Jo Ann's Place - A Southmountain Children's Advocacy Center

09/09/2025

✨ Confidence isn’t something kids are just born with; it’s something they can build! 💪 Whether it’s trying a new activity, learning from mistakes, or celebrating small wins, every step helps them believe in themselves a little more. 🌟

08/15/2025

𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭.

They do it with a smile, every day, helping children feel safe, understood, and cared for.
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𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭!

👇 Show your support by liking, sharing, or commenting below!

08/14/2025

🌟 We're Hiring! Join Our Team at Jo Ann's Place A South Mountain Children’s Advocacy Center!! 🌟

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children? We're looking for a compassionate and dedicated Forensic Interviewer to join our multidisciplinary team at Jo Ann’s Place A Southmountain Children's Advocacy Center.

As a Forensic Interviewer, you will play a vital role in helping children and families begin their journey toward healing. This position is ideal for professionals with experience in child advocacy, psychology, social work, or criminal justice who are committed to trauma-informed care. See the link below for the full job posting and requirements.

📄 Learn more & apply here: https://www.southmountain.org/new-fi

Help us be a voice for those who need it most!

Southmountain Children and Family Services is seeking a qualified candidate to join its team as a Forensic Interviewer.

08/06/2025

What an amazing night networking and educating our community about child abuse prevention at Rocky Mount Police Department’s National Night Out! Grateful for the opportunity to connect and spread awareness!!💙

08/06/2025

Only about 1 in 3 cases of child abuse are ever identified and reported to authorities.

Why don’t children report?
🔹 Afraid no one will believe them
🔹 Feel ashamed, guilty, or confused
🔹 Threatened or scared by the abuser
🔹 Care about or trust the abuser
🔹 Don’t realize it was abuse

💡 Most children do not tell and when they do, they often tell someone they trust before ever telling a professional. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭!

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07/31/2025

🧱 Myth: “There’s nothing I can do to prevent child abuse.”
✅ Fact: Everyone can play a role in prevention! Here are some actionable steps:

𝟏. 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬
💛 Lend a hand to overwhelmed parents.
📣 Promote programs that strengthen parenting skills.
🎁 Donate to your local Children’s Advocacy Center.

𝟐. 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 & 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬
👀 Learn the signs of emotional abuse, physical abuse, and neglect.
🗣️ Share what you learn—with friends, coworkers, and your community.

𝟑. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐔𝐩 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐎𝐟𝐟
📞 In North Carolina, you are legally required to report suspected abuse or neglect—even if you're unsure.
❗ You don't need proof—just concern.

𝟒. 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬
🧠 Talk to kids early and often about body safety.
🗺️ Use correct anatomical terms.
🚦 Teach and respect personal boundaries. kids about body safety, use anatomical names for body parts and encourage boundaries.

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07/25/2025

☀️ Sunny bringing the sunshine wherever she goes! ☀️

07/17/2025

Today, we had the honor of celebrating Chief Robert Hassell’s retirement and recognizing his incredible 30 years of dedicated service to law enforcement. Chief Hassell spent the last 4 years as Chief of Police for the Rocky Mount, NC Police Department!

Chief Hassell has been a true partner and advocate in our work protecting and supporting children in our community. His leadership, integrity, and commitment to collaboration have made a lasting impact, and we are deeply grateful for his support as a valued member of our multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Thank you, Chief Hassell, for your service, your partnership, and your heart for justice and community. We wish you all the best in this next chapter! 💙💙

07/14/2025

🌞 𝙱𝚒𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎! 💛

There’s still time to make a donation to our summer campaign, and every dollar raised supports trauma-informed care, nurturing foster homes and the vital resources children need to feel protected, valued, and supported.

𝚆𝚎’𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚎 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍 𝚈𝙾𝚄!

🫶 Will you help us close the gap?
📲 Donate today: www.southmountain.org/donate

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07/09/2025

It’s National Forensic Interviewer Week, and our amazing partners at the Rocky Mount, NC Police Department stopped by with some thoughtful goodies for our forensic interviewers!

We’re so grateful for your support — thank you for making our team feel appreciated! 💙💙

07/04/2025

🇺🇸 💙 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔.

Freedom means family. Freedom means healing. Freedom means hope!

This Independence Day, we celebrate the resilience of our children, the strength of our families, and the compassion of the community that surrounds them.

Wishing you a safe, joyful, and meaningful 4th of July! ❤️ 🎆

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07/02/2025

In Loving Memory of Christal Lane! 💜

We are honored to share that we have adopted a stretch of the highway in remembrance of Christal Lane, a precious child whose life was tragically taken by abuse. This Adopt-a-Highway sign stands not only as a tribute to Christal’s memory, but as a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting and advocating for every child.

Christal was more than a victim—she was a bright, beautiful soul whose story has moved our community. Though her life was cut far too short, her memory lives on in our hearts and in our mission to provide pathways of change!

By keeping this portion of the highway clean and well-tended, we are creating a visible legacy of love, awareness, and commitment to the safety of all children. 💛

Let this sign serve as a call to each of us: to speak up, to stand up, and to always protect those who cannot protect themselves.

In memory of Christal—and in hope for every child!!