Healing Hill of Hope raises awareness of child abuse

For seven years, Early Bird Exchange Club has organized the Healing Hill of Hope.

Each year club members make a statement in red, white and blue that child abuse is not OK,  raising awareness of a topic most people would rather avoid.

Through the month of July, 110 American flags will fly on the hill of the Naomi Davis Shelter House. That’s one for each of the substantiated cases of child abuse in Branch County in 2021. Also flying are 62 white flags representing the 62 children who were placed in foster care last year.

Raising awareness of child abuse is not just one of the good things Exchange Club does — it’s their mission, said Dave Foust, Early Bird member.

On Thursday, the club held a ceremony to raise awareness of the local child abuse problem. Of the group who gathered, some were experts, some caring community members and possibly some victims.

Following the national anthem sung by Diane Harmon and the pledge to the flag, Pastor Julie Yoder-Elmore offered the invocation.

Judy Cumming, of the Exchange Club, explained what the flags represent, but couldn’t talk about abuse to children without tears.

Keynote speaker Laura Kopacz is a forensic nurse examiner with ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital, who in her career, has examined more than 1,000 victims of sexual abuse.

She questioned being asked to speak.

“I was a little surprised when asked to speak today,” Kopacz said. “Nobody likes what I do. I never get asked, ‘How was your job today?’ Or ‘Are you busy at work?’”

She is the program coordinator for Branch County Sexual Assault Services, a program where trained nurses care for victims of sexual assault.

“We provide the medical forensic exam, injury identification, photographs, forensic collection evidence and lots of documentation and we testify in court when we’re needed,” Kopacz said.

It is the only local program offering the service. The next closest would be Kalamazoo, Lansing, Ann Arbor or Battle Creek so they see many patients from Hillsdale and St. Joseph counties and sometimes Indiana, she said.

Kopacz is part of four-nurse team on call 24/7. Their patients are women, children and men who report sexual assault.

This team of nurses does everything to make the unpleasant exam better, including a private exam room in a quiet, secluded corner where the victim and family feels safe.

For children, they cover the exam table with a fluffy blanket and stuffed animal to take home.

Children usually come in with mom, dad or grandparents who are very upset. The nurse first helps the family and child get their emotions under control before starting to gather the history.

“Child sexual assault cases are hard to put together,” Kopacz said.

It’s a large puzzle that includes protective services, law enforcement, sometimes a crime lab, sexual assault services, a forensic interview and the prosecutor’s office.

Children don’t report in a timely manner, Kopacz said, if they tell you at all. They can’t give times and dates or other specifics.The window for collecting physical evidence is about five days, so they are under a time crunch

Some children are too young or without verbal skills. Some may have been threaten or told, “This is our secret.” Often they don’t know it was inappropriate, she said.

Locally, Kopacz has seen that sexual abuse most often occurs in a blended family situation with the biggest offender being mom’s boyfriend.

In her 23 years and 400 case of child sexual assault, the offender was never a stranger to the child, Kopacz said. It does happen, but she has not seen it.

“The Child Advocacy Center is such a key part of what we do,” Kopacz said. “Such a big piece to that puzzle.”

Victims and families don’t have to drive to another town or wait for weeks to be interviewed.

Yolanda Lozano has been with the Branch County Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence for almost seven years. Her newer role is being one of two forensic interviewer at the Child Advocacy Center now that she certified at the state and national level.

Not one to seek the spot light, Lozano quickly explained that she doubted her ability to do the job but has found it to be a very rewarding experience.

"I can't imagine not doing it," she said.

After that sobering reality check  several community members, leaders and heads of other organizations placed several rows of American flags taking the number up to 110 equal to substantiated case of child abuse in Branch County last year.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Early Bird Exchange Healing Hill of Hope speaks out on child abuse