MONROE - A donation of $5,000 from the Green County Fall Nationals Tractor Pull has enabled law enforcement officials and volunteers to train with less stress, which is what JoAnn Hawthorn said is the organization's goal in giving throughout the county.
"I thought if we could take the edge off that fundraising and put more focus on the people they were helping ... the rest can kind of fall into place," Hawthorn said.
Stephanie King, coordinator of the Green County Child Advocacy Center, said the reason for seeking out funds over the last year was the need for forensic interview training. The practice is used while talking to children about physical or sexual abuse, and in some instances, extreme forms of neglect.
"In my experience, it's the best way to get information from a kid," King said.
Ages can range from roughly 17 years to as young as 2-and-a-half, King noted.
Learning how to gather information after a crime has occurred is vital to investigations and court proceedings, she added. However, adapting the needed skills comes at a price.
CornerHouse of Minneapolis is "a world-class leader in forensic interviewing," according to the organization's website. Workers utilize forensic interviews for roughly 450 children annually. In order to receive training from CornerHouse, officials from the Green County District Attorney Office and area detectives as well as individuals from the Sexual Assault Recovery Program can travel to Minneapolis.
However, going to another state, albeit temporarily, causes more stress because of the interruption to work and home life. CornerHouse specialists can visit Green County to conduct training on-site at a cost of $10,000, King said. The benefit of the more expensive "house call" training is the lack of disruption for roughly 30 people looking to be trained.
The need for new training comes from recent turnover in different agencies: Jeff Kohl and Gary Luhman have left the district attorney's office within the last year, King said new detectives were hired at the Green County Sheriff's Department, and the Brodhead Police Department has new investigators. Monticello also recently hired Szvon Conway as its new police chief.
Fall Nationals tends to learn more about any group to which they donate, Hawthorn said. King explained more about the program, and Hawthorn gained more knowledge about the services the advocacy center provides.
"I explained to her what our program is doing and how it's impacting children in Green County and how it has that ripple effect of impacting other police departments and children even beyond Green County," King said. "Because of their support and because of other grant dollars we've obtained and other donation folks have offered to make, we're able to pay for the training in full. I am beyond impressed with how much this community rallies behind programs."
Currently, King said the center has four forensic interviewers. Therapist Adrienne Jurewicz said forensic interviews last roughly one hour. The goal is to collect information without leading a child toward an answer while also avoiding what King refers to as "re-traumatization." Interviews are followed by Jurewicz, who conducts about 12 therapy sessions focused on trauma and cognitive behavioral therapy.
The organization became aware of the center after a local police officer contacted Fall Nationals to ask the organization to consider the advocacy center in its annual donations. King showed her around the facility and the pair talked about Hawthorn possibly volunteering there.
"It was just such an eye-opener," Hawthorn said. "I think we in this area don't fully understand what we have."
"I thought if we could take the edge off that fundraising and put more focus on the people they were helping ... the rest can kind of fall into place," Hawthorn said.
Stephanie King, coordinator of the Green County Child Advocacy Center, said the reason for seeking out funds over the last year was the need for forensic interview training. The practice is used while talking to children about physical or sexual abuse, and in some instances, extreme forms of neglect.
"In my experience, it's the best way to get information from a kid," King said.
Ages can range from roughly 17 years to as young as 2-and-a-half, King noted.
Learning how to gather information after a crime has occurred is vital to investigations and court proceedings, she added. However, adapting the needed skills comes at a price.
CornerHouse of Minneapolis is "a world-class leader in forensic interviewing," according to the organization's website. Workers utilize forensic interviews for roughly 450 children annually. In order to receive training from CornerHouse, officials from the Green County District Attorney Office and area detectives as well as individuals from the Sexual Assault Recovery Program can travel to Minneapolis.
However, going to another state, albeit temporarily, causes more stress because of the interruption to work and home life. CornerHouse specialists can visit Green County to conduct training on-site at a cost of $10,000, King said. The benefit of the more expensive "house call" training is the lack of disruption for roughly 30 people looking to be trained.
The need for new training comes from recent turnover in different agencies: Jeff Kohl and Gary Luhman have left the district attorney's office within the last year, King said new detectives were hired at the Green County Sheriff's Department, and the Brodhead Police Department has new investigators. Monticello also recently hired Szvon Conway as its new police chief.
Fall Nationals tends to learn more about any group to which they donate, Hawthorn said. King explained more about the program, and Hawthorn gained more knowledge about the services the advocacy center provides.
"I explained to her what our program is doing and how it's impacting children in Green County and how it has that ripple effect of impacting other police departments and children even beyond Green County," King said. "Because of their support and because of other grant dollars we've obtained and other donation folks have offered to make, we're able to pay for the training in full. I am beyond impressed with how much this community rallies behind programs."
Currently, King said the center has four forensic interviewers. Therapist Adrienne Jurewicz said forensic interviews last roughly one hour. The goal is to collect information without leading a child toward an answer while also avoiding what King refers to as "re-traumatization." Interviews are followed by Jurewicz, who conducts about 12 therapy sessions focused on trauma and cognitive behavioral therapy.
The organization became aware of the center after a local police officer contacted Fall Nationals to ask the organization to consider the advocacy center in its annual donations. King showed her around the facility and the pair talked about Hawthorn possibly volunteering there.
"It was just such an eye-opener," Hawthorn said. "I think we in this area don't fully understand what we have."