Hundreds of kids and their families come to Susie’s Place every year. Many kids leave a lasting impact on team members. Below is a collection of notes written by staff. Some are to kids or their families. Some are about what they wish more people understood about their work.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.You can support Susie’s Place, our mission, and the team by donating.
To the child victim:
When I first met you, your voice was shaking. You had curled into the corner of my interview room chair holding your kitten beanie baby. You were so tiny but, I could see how mighty your determination was to tell me what had happened to you because you didn’t want it to happen to your sisters. I was so impressed by your courage. A few years later, I was sitting in the courtroom watching you testify about those events. I wanted to offer you words of encouragement. I wanted to tell you how incredibly proud you should be of yourself and that your bravery was inspiring. But, I didn’t say those things. I listened to your testimony and as we passed each other that day you smiled at me and I smiled back…
Emily Perry
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
To Those Wondering About the Impact of Body Safety Education:
I was teaching body safety to a fourth-grade class, and the kids were participating well but had lots of questions throughout the presentation. We talked about a variety of topics because fourth graders are reaching a point in their lives where they have more responsibilities and interactions with others online and in person. As I finished up and collected the question slips, I felt the class did well with understanding and interacting, so I felt good about the hour we spent together.
I took the envelope of “Do you feel safe?” question slips back to our conference room and did what I’ve done countless times before, sorted the YES answers to one pile and NO answers to another pile. I was about halfway through the stack when I saw something written and was stopped instantly. A student had circled the no answer and then written underneath in pencil:
“I want to commit suicide”.
The weight of that line drops upon you like a sack of bricks, especially when you realize that it’s coming from a fourth grader. As an educator and presenter, your mind starts to race, wondering if it was the content I covered or if I said something extra that might have resonated with them. Either way, they chose that moment at the end of session to be their line in the sand and decided someone needed to know how they were feeling.
These rare situations require special handling, so the child was quickly followed up with, and school administration partners were taken to support them. To me, it was a heavy situation, but also one that contained the relief that the child was going to receive the help that they desperately needed before it was too late. I left for the day feeling comfortable with the presentations and the support we could provide the children in need.
Then in my car on the way home, the wave of emotion hit me, bringing me to tears. What if we hadn’t gone to that school this year? What if I had done or said something different that didn’t affect this child in a way that they felt safe enough to disclose their silent suffering. A million “what ifs” filled my brain with some causing me to think about how a nine-year-old could feel so despondent and alone that they would think about taking their own life.
I was struck by how powerful it can be for students to have someone come into their classroom and honestly tell them that they deserve the ability to talk with safe adults about anything they feel isn’t right. It also struck me that so many students across our state and country may not experience those moments.
John Graham
Education and Outreach Program Director
To The Victim:
You must have felt so alone and forgotten. You didn’t even make it to two years old. Your brother couldn’t stop talking about you. Your sister never learned how to talk. I want you to know that I cried for you, grieved your loss, prayed to you and for you, and I still think about you often. You are not forgotten.
Dianne Wilson
Child and Family Advocate/Forensic Interviewer
To the Victim:
You are the first child at Susie’s Place that brought me to tears. I don’t know if it was the bruises I could see, or the pain I could tell you felt… but you were the first that truly broke my heart. I remember you so clearly for your determined strength. You had dried tears down your cheeks, walking in with a DCS worker you had just met, knowing that the people who were supposed to love and protect you were the ones who hurt you.
What struck me was how openly you trusted strangers to make it better. Few adults could endure what you did, and when you walked back out to head to the hospital for a medical exam, you said that you would still be brave. And you were. I wanted to say all the things… like you were brave, and strong, and I was amazed by you… but instead, I just said goodbye.
I don’t know where you are so many years later, but know that you will stay with me forever.
Lynn Clinton
Chief Operations Officer
To A Parent of a Victim:
Your 6-year-old daughter was disclosing sexual abuse by your boyfriend in a forensic interview. You would learn that later. We sat together in a waiting area and you talked about earlier romantic partners and how lucky you were to have finally met the love of your life, someone with humor, kindness, and a stable income.
When your daughter told you what he did to her, you thought it was impossible because he would never do that to any child. Simultaneously, you knew she was filled with 6-year-old innocence, two conflicting truths in your mind. With shaking hands, you had called DCS, and they asked your boyfriend to stay elsewhere for a few nights. You told me, “I hope it didn’t happen, but if she says it did, then I will do everything to protect her.”
You had reached out to your only family member and could share their tiny apartment if needed. You listed ideas for potential jobs, and we talked about therapy, food pantries, township trustees, and other support. After the interview, while you met with the team, I played Connect Four with your daughter. She beamed every time she won. As you returned to the waiting area, you replaced tears with a brave smile, hugging your daughter close, zipping her jacket. You whispered to me that you would never let anything bad happen to her again.
I wanted to tell you how much I respected your trust in your child and the actions you took because not every parent believes or follows through. I respected your determination to create a new life—without the breadwinner you had loved and facing phone calls, applications, appointments, interviews, discouragement, struggles, and so much change to make the best life possible for you and your daughter. I could only imagine the length of your path towards healing and a new normal. I have not forgotten you and I hope you are both well.
Charlotte Willian, Accreditation and Grants Administrative Coordinator
Former Child and Family Advocate
To People Who Don’t Know What We Do:
As an interviewer, we have such an important opportunity to be a safe place for so many victims of child abuse to share their experience. Recently, I interviewed a young girl who had been a victim of years of abuse from a family member. In the waiting room before bringing her back, she was anxious, made very little eye contact, and was quiet.
Once back in the interview room, I did my best to make her feel as comfortable as I could, reassuring her that we could talk as long or a short as she wanted. I told her that although it was important for me to gather information, she was more important than that information.
She made the decision to share abuse that she had endured for years from a trusted family member. After the interview, while cleaning the waiting room, a post-it note was found where the girl had written “Thank you for listening and helping kids.” What we do matters at Susie’s Place. I’m glad this girl found her voice.
Kelly Hunckler
Forensic Interviewer
To A Child I Served:
I remember heading home at the end of the day when I got the call to turn around and go back to work. You had been brought there by DCS, confused and nervous. When our conversation started, I could tell the exact moment you decided to trust me with what was happening to you. You told me about how no one at home was safe, about the years of your life that had been stolen and twisted, and that you had been told that all of this was done out of love. Your voice shook, and there was sadness in your eyes, but you shared that weight with me and allowed us to carry it together.
Every DCS worker, every detective, and prosecutor who was there that night, people pulled from their homes, their families, and their own lives, showed up for you. They were listening too, and their response was immediate. They heard your bravery, which never wavered, and answered your call to action. Search warrants were executed; arrests were made, and eventually a plea deal was reached: over 100 years for your childhood. But how do you measure that? How do you weigh justice against what was taken? Can it ever be enough? I don’t have that answer. I’m not even sure anyone does.
Since then, I’ve heard the updates about how you’re thriving now in a safe home with people who love and protect you. Every piece of good news, I cherish it all. And on the days when this job feels heavy, and when the weight of it all starts to settle in… I think about you. I remember why I’m still here. What the “purpose” is.
You showed up with courage when it mattered most. Because of you, I will keep showing up too.
Caitlyn Pratt
Forensic Interviewer
To The Grandma Who Believed:
I remember getting a phone call at our Bloomington center about a young girl who had asked her teacher if 9-year-olds can get pregnant by their uncles. That teacher immediately called the DCS hotline which led to the child coming to Susie’s Place for an interview.
You brought her, since even though you are her grandmother, you are her primary caregiver after she was moved to various family members who weren’t protecting her. Our interviewer spent a good hour talking to your granddaughter who clearly was not yet comfortable disclosing any abuse.
At that point, they took a break and she cried to you about being scared to tell her story due to constant threats to her life by her uncle. You gave her a bracelet and told her to wear it and think of you when she goes back in the interview room. Once she went back into the interview, she sat quiet and still for a couple more minutes and then started disclosing incredibly awful abuse by her uncle.
She could not stop the tears and was terrified to tell, but once she told her story and saw that people were there to listen, believe her and support her, a look a relief slowly came over her face. She came back a week later for a medical exam and was given that exam and a chance to talk with our medical partners. We could all see the shame that she was carrying around for so long lift off of her shoulders. Thank you for supporting her through it.
Erin Freund
Child and Family Advocate
To the child victim:
You know, I have a habit of being able to do my job and move forward, but you! You got me. You shared your experiences and shed many tears. There wasn’t enough tissue offered.
The betrayal you felt by your family and inconsistency of those around you were heavy to bear. All I could do was listen and empathize. You told me about your worst days and that’s all I could do. Listen! Nod! You conquered your fears by sharing.
What I want to tell you is that you’re one of the bravest people I know. It takes courage to share dark experiences. It takes determination to follow through with what’s right when others coach and or criticize you. It takes a WARRIOR to stand tall after everything has happened.
Robert Denton
Forensic Interviewer
To the child victim:
I remember seeing and meeting you briefly in the lobby along with your family member that brought you to Susie’s Place. There were no smiles or laughter, just sad faces staring at the wall. You never spoke unless spoken to. I watched as you followed the interviewer back to their room you looked at the floor never raising your eyes. I thought, “Wow, this child has been through a lot.”
I asked the caseworker who brought you to the interview. They told me an aunt because you could not be around your mother or grandmother anymore. I watched the interview listening to horrible things that happened to you at the hands of your grandmother and her boyfriend. Then you told us your mother also knew what was happening to you and allowed it to happen.
I went out to the lobby and spoke with your aunt, and she informed me you had nobody, and the people who were your family members did not protect you and keep you safe. You were very brave in the interview, telling the interviewer all the things that happened to you. You didn’t cry very much and stated you had no tears to cry.
I asked the DCS case worker what was going to happen and they said that you would be placed in a foster home with services. I packed some clothes from our clothing closet in a nice new backpack. I put some snacks, toys and a teddy bear in there trying to give you some hope that it’s going to be okay.
I kept in touch with the caseworker regarding your case. She said you were doing well adjusting to your new family and you were involved in therapy trying to work through the trauma that happened. She also told me that the teddy bear I put in your backpack was on your bed and you told her it keeps you safe and helps you fall asleep at night.
More recently, I spoke with your caseworker. She said you have all the right people in your life now and you are thriving every day and the new family loves you very much.
Jennifer Newman
Child and Family Advocate
To the child victim:
Whenever someone asks why I do this work, you are the first little face that comes to my mind.
The day we met, you walked in cold, quiet, and so guarded. You weren’t sure what was going to happen, and I could tell you weren’t sure about me either. At some point during our time together, something shifted, your mood softened and we just clicked.
I remember gently brushing the tangles out of your hair and silently praying that you could feel how much you mattered without me having to say a word. We looked through the clothing closet side by side, finding things that felt like you. Outfits that you were excited to wear. Pajamas and fuzzy socks that I hoped would keep you warm. In those moments, you got to choose, you got to be in control, and you got to just be a little girl.
I wanted to tell you then how much you mattered, and I wish that I would have. My hope is that although I didn’t say it, you felt it.
I don’t know where you are now, but I hope you feel safe, I hope you feel loved. I hope you know that you are the reason I continue to do this work.
Olivia Sarchet
Medical Case Manager
To the child victim:
I knew my momma heart was going to struggle the moment I saw you because you reminded me so much of my children. You had just witnessed a horrible tragedy and your little heart was hurting so badly that all you wanted to do was draw rainbows on my paper and ask me about heaven. You stood next to me while I was sitting in my chair and leaned into me while you were drawing your rainbows and I wanted to wipe your tears, give you a hug and tell you that it was all going to be ok…but I didn’t say that. I said “tell me more about what you saw,” “Tell me more about what you could hear,” because I wanted to understand your experience. I did that interview in 2009…17 years ago. I can still see your face in my memory and think about you often.
Emily Perry
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
To the child victim:
I’m really sorry this happened to you. What you went through is not your fault, no matter what anyone says or what your mind might try to tell you. You didn’t deserve it, and it doesn’t define who you are or your worth. It’s important to remember that you always have the right to say no—to anything that makes you uncomfortable—and your boundaries should be respected every single time.
If someone ignored your “no,” or didn’t give you the chance to say it, that is on them, not you. It’s okay to feel confused, scared, angry, or even numb—there’s no “right” way to feel after something like this.
You’re not alone, even if it feels that way right now, and there are people who care deeply about you. Take things one moment at a time, be gentle with yourself, and know that healing is possible, even if it doesn’t feel that way yet.
Heidi Clossin, Forensic Interviewer
To the school resource officer:
To the SRO I have observed over the past several years of doing Body Safety in your school… I love seeing how you interact with the students. I love that when they deliver their “I Choose You” bookmarks to their safe adult, you receive a stack of them back from the kids. I love that when I ask the kids I talk to, “Who is one of your safe adults here at school?”, many of them name you. I appreciate the sense of safety you create, just by your presence.
But I also imagine not many people truly understand the scope of your job. I hope you never feel underappreciated. Your job is so crucial to the safety of these kids, and I want to let you know I see you and I greatly appreciate you.
Amanda Yarde, Education and Outreach Program Coordinator
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
You can support Susie’s Place, our mission, and the team by donating.
