Our History
In 1998 a grass roots group of community professionals and concerned citizens began meeting and agreed that the establishment of a child victim advocacy center was needed in this locality.
By 1999 the group completed a needs assessment study confirming the necessity of a center, created a mission statement and created a name for this center. This child victim advocacy center would thereafter be known as Prairie Advocacy Center, Inc.
In September 2000, The Prairie Advocacy Center, Inc. obtained its 501(c) (3) not for profit status and shortly thereafter opened it’s doors for business by merging with the existing Project Safe Talk. The Safe Talk team consists of professionals from law enforcement, mental and medical health, prosecution, SRS and advocacy. This year also marks the date PAC began overseeing the Kids In Court program.
Prairie Advocacy Center became an Associate Member of the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) in May 2001. During 2001, Prairie Advocacy Center applied for and received a grant from NCA to operate the advocacy center. Through this funding the Prairie Advocacy Center (PAC) was able to hire the first Director in March 2002.
The first staff member was hired in April 2003 as the Program Coordinator. In May 2003 proceeds from the Prairie Advocacy Center's Annual Golf Tournament began to benefit PAC.
In the fall of 2003, PAC passed a site visit and became a full member of National Children’s Alliance sanctioned to receive some funding and operate as an accredited Children’s Advocacy Center.
During 2004, PAC established the Shawnee County Multidisciplinary Adult Protection Team through funding provided by the Topeka Community Foundation. This multidisciplinary approach mirrors that of the Shawnee County Multidisciplinary Child Protection Team formed in 1991, now administered by PAC.
2006 marks the year PAC, with partnering agencies, began Children's Support Groups for those who were traumatized by violence. The advocacy center also hired an additional Victim Advocate to provide support, education and referrals to victims and their non-offending family members.
During 2008 Prairie Advocacy Center introduced Talking About Touching, Keeping Children Safe from Harm an educational curriculum that can be utilized with the youth in our community. The program is a research-based personal safety curriculum that helps teachers and parents work together to provide the rules, encouragement, and skill practice that children need to protect themselves. As a comprehensive personal safety program, the Talking About Touching curriculum teaches children simple safety rules that guide them toward safe decision making. Also new this year is the Evening in the Park event. This is a spectacular evening event, held outdoors, that brings together seasoned supporters with those new to the mission of the child advocacy center.
Just like each passing year, 2009 marks some pretty amazing accomplishments too. The Center received its 5 year re-accreditation as an Accredited Member of the National Children's Alliance. We also opened the newly developed "Women Of Steel" Resource Library, making books and videos on the subject of child abuse, prevention, healing and education available to the community, to the victims we serve and their parents, and to the community's educators. With 2009 also came a new name for the CAC. After much research and deliberation, Prairie Advocacy Center was renamed LifeHouse Child Advocacy Center.
2010 marks the 10 Year Anniversary for LifeHouse CAC helping kids be kids again. LifeHouse continues to offer the same child-focused programs and continues to look for new ways to support and educate our community on keeping children safe from harm. Current programs include: Safe Talk, Kids In Court, Shawnee County Multidisciplinary Child Protection Team, Talking About Touching and the Women of Steel Resource Library. 2010 is also designated as the first year for the LifeHouse SuperHero Motorcycle Ride, a new opportunity to raise funds and awareness for our services.
