The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) is pleased to announce their upcoming 10th anniversary event to celebrate the opening of their second location in 2016, the Pierce Family Advocacy Center (PFAC) in Walton County. In its first 10 years, this Center alone has seen and helped over 3,000 children in Walton County experiencing abuse, abandonment and neglect.
The public and area businesses are invited to attend the event on April 8, from 11am –1pm at the Pierce Family Advocacy Center, 336 College Avenue, DeFuniak Springs, FL. Their keynote speakers will be ECCAC CEO, Julie Porterfield, and Jim and Tammy Pierce, whom PFAC is named after in honor of their generous donation that made ECCAC’s Walton County center possible. The celebration of “10 Years of Hope in Walton County” will conclude with light refreshments and tours of the facility.
As well, April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, an important landmark for ECCAC with their mission to provide a safe, child-friendly environment to give therapy and services for child victims of abuse and neglect. They also administer many educational prevention safety programs from children to teens in area schools. To create awareness, a special Child Abuse Prevention proclamation will be read by Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
The Pierces commented, “We are incredibly honored that the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center carries our name as it serves abused children in our community. For 10 years, ECCAC has provided hope, healing, and a voice to those who need it most. We are proud to celebrate this milestone and grateful to everyone who makes this mission possible.”
Though ECCAC doesn’t house children in their two centers in Okaloosa and Walton County, they provide advocacy services and therapy to children and families at no cost. Their Centers house representatives from the Florida Department of Children and Families, Child Protection Teams, State Attorney’s Office,Local Law Enforcement Agencies.
