Pike Child Advocacy Center has big plans

by Mackenzie Foster

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and the Pike County Child Advocacy Center is using the month to inform the public of the importance of being aware of the signs of child abuse. 

The Pike County Child Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization that works to combat children who may be suffering from child abuse. The center will be selling ribbons, pinwheels, t-shirts, and holding spirit nights throughout the month of April to raise money for children and families that need the help. 

“If there is a situation where a child discloses any type of abuse, they come to our center and we interview them from non-bias standpoint to figure out what’s going on,” said Larissa Poole, a student intern at the Pike County Child Advocacy Center and a senior social work major from Arbmore, Alabama. 

Along with helping individual children, the center also works to help families in the community. 

“We offer parenting classes, and we advocate for the families that come to our center,” Poole said. 

“This is something that we feel passionate about, to help families while they’re going through tough times,” Poole said.  

Along with its other efforts, the center’s big event will be a kickball tournament in partnership with the Troy Resilience Project. 

“We host the kickball tournament to raise awareness of what we do because some people don’t know who we are,” Poole said. 

The center’s kickball tournament will be at the Troy City Recreation Center on April 29. 

For anyone who would like to sign up for the kickball tournament with a team, pre-registration for the tournament will be open until April 26. 

The fee for teams is $150, and a team needs to have at least six players and up to ten.

For more information on the Pike County Child Advocacy Center and its upcoming kickball tournament, follow them on Instagram,  @pikeregional_cac.