Our History

1994

TASK FORCE

Community task force begins meeting to find a better way to serve children involved in child abuse investigations and their families.

1995

FOUNDING PAPERWORK

Task force recommends establishing a center based on the National Children's Alliance model, where teams would provide children and families coordinated services in a child-friendly setting. The Articles of Incorporation are submitted and approved, establishing a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization called the Larimer County Child Advocacy Center (LCCAC).

1997

FIRST CASES

The LCCAC first opens in a small house on West Myrtle Street in Fort Collins. The new non-profit staffs one Forensic Interviewer that also doubled as the Family Advocate.

1998

FULL ACCREDITATION

The LCCAC is fully accredited by the National Children’s Alliance, the national parent organization of the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) network and advocate for the CAC model.

2002

NEW LOCATION

The LCCAC moves to a brick farm house, built in 1890, on South Timberline Road to accommodate the growing need for space. The agency still resides at this location, a registered Historic Landmark property, the Gills/Nelson Farm.

The LCCAC puts on their first annual Bocce Ball Fundraiser, the largest fundraising event of the year for the agency.

2007

ABUSE PREVENTION PROGRAM

The LCCAC begins in-school abuse prevention training for elementary students, based on Second Step, an evidence-supported curriculum developed by the Committee for Children. The version customized for the local community is named Safety Smarts.

2012

STAFF GROWTH

To respond to the growing number of child abuse investigations, LCCAC expands its staff to include a second forensic interviewer. The LCCAC at this point also has one full-time and one part-time Family Advocate.

2015

NEW NAME

To increase community awareness and to counter the assumption by residents that the organization was tax-funded, LCCAC changes its name to Voices Carry Child Advocacy Center (VCCAC).

That same year a new referral process begins in January to help children and their non-offending caregivers access mental health, counseling, and medical resources within the community.

2018

INNOVATIVE ABUSE PREVENTION

VCCAC pilots a new, innovative version of Safety Smarts customized for children on the autism spectrum and those with similar learning needs. It is one of the only programs of its kind in the nation.

2020

NAVIGATING COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic causes schools to shut down, suspending the Safety Smarts program. In response, VCCAC modifies the curriculum to be delivered live online. Forensic interviews and advocacy services continue uninterrupted.

2021

SERVICE HIGHPOINT

More forensic interviews are performed in 2021 than in any year of the organization's history. VCCAC achieves reaccreditation through the NCA. The mission statement is revised to include prevention training and to clarify the work and goals of the organization.

2022

NEW (AND FINAL) NAME

In recognition of Dr. Deborah Crawford’s crucial role in establishing and supporting the CAC and for her extraordinary work as a pediatrician specializing in child abuse, VCCAC is renamed The Crawford Child Advocacy Center (CCAC).