Did you notice our newsletter has a new name? Welcome to The Advocate – a monthly publication from Voices of Courage Child Advocacy Center.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
James Baldwin
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
FUNDING OUTLOOK FOR OUR CAC AND OTHER AGENCIES
On June 30, Governor Mike Kehoe signed Missouri’s annual budget. While it was a tight budget year, it did include $9 million to help bridge the gap in funding that Missouri organizations suffered in recent cuts to the Victim of Crime Act funds.
Missouri receives an ever-dwindling amount from this federal fund. Over the past several years, the State of Missouri has supplemented what we receive from VOCA, also in a dwindling amount.
While $9 million sounds like a lot of money (it is, and we are very grateful for it), $15 million was needed to actually bridge the gap left by a depleting VOCA fund.
For an agency like ours, that looks like a 10% cut to our federal grant earlier this year which will be followed by an additional 16% cut beginning October 1 of this year.
As a result, our agency is looking at ways to supplement those lost funds which help pay for vital services to children and families. We have been working on a plan to develop new more reliable funding streams, but in the current climate, this is not easy.
We have been successful in our Corporate Champion Campaign, which is still underway. So far, ten area businesses have joined the campaign which is designed to partner with local businesses that share our commitment to protecting children and strengthening families.
Companies who join not only benefit the community by helping provide vital services to children, but they may also benefit from the Missouri Champion for Children Tax Credit of 70% of their donation!
We are working on other ways to partner in our community to raise awareness about child abuse and to allow others to learn more about our agency.
We hope you will join these 10 Champions as we all work together for a safer community for children.
THE MORE YOU KNOW
MAGIC AND MONSTERS
While attending the National Children’s Alliance Leadership Conference in Washington DC recently, Carrie Watkins (pictured below with Anthony Edwards) and I had the opportunity to view the film ‘Magic and Monsters’. This is a documentary style film by Norah Shapiro and executive produced by Anthony Edwards.
The film uncovers a story of wide-spread child sexual abuse at a prominent children’s theater company in Minneapolis, MN back in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It follows 4 survivors who are going through the litigation process regarding the abuse they each suffered.
As it turned out, the number of children who were abused at that children’s theater company over the years was unimaginable. The number is estimated to be over 100 children by multiple staff members at the theater.
Shapiro and Edwards both attended the screening and provided us with some Q&A time following the showing.
While he did not recount his own experience to us (which wasn’t the purpose of his attending), Edwards has been publicly vocal about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of a former acting coach when he was about 12 years old.
Sharing your story of abuse is hard, even just sharing with one person. Imagine how brave it is to let the whole world know. What a great example he is setting to encourage others to seek help if they have experienced abuse.
Magic & Monsters is available on the Kinema platform.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Advocating in Washington DC
Recently, I had the pleasure of traveling to Washington, DC for the National Children’s Alliance Annual Leadership Conference. Our Director of Operations, Carrie Watkins, was along for this training opportunity as well.
On the second day of the conference, we participated in what is called Hill Day. This is an opportunity for child advocates from around the country to meet with their Senators and Representatives about issues affecting our sector.
This year, as in many years, the issue was funding. Many victim serving organizations rely on VOCA funds (Victims of Crime Act) to supplement our operating and other costs.
Our ask to Congress is to pass the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act (CVFSA) this year. This bill is designed to address the drastic decline in the federal Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which provides critical support to domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers and other programs nationwide.
How would this work? It would temporarily redirect unobligated civil penalties and settlements collected under the False Claims Act directly into the CVF through 2029.
What could it do for us? It is estimated that this bill, if passed, could inject roughly $1 billion into the fund, ensuring that non-taxpayer revenue continues to support over 6,000 victim-service organizations across the country – like ours.
Where are we in the process? The bipartisan bill (H.R. 909) passed the US House of Representatives back in January and is currently pending in the Senate. That is why advocates from around the State stopped by to visit Sen. Eric Schmitt‘s office while we were in DC. He has signed onto the bill in support. We wanted to express our sincere thanks for his support for our agencies and the children we serve. (pictured here are Carrie, myself, Cara Gerdiman, Ashlea Belcher and a Schmitt staffer).
We also wanted to meet with Missouri’s other Senator, Josh Hawley. Unfortunately for us, his office failed to respond to multiple requests to meet about this topic. Our ask to him would be to sign onto the bill, or if he was unwilling, to help us understand why not.
We are hopeful he will eventually meet with someone from MO-NACA (the Missouri Network Against Child Abuse) to have these discussions since he missed out on meeting with us in person in DC.
Finally, we met with Congresswoman Ann Wagner, the representative from District 2 (St. Louis area). We were so excited to meet with her as she is the champion for the CVFSA. Without her dedicated, hard work and persistence, this bill would not have the bipartisan support and momentum it is currently experiencing.
Carrie and I are pictured here with several representatives from Missouri child advocacy centers and MO-NACA. We cannot thank Rep. Wagner enough for all she has done to bring to light the issues with the Crime Victim Fund. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. She was a delight to spend time with.
With gratitude,
Melissa Birdsell
Together, we can build a community where every child has the opportunity to thrive.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
MYTH VS. FACT: Shouldn't parents be to blame when a child is sexually abused?
We continue our series on Myth v. Fact around child abuse and responses to abuse. We want to dispel some myths related to child abuse because myths can be harmful. Facts keep children safe.
MYTH: Parents are at fault for sexual abuse. They should protect their child.
FACT: Parents are often blamed for not protecting their child in these situations, however that simply shifts the blame from the person actually at fault – the abuser.
When a child discloses sexual abuse, one of the first things people often ask, even if only silently, is “Where were the parents?” This is somewhat understandable, but it reflects one of the most common and harmful myths surrounding child sexual abuse. That is shifting the blame from the abuser to the parents.
Most people who sexually abuse children do not fit into the stereotype of a stranger lurking in the shadows. They are often someone the child and family know and trust – a family member, friend, coach, neighbor, caregiver or other adult.
Many of these offenders spend weeks or even much longer carefully grooming not only the child but also the adults around them. They intentionally build trust, appear to be helpful, and create situations that make their behavior seem normal.
They do this for one reason – to manipulate everyone into lowering their suspicions and make it difficult for anyone to recognize what’s really happening.
Parents can’t protect against dangers they can’t see. When we understand that the danger is being purposefully hidden from them, it becomes easier to see how they might not realize what’s happening.
The majority of parents whose children experience abuse are loving, attentive caregivers who are devastated when they learn what happened to their child. They have often been deceived by someone they thought they could trust.
Many parents experience overwhelming feelings of guilt, shame, anger, and self-blame. They wonder what they “should have seen” or “could have done differently.”
While parents are not responsible for another person’s criminal actions, they do play an essential role AFTER the child discloses abuse. Research consistently shows that children heal better when they have a supportive, believing and protective caregiver by their side.
When parents can listen without judgment, reassure the child that the abuse was not their fault, and seek professional support, they can have a significant impact on a child’s recovery.
We have seen this play out with our clients at Voices of Courage. When a child is believed and supported following disclosure, their outcome is consistently healthier than when parents don’t believe their child.
As a community, we can also help by replacing blame with support. Instead of asking “Why didn’t the parents know?” we can ask, “How can we help this child and family heal?”
As we have been saying with each newsletter in 2026 – protecting children is a shared responsibility. It’s on all of us. When we stop blaming non-offending parents and focus our attention where it belongs – on supporting the child and condemning the offender – we create a safer, more compassionate community for every child.
You can help us create a safer, more compassionate community for every child!
COMMUNITY UPDATES
CORPORATE CHAMPIONS CAMPAIGN UDATE
Our Corporate Champions Campaign is designed to partner with local businesses that share our commitment to protection children and strengthening families.
These partners are playing a vital role in ensuring children in our community can access services without cost, delay or barriers, regardless of the family’s circumstances.
This month, we feature another new partner – Ellison-Auxier Architects.
Ellison-Auxier Architects has been in business in the St. Joseph area for over 100 years. Their experience, combined with their unique team approach to design, makes them the best qualified choice for any project.
THANK YOU to this Protector Level sponsor.
We have more coming in next month’s edition including three Encourager Level sponsors. If you would like to join this growing group of companies in working together to protect children, just click here or contact Melissa to learn more.
COCO'S CORNER
Recently, our facility dog (Coco) celebrated a very special milestone – her 3rd birthday!
To make the occasion even more memorable, she reunited with her siblings, who are also serving as facility dogs in communities across the region.
What a joyful reminder that, while they each have an important job to do, they’re still dogs who love to run, wrestle and enjoy time with family.
Every day in the office, Coco provides comfort, emotional support, and a calming presence for children and families navigating difficult circumstances. Whether sitting beside a child during a forensic interview, offering quiet companionship during therapy, or simply greeting visitors with a wagging tail, she helps create a safe and welcoming environment where healing can begin.
We are incredibly grateful for the difference she makes every day and loved that she got to celebrate her special day with the siblings who share her unique calling.
Happy 3rd birthday to an amazing team of facility dogs – we can’t wait to see all the lives they’ll continue to touch in the years ahead!
#itisyourbusiness Missouri Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline 800-392-3738