SALISBURY — Saturday afternoon, warm sunshine and cool breezes created the perfect atmosphere for the live music, food trucks and camaraderie that was part of the annual Terrie Hess House fundraiser at New Sarum Brewing.
The Terrie Hess Child Advocacy Center serves child victims of abuse in Rowan County and their non-offending caregivers. Staff offer critical in-house services at the nationally accredited facility.
Services are available to any child under the age of 18 who has been the victim of abuse or who has witnessed violence. According to the organization’s website, anyone coming in to the Terrie Hess site should expect that on the first visit, there are “child forensic interviews and medical exams, on-site, to assist our partnering community agencies in their investigations of the potential abuse. The child and their non-offending caregiver will be assigned a family advocate to guide them through the process, including in-house therapy, possible court, and any other needs. Our staff is available to children until their 21st birthday for whatever support they may need following initial services with us.”
This marks the fourth year the organization has teamed up with New Sarum for the largest fundraiser of the year, with a goal of $10,000. At the end of the day, Executive Director Shawn Edman reported they had come close, raising more than $9,000.
Part of the fundraiser was selling tickets for chances at six different raffle baskets, each of which had a theme. In total, the baskets contained $5,000 in donated items and gift cards. The event had food trucks, lemonade from Katie’s Snack Shack, of course refreshments from New Sarum and a selection of live music, all put together, said Edman, by Misty at New Sarum, who he describes as “a Godsend.”
Terrie Hess is not the only child advocacy center in the area; there are centers in all counties contiguous to Rowan, and Edman says that is huge because they back each other up, for instance if there is a conflict of interest.
Currently the organization sees 12 clients a week, but there are also new referrals every week. The organization holds regular business hours, with early closing on Fridays. However, their services are available on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“If we get a call from police or a hospital or emergency services, we are in action immediately,” he said. There are times during the year when numbers can, and often do, go up, and he said that in the current climate, with the insecurity of things like SNAP and Medicaid, he fears there will be a spike.
“Anything that causes pressure, a job loss, loss of benefits, loss of housing, anything like that, not only can increase volatility in the home, but it can increase behaviors like dealing because it’s seen as an easy source of money,” he said.
There is a staff of 10, with additional contract therapists, and the budget is $1.1 million annually. Which means the staff squeezes absolutely everything out of every dollar they receive, because they never, ever charge a client.
“If someone has insurance, yes, we will bill the insurance, but that’s rare,” Edman said.
Edmund, who does have a background in medical management, became a foster parent to three children in 2017. Appreciating all the Terrie Hess House did to help, he joined the board, and in 2021, he became director.
“Yes, what we do has challenges, but to see the light come back into a child’s eyes…”Edman paused. “There’s nothing quite like that.”
The organization is opening a new mental health center at 229 Mocksville Ave. that will offer both mental health assistance and parenting classes, something Edman believes is essential. Giving a parent, who has either been completely unaware of abuse or so traumatized themselves that they cannot help, the skills and the confidence to be good, loving parents is a big piece of the puzzle, he said.
Edman reiterated that they will be available to a child that may need them until they are 21, but says clients don’t typically stay in touch. Their time with the organization is during a traumatic, painful moment in their life, and when they are ready to move on, they don’t want, or need, to look back. But he is okay with that, knowing it means the child they helped has healed enough to move on and live a good life.
“In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need services like ours at all,” said Edman. “Until that day, we will be here, providing needed services. And we are so grateful for the support of our very generous community.”