About Us
The History of the CAC
Before the nationwide Children’s Advocacy Center Movement began, child victims of abuse were under treated by our system. Often, there are several agencies involved in investigating allegations of child abuse. As a result, child victims were interviewed numerous times about the most traumatic events of their lives. Additionally, cases were falling through the cracks because there was not a team approach to investigations.
Today, children’s advocacy centers across the nation provide a child a friendly environment where all investigating agencies now come to the child. The child is interviewed once by a trained forensic interviewer and all agency partners work together as a team to coordinate their investigations and services for the child and their protective family members through the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center opened its doors on September 1, 2006. It was the 61st center to open in the state of Texas.
Our CAC serves Erath, Hood and Somervell Counties. We provide services for children under the age of 18 who are involved in a case related to sexual abuse and/or severe physical abuse.
Mission Statement
“To promote the healing of child abuse victims – one child at a time.”
Vision Statement
Bearing in mind the best interest of each individual child, the vision of Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center is to reduce the trauma to child abuse victims and their non-offending family members and to work toward improving the justice system’s response to child abuse by uniting the efforts of public agencies and enlisting community support.
Our Purpose
- To provide a child friendly environment where children who are alleged victims of sexual abuse, severe physical abuse or witnesses to a crime may be interviewed.
- To minimize the trauma of child abuse victims by reducing the number of interviews with the child.
- To coordinate a multidisciplinary team approach among the agencies involved in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of child abuse.
- To support the proper investigation of child abuse cases.
- To provide referrals for services to abused children and non-offending family members to appropriate counseling and other services within the community.
- To support the prosecution and conviction of those responsible for the abuse, when appropriate.
- To coordinate and cooperate with other child-oriented agencies in the community in order to provide services to abused children and non-offending family members.
- To involve the entire community in education and prevention programs regarding all aspects of child abuse.
Our Staff
Margaret Cohenour
Executive Director, LCSW
Jessica Laskaris
Finance and Data Director
Shannon Engbrecht
Clinical Director, LCSW
Shelby Gibson
Program Director |
Forensic Interviewer
Kayla Bennett
Counselor, LPC
Cassidy Bullock
Family Advocate | Forensic Interviewer
vacant
Counselor
Gena Hankins
Office and Human Resources Manager
Carolyn Kendall
Community Education Specialist
Shelby Latham
Intake Coordinator | Lead Family Advocate
Ashton Martinez
Director of Community Engagement and Education
Cynthia Pigg
Community Education Specialist
Lauren Murfin
Director of Outreach and Events
KaLee Vasquez
Family Advocate | Forensic Interviewer
Ashlyn Barber
Part-Time Outreach and Event Assistant
Jamie Franco
Community Education Specialist
Zoya Thompson
Counselor, LPC
meagan Youngman
Counselor, LMSW
morgan Olijnyk
Clinical Manager
Our Board of Directors
- Sheriff Roger Deeds
- President
- Ryan Sinclair
- Vice President
- Stephanie Rotan
- Secretary
- Gene Auerbach
- Treasurer
- Tracy Brown
- Board Member
- David Cook
- Board Member
- Grady Hancock
- Board Member
- Chief Mitch Galvan
- Board Member
- Michelle Gasca
- Board Member
- Brenda Massingill
- Board Member
- Tony Mobly
- Board Member
- Alan Nash
- Board Member
- Dr. Kelly O’Carroll
- Board Member
- Paul Parker
- Board Member
- Michael Waguespack
- Board Member
- Capt. Jeff Walker
- Board Member
- Sheriff Alan West
- Board Member
- Emmett Whitefield
- Board Member
- Stephanie Williams
- Board Member
Partner Agencies
County Sheriff’s Offices
Hood, Somervell & Erath Counties
City Police Departments
Granbury, Stephenville, Dublin, and Glen Rose Police Department
District Attorney’s Offices
Hood, Somervell, & Erath Counties
County Attorney’s Offices
Hood, Somervell, & Erath Counties
Juvenile Probation Offices
Hood, Somervell, & Erath Counties
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
Cross Timbers Family Services
Cook Children’s, John Peter Smith, & Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital
Our Funding
Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization. The agency could not exist without the support of the community. Relationships developed with individuals, corporations and community organizations in combination with special events, fundraisers, in-kind donations and federal and state grants serve to create a solid and diversified funding base for the organization.
Contributions to the Children’s Advocacy Center are used to promote the healing of child abuse victims – one child at a time.
Foundations and Grants
- Amon G. Carter Foundation
- Communities Foundation of Texas’ W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund
- Erath County United Way
- Giddens Foundation
- Health and Human Services (HHSC)
- Rees Jones Foundation
- The Storehouse
- The Windmill Foundation
- United Fund of Somervell County
- United Way of Hood County
- Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)
- Other Victims Assistance Grant (OVAG)
Current Job Openings
Thank you for your interest in the Paluxy River Children’s Advocacy Center. Please see the job descriptions below for more details on available positions. We appreciate your desire to be a part of our mission and look forward to the possibility of working together to make a positive impact in our community.
Applicant’s interested in any position please send your resume to margaret@paluxyrivercac.org.
Full Time, Stephenville Office
Masters degree preferred, but not required.
Reports to Clinical Director.