The Exchange Club of Springfield, Ohio met at Wittenberg University’s Benham-Pence Student Center Alumni Room, 6 PM, Tuesday April 9th, 2024, with 12 members and 2 guests present. Guest Speaker Shelby Lowe, Director of Clark County Child Advocacy Center, stated that the Center investigated 223 serious cases of child abuse or neglect in 2023. Thus far in 2024, the Center has had 63 cases. Shelby noted that pre-covid the number of cases was typically over 300 annually. Of course, in 2020 and 2021, reporting was seriously impaired due to the pandemic. The Center has four trained forensic investigators, each of whom has completed the required 40 hours of training, as well as many peer reviews and additional training requirements. Case managers review cases and shepherd them through the legal system which includes the Springfield Police Division, the Sheriff’s Dept, the Prosecutor’s Office, Mental Health Services, Developmental Disabilities and agencies such as Project Woman and others. Human Trafficking is also a concern for the increasing immigrant population in Clark County, especially as many do not speak English. All County departments are working hard to find interpreters to assist them. Shelby accepted a $750 Foundation Donation from Foundation President Larry Sewell which will be used to help sponsor a Human Trafficking Seminar being held at the Hollenbeck-Bayley Conference Center in Springfield on April 24, 2024.
Clark County Child Advocacy Center Visits Exchange
