Jan Lutz has been a voice and advocate for children for over twenty years. She has also become the strongest supporter and ally of Indiana Child Advocacy Centers, their staff, and the kids they serve. At this year’s Superhero Celebration, we honored and celebrated Jan for her work and dedication to CACs with the Susie Austin Legacy Award.
Jan was not the founder of the CAC movement in Indiana, but was among some of the earliest boosters. Indeed, she has been instrumental in the growth of CACs throughout the state as the inaugural and only Director of the Indiana Chapter of National Children’s Alliance for over twenty years. The Chapter provides valuable training, mentorship, and consulting to CACs. The Chapter, and by extension Jan, support 26 CACs in Indiana today.
Susie’s Place has had the benefit of being the first new CAC to fully form under Jan’s leadership at the Chapter. She provided community-changing stewardship, community buy-in, and development to Susie’s Place.
Even more significantly, an opportunity in late 2023 to amend Indiana law arose and, with the help of the Chapter Board, she engaged in what may be the most significant landmark achievement of the Chapter’s 25-year history: the legal definition of CACs.
House Enrolled Act 1123, authored by Rep. Dale Devon (R-Granger) and sponsored in part by Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper), moved Indiana forward from being one of only eight states that did not formally recognize the work of CACs. The bill passed through both chambers of the Indiana Legislature with unanimous approval and bipartisan support. It was signed into law by Governor Holcomb, effective July 1, 2024.
Her support has made Susie’s Place and dozens of other CACs in Indiana become the places where hurting ends and healing begins that they are today. She works tirelessly to ensure CACs in Indiana have all the resources they need to provide the highest caliber of service to over 10,000 kids and families each year statewide.
Join us tonight in celebrating Jan’s mentorship, support, kindness, friendship, and the work of the Indiana Chapter as this year’s recipient of the Susie Austin Legacy Award.
Recognizing the work of Jan Lutz and the Indiana Chapter
Landmark legislation enacted this year codifies Indiana CACs
Until July 1, 2024 Indiana was one of 8 states that did not define the work and role of a Child Advocacy Center in state law. This lack of recognition meant families encountered barriers to efficient, streamlined CAC services.
In late 2023, an opportunity to change the law arose and Jan Lutz, Director of the Indiana Chapter of National Children’s Alliance, helped organize all of Indiana’s 26 CACs in a statewide effort to educate lawmakers about our work.
The result was House Enrolled Act 1123, authored by Rep. Dale Devon (R-Granger) and sponsored in part by Sen. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper). The bill passed through both chambers of the Indiana Legislature with unanimous approval and bipartisan support. It was signed into law by Governor Holcomb, effective July 1, 2024.
This single achievement is one of the countless endeavors Jan Lutz has helped shepherd in her nearly 25-year career with the Indiana Chapter.
Jan Lutz is there whenever a new Child Advocacy Center is established, a new Director is hired, or a Board has questions.
In addition to this work in Indiana, she serves in numerous roles with the National Children’s Alliance. Jan is a member of the MRCAC Advisory Board, the Governor’s appointed Children’s Justice ACT Taskforce and is Vice President on the Board of Directors of ChildFirst Indiana. She serves on Indiana’s statewide SART team – Sexual Assault Response Team, the Indiana Emergency Nurses Association Project Committee and Victim Assistance Training Project Steering Committee.
Her support has made Susie’s Place and dozens of other CACs in Indiana become the places where hurting ends and healing begins that they are today.
Because of Jan’s tireless work supporting and sustaining Indiana CACs through advocacy, mentorship, training, and friendship, join us in recognizing her, her work, and the work of the Indiana Chapter.
