I walked outside the hotel about 7am until nighttime. (expecting the weather to be beautiful like the day before) That’s when some of the folks told me Kansas is known for unpredictable weather. I was getting a front-row seat. But here is the point. Nothing was going to stop the resolve of this group. The Child Advocacy Center in Wichita is in a large light brown/tan brick building, and staffers were there to meet me at now 7:30 AM in the pouring rain. I was doing a morning break-out session before the gala that evening.

The on stage high-five is with one of the rock stars of this Child Advocacy Center, Jessica Eck, the Development Director. “In rome do as the romans do.” After having fun mocking the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL, Dominic replaced his suit jacket with guess what? A Chiefs Jersey.

In a nutshell, Child Advocacy Centers provide a child-friendly, safe, supportive environment for child victims of abuse/neglect and their nonoffending caretakers. As per the Child Welfare Information Gateway website : “(CACs) are community-based, child-friendly, and trauma-informed organizations that coordinate a multidisciplinary response to child maltreatment allegations. CACs deliver a best practice model that bring together, often in one location, child protective services investigators, law enforcement, forensic interviewers, prosecutors, family advocates, and medical and mental health professionals to provide a coordinated, comprehensive response to victims and their caregivers.”

One by one these ladies arrived and were so unassuming and nice and kind. It’s hard to conceive but every day, they leave their own families to come take care and help Children in need. I so deeply admire what they do. I was one of the children that they help.

In my case, Children Advocacy Centers were not around in the 1970’s, but I am so grateful that they are today. I would never want another child to go through mentally what I had too.

The amazing Executive Director Diana Schunn and TV Journalist Michael Schwanke

Diana Schunn is the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County, but that’s what made the gala on this night so very special. It was her first public event since being out for months on sick leave. She was there with her very proud husband who was extremely happy that his wife is on the road to recovery. As I state in speeches across America, “we all fall down in life, the question is do you get back up.” Diana Schunn is back up and that is a win-win! Her commitment to helping children is off the charts. In Mrs. Schunn’s place, two amazing people stepped up to serve as co-Interim Executive Directors, Suzi Thien, and Jean Hogan. The rock star of this organization is their development Manager Jessica Eck. I make a lot of decisions based on instincts, whether to do something or not, and me and Ms. Eck connected right away. About two weeks before this event, I was in Haines City Florida (Between Orlando and Tampa) giving another speech on a different topic. Ms. Eck and I had a video conference call while I was in Orlando, and through my iPhone, I could see the enormous dedication she brings to her job. Education Manager Lori Chandler was also a rock star, and Family Services Manager Melissa Cooke.

Peggy Schwendeman, the Chair of the Heroes Gala Committee, and Executive Director Diana Schunn

Another stand-out with a million dollar smile happened to be Peggy Schwendeman, the Chair of the Heroes Gala Committee. (Photos above wearing the glasses) It just seemed like “Ms. Peggy” was passing out smiles all day long. Her kindness was contagious.

So in a nutshell Staff members of Child Advocacy Centers across the country and in Canada are experts at talking to/and with Children about horrible things that have happened to them.

It’s not an easy thing to do. Children that have been abused sometimes don’t reveal it until years later, IF AT ALL.

I can tell you definitely I thought I was going to take my secrets to the grave due to my shame. But it doesn’t have to be that way and Child Advocacy Centers are seeing to that one step at a time, one day at a time.

My life intersects Childhood Maltreatment, my Mother’s MENTAL ILLNESS (Chronic Paranoid Schizophrenia) Child Sexual Abuse, and FOSTER CARE. I was removed from my mother’s care as a toddler and stayed there for about a year until my family retained custody of me. My FATHER was NEVER in my life, and my grandfather a HEROIN addict. I was raised by my grandmother. I was in KINSHIP CARE before it was officially termed that. I grew up in the housing projects of NYC on welfare attending many different public schools. Yet through the power of EDUCATION, I was the first person in my family to attend college, and to graduate. Folks all across the country have supported my book, on my life of survival, “No Momma’s Boy.” I’m not the type of person to write a book just for the sake of becoming an author. I would only do it in such a case as this, because I have something tremendous to say. You can click here to order the book.

The Morning Break-out session of Wichita Community leaders with Dominic was at a capacity crowd in the pouring rain at 9am on a Friday Morning

All I know for a fact is that Children that have been abused are often incapable of expressing their emotion, and the guilt of childhood sexual abuse can turn to smoldering resentment over the years. It took me, Dominic Carter almost my entire adult life to get to the point where I no longer hide my own childhood “secrets.” Suppressed feelings are real. I really thought I would take my secrets to the grave.

So please remember, the next time you fall into the hype that some NBA or NFL player is a star, that is only a media allusion. The folks that work with Children, with the Elderly, first responders, the people at the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County, the Child Advocacy Centers around the country….NOW THEY ARE THE REAL HEROES.

Sure Michael Jordan and Lebron James can do amazing things with their hard work and God-given talents on the basketball court. Travis Kelce can catch practically every football thrown to him by Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They can “ball.” But can they save a child’s life that is so confused because something terrible has happened? That is a rhetorical question because we all should know the answer.

About a year prior to this event, I was at another CAC gala which also happened to be in Kansas, that time in Salina.

The folks at the Child Advocacy Centers are all about helping children and families. What also touched my heart dearly is that they were not only so kind and nice to me, but they also supported my daughter’s Children’s Book: “Eva the Kid Reporter.”

I will never forget the beautiful gift bag they presented me. “Ms. Peggy,” the gala chair with that million dollar smile said: “Here Dominic. We have this for you.” We had just concluded the morning event. I got to meet her husband. It was still raining hard outside, but there was nothing but love in that room. The gift bag contained among the many items, a beautiful white polo shirt with the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County emblem on it, mixed nuts, trail mix, chocolate covered nuts, cooking spices, & coffee. All local Kansas products. The bag even contained a blue and black thermo lunch bag. (Again with the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County emblem on it)

I will never forget the love from the staffers at this Child Advocacy Center. They can’t stop Child Abuse, but they can warn children and their parents of signs to look for, and when something awful does happen, their multidisciplinary team are there to handle it. They lessen the trauma for the children, which in my case has lasted my entire life into adulthood. The children no longer need to suffer in silence.

When I left town the next day, on a Saturday, it was still cold in Wichita. I was there for less than 48 hours, but they had made a lifetime impact on me.

The rain had stopped, and it took me all day to fly home. I was supposed to have a quick flight to Chicago, and then a two hour flight back to NYC. The entire thing was supposed to take 5 and a half hours. Instead the day started arriving at the airport there at 10am, and not getting home in New York until almost midnight. The high winds in Chicago had most of the flights grounded….so American Airlines re-routed me back through Dallas, and then on to NY. (Which amounts to going out of the way)

But that was ok. I had been blessed. I had been touched by Angels in Wichita, and nothing was going to ruin that.