AMY CENTER OF CENTRALIA HOSTS RIBBON CUTTING, AFTER HOURS
The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center
618-244-2100
1231 W. Broadway Ave. Suite #2, Centralia, IL
The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center
The Amy Schulz Child Advocacy Center of Centralia hosted a ribbon cutting and After-Hours Wednesday, in partnership with the Centralia Chamber of Commerce, to celebrate its new 1231 W. Broadway location.
The event was attended by members of the general public, City of Centralia and Centralia Police Department, along with the Amy Center team, which included founder Dennis Schulz.
Executive Director Michaela Wharton said the Mt. Vernon-based Amy Center chose to open a second location in Centralia due to a need in Marion County for these services and as a way to help minimize travel times for Marion County families.
“We just kept looking at data and seeing consecutively that we were having families from the Marion County area and from the Centralia area that were having to drive thirty-to-forty minutes north or thirty to forty minutes south. We knew this area was very impacted, and that we have a lot of children that we can help serve here. We felt like this was the space we needed to be.”
Wharton said the new space includes an MDT observation room, a forensic interview room, and two offices for advocacy, adding that she hopes to add a space for a mental health clinician in the future.
“We’re just so thankful for all of the things that we are able to do because of Dennis’s fortitude, of his courage, and all of the things that he was able to implement at a time when child advocacy centers were very few and far between,” said Wharton. “Now, luckily, every county in the state of Illinois is covered by a child advocacy center. We cover seven [counties], but we really felt like we needed to be in Centralia to best serve the kiddos that need our help.”
Dennis Schulz founded the Amy Center in 1990 following the heartbreaking passing of his daughter, Amy, after he discovered a lack of resources for other parents affected by similar tragedies. The center was created as a way to provide resources for healing to children who have survived abuse.
Amy Center Board President, Mark Simmons, said the center has helped over 7,000 children over the last 35 years.
The Amy Center will be hosting a Golf Scramble fundraiser on Friday, June 13 at Green Hills Golf Club in Mt. Vernon. Through the Chamber Gives Back Program, we encourage all of our members to participate in this event and support the Amy Center and their invaluable services to our community.
