CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- Chuck Marshall knew firsthand of the work done by the Foothills Child Advocacy Center. So Marshall, a former detective with the Albemarle County Police Department and member of Charlottesville Elks’ Lodge 389, didn’t hesitate to pitch his fellow Elks on supporting the organization in its mission to support children and families whose lives have been impacted by abuse.

“I was very familiar with the facility,” Marshall, who worked for ACPD’s Special Victims Unit, told Cville Right Now. “So, I stood up on the floor and gave them a little background on Foothills, what they do for the community, and what they do for children abuse.” 

This week, Foothills announced the receipt of a $10,000 donation from the Charlottesville Elks’ Lodge.

“I almost fell off my chair,” Foothills CEO Sherri McKinney told Cville Right Now. 

McKinney credited Marshall, whose past work with Foothills cases gave him firsthand knowledge of how important trained advocates are as they help children who have gone through abuse recover and move forward.  

McKinney said people like Marshall, who help spread the word about the mission of Child Advocacy Centers like Foothills, are sorely needed in their ongoing operations. McKinney compared her organization’s work to poison control services.     

“Nobody ever wants to call poison control,” McKinney said. “But if you need them, you need to know what to do. And nobody wants their child to experience sexual abuse.”

Founded in 2006 and accredited in 2011, Foothills originally partnered with the National Children’s Alliance and served Albemarle County and Charlottesville. Since then, it has expanded to include Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Orange, Madison and Nelson counties.

Children who may have experienced physical or sexual abuse are referred to Foothills, either by Child Protective Services or by law enforcement.

At Foothills, specially trained professionals conduct forensic interviews and medical exams to determine what has happened to the child. The organization conducts about 320 of these a year, for children ranging in age from 3-18. The interviews are witnessed by law enforcement and CPS representatives, and recorded. Foothills also offers support services for families and caregivers.

The fact that many people in the area don’t know about Foothills and the work done there is a major fundraising challenge, according to both McKinney and Marshall. The organization holds two annual fundraisers designed to raise both money and awareness – the Charlottesville Cup pickleball tournament in May an the annual Mustaches 4 Kids event each November.

“I don’t think there are a lot of people in the community that know exactly what Foothills does unless they are involved with some sort of law enforcement case with a child,” Marshall said. 

Law enforcement officers, according to McKinney, in the wake of abuse cases, are well equipped to interview adult perpetrators, but have gaps in preparation when it comes to interviewing children.  Despite their valuable role, Child Advocacy Centers like Foothills are the only part of the investigative process designed to protect children that are not fully funded by the public. 

“The difference between law enforcement and DSS and Foothills is that we are on our own,” McKinney said. “The Commonwealth Attorney is [funded], they’re all fully funded by the public. We are not.” 

And so the need arises for fundraising, and the generosity of local community service groups like the Elks proves immense in ensuring operations continues as normal. 

McKinney said the $10,000 donation from the Elks will be going straight to the children coming through the doors of Foothills every day, covering the cost of the services Foothills provides.

“We don’t charge families anything,” McKinney said, “so it costs us about $3,000 to serve one child. We don’t have any special earmarked plans for it. It will just help us be able to continue providing services.” 

Foothills is making long-term plans, working to provide medical services on-site on a full-time basis, as well as adding mental health services on-site for a full-time basis.   

To provide these services, however, Foothills Child Advocacy Center must continue to rely on community support and generosity. McKinney says she would love to have more allies like Marshall and the Elks, both contributing financially and spreading the word about the work Foothills does.

“We need more people like Chuck in this world, not because of the $10,000, but because of the the 10 [people],” McKinney said. “We need people to understand what a children’s advocacy center is and what we do.”