Child Advocacy Center asks Smyrna council for help funding larger facility, outlines $7 million goal

The Child Advocacy Center of Rutherford County asked the Smyrna Town Council at its workshop to consider assistance as the center pursues a larger facility and a $7,000,000 capital campaign.

Sharon DeBoer, speaking as part of the child protective investigative team presentation, described current operations and capacity limits and introduced a group of partners who outlined service needs and the campaign ask. "We are very blessed in Rutherford County to have outstanding law enforcement," DeBoer said, later noting the center's space is approximately 1,800 square feet and cannot accommodate the staff and interview rooms the work requires.

Why it matters: the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) conducts forensic interviews and coordinates multi-agency responses to child abuse, and presenters said a larger, dedicated facility would reduce repeated interviews of children, consolidate services and shorten…