The Children’s Place awarded prestigious team 'Lights in the Night' award

During the 2022 Alaska Children’s Alliance conference in Anchorage, the team at Wasilla’s The Children’s Place received the prestigious “Lights in the Night Team” award.

“This amazing team is recognized for making a significant and substantial contribution to their community.”

The Children’s Place is a child advocacy center whose mission is to provide a safe space for children experiencing trauma or abuse, with a staff that works to advocate and protect children.

“We provide advocacy, a safe space, resources, and support to children and families. We have an amazing staff that is flexible and ready to answer the call,” says Michelle Bayless, the Executive Director of The Children’s Place.

The Children’s Place has been a part of the Wasilla community for 23 years, working with law enforcement and Children’s Protective Services’ Investigators, conducting forensic interviews and exams as needed for children who are alleged victims of crimes and receive support, crisis intervention, and referrals for treatment.

“We aren’t part of OCS; we work with OCS,” Bayless says. One thing The Children’s Place has instituted is a “talking room” to ensure that children only have to tell their story once.

The room ensures that children interviews are conducted by a specialist or criminal investigator, recorded, and then provided to law enforcement. The interview is a set-up with children in mind, as it is more of a conversation in order to learn details about what a child has experienced, assess their safety, and determine if treatment is needed.

“We work to help reduce the trauma children have to go through, and with the “talking room” and “listening room” available, kids don’t have to repeat the story from one stranger to another.”

As part of the Alaska Children’s Alliance Chapter, Bayless and her team attend the conference as part of maintaining current training certifications, interact with peers in working in child advocacy, and current education and research.

As Bayless explains, “Out of that, an award was created, an opportunity to be recognized and celebrated by your peers.”

It started small but over the years, there are 3 categories, including team, individual, and lifetime achievement.

This year, The Children’s Place was awarded the team award. While the write up was lengthy, input from clients they have assisted was unmistakable: “They left feeling better when they left than when they came in;” “the staff was kind, safe, friendly, and safe;” “the comfort we felt was above and beyond.”

Bayless recounts just how much the people at The Children’s Place go above and beyond to make sure they are there for families, no matter the time, natural disasters, or pandemic:

“During the winter storm this year, the power was knocked out. Our directors provided heaters to help keep our doors open, just to make sure that no child would be turned away. The staff, they stepped up to make sure that someone was here, ready to help.”

With accolades like that, it is no wonder that The Children’s Place has earned the prestigious “Lights in the Night” award from their peers.

“It is sad that we are needed, but we are so grateful The Children’s Place is here and provides a place to be heard and a place to be help.”

For more information about The Children’s Place, visit www.thechildrens-place.org.