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Worcester County Child Advocacy Center asks Pocomoke City for continued FY26 support
Summary
Lauren Cooper, executive director of the Worcester County Child Advocacy Center, requested ongoing municipal funding to support local services including forensic interviews, medical exams and victim advocacy at the Pocomoke office.
Lauren Cooper, executive director of the Worcester County Child Advocacy Center (formerly the Cricket Center), requested continued city support for the center’s FY26 budget at the Pocomoke City work session on April 8. The center opened a Market Street office in Pocomoke to provide services locally and reduce travel burdens for families affected by abuse and neglect.
Cooper said the center provides medical exams, forensic interviews, victim advocacy and coordinates investigations with law enforcement partners. The services are intended to ensure children receive care, protection and access to justice in their own community rather than traveling to the organization’s main office in Berlin.
Why it matters: Local funding helps maintain the center’s Pocomoke presence and supports services for children and caregivers in crisis, the director said. She invited council members to tour the new facility.
Council response: Council members thanked the director for the presentation, recalled the ribbon-cutting and discussed including the center on municipal tours for visiting delegations. No formal vote on the FY26 support request was recorded at the meeting.
Looking ahead: The director said she will be speaking at the Maryland Municipal League conference and welcomed council members to schedule a tour of the Pocomoke facility.
