Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County CEO Terri Smith addresses the crowd during a challenge grant announcement at the Grove Kitchen & Gardens in October 2021. The advocacy center recently received a $22,000 grant to go toward paying a Community Education Presenter.

The Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County recently received a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation for $22,000 to help provide a salary for a Community Education Presenter.

In this position, the presenter speaks in schools to help children report, recognize and resist abuse. They also present a curriculum to adults who work with children to teach them how to recognize abuse and how to report a child who makes an outcry, according to the advocacy center.

Children’s Advocacy Center of Smith County CEO Terri Smith said the reason the organization started community education on abuse is because 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before the age of 18.

“We find too often that children don’t know what’s happened to them is wrong,” Smith said. “For some, it’s just a way of life and we want to give children that information to empower them.”

Smith said this program is critical.

“Oftentimes abusers tell the children not to tell anyone and we want to encourage that if it’s happened to someone, to tell someone because there’s so many adverse effects of trauma if it’s not dealt with when children are little,” Smith said. “And I’m talking health problems, depression, eating disorders, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, it just goes on and on, and we want to try to stop that.”

A new Community Education Presenter is an extension to an existing program that serves over 22,000 children in pre-K through middle school. CACSC wanted an additional full time Community Education Presenter because the organization works within multiple schools.

By gaining another presenter, Smith said she hopes to gain greater reach into the community to help more children and adults.

“The reason we’re able to do this is because we are able to partner with schools,” Smith said. “The schools in Smith County believe this is important so they allow us to come in.”

CACSC is in all public ISD elementary schools and some middle schools, daycares and private schools.

“We want every child, every grade to get this information,” Smith said.

CACSC has not found a Community Education Presenter just yet but will soon begin the process of searching for and selecting someone.

The organization’s mission is to protect the lives of children who have been abused through healing services, team investigations, community outreach and strategic partnerships.

The Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $24 million in grants to law-related programs since its start in 1965, according to a press release. The Texas Bar Foundation, supported by members of the State of Bar of Texas, is the largest charitably-funded bar foundation.