Local Woman Receives Governor’s Volunteer Star Award

Every year, Volunteer Tennessee recognizes volunteers from across the state for their service to their communities with the Governor’s Volunteer Star Awards. This year, Coffee County was represented by Bonnie Watts. Watt’s was honored for her countless hours of service to the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center.
Back in 2002, Bonnie brought the idea of a children’s advocacy center for Coffee County to Church Women United of Coffee County. That small, but mighty group of ladies soon became a force to be reckoned with as they were committed to making the dream of a safe, neutral place for children who had been abused in Coffee County a reality. The Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center officially opened its doors in 2005.
Bonnie’s dream, her dedication and her perseverance has made it possible for over 3,250 children in Coffee County who have been possible victims of abuse to receive specialized trauma focused services including forensic interviews, mental health treatment, family and victim advocacy and thanks to a partnership with Our Kids, specialized medical exams. Before the Center existed, children were often taken to the police department, the justice center, or school offices to talk about the alleged abuse. They were often interviewed multiple times by those involved in the investigation and their families were often left wondering what the next steps would be.
Today, the children and families have a safe, child friendly environment with wrap around services that can help them throughout the investigative process. The children now tell their stories one time to a professional trained to talk to children and the investigative team uses that information for their respective investigations reducing the trauma on the children and families.
Although Bonnie’s vision became a reality, her commitment to the Center didn’t stop once the doors were open. She served the Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center as a member of the Board of Directors for many years as both President and Secretary and continues today to be both an advocate and a volunteer for the center.
Bonnie’s dream of a community where children are safe from abuse continues. The work of the Center may never end, but because of her, children in Coffee County who have been abused have a place that offers support, guidance and caring as they go down the path of healing. She may never know the full impact of this legacy that she helped create, but the community is stronger because of her devotion and her heart.