Lake County organization breaks ground for new healing garden
An organization that aids child abuse victims is set to begin work on a garden designed to provide healing and hope. The Lake County Children's Advocacy Center in Gurnee held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday to announce the "healing garden" project after its Friends Committee collected $80,000 for the work through fundraising events.
The center, which is an arm of the Lake County state's attorney's office, provides a safe, inviting space for physically or sexually abused children while they are being interviewed by law enforcement or the Department of Children and Family Services officials. The garden will add to the comfort of the environment and provide a space where victims can heal and reflect, organizers said.
"This is all about the survivors and the community coming together to help them," Lake County State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said. "We know that their journey doesn't end when the conviction happens. They're going to have to deal with it for the rest of their life so they need to feel supported by us and the whole community."
The garden, which will be on the north side of the building, will have a brick sidewalk with engraved messages of support to the survivors, trees and flowers that will attract butterflies and birds and a water feature. Preliminary work, such as installing grass, fencing and open spaces, began in summer 2015. The garden is expected to be completed by the end of this summer or early fall.
Mike Hoffman, a childhood sexual abuse survivor, expressed his gratitude for the project during Tuesday's ceremony.
"When these things happen, you feel so alone and so isolated and you don't know what to do," Hoffman said. "Here, we are surrounded by so many great people with such a fantastic project, which truly does bring healing and hope to childhood abuse survivors and their families."
Officials also hope the garden will bring more awareness about the advocacy center and its work.
About 700 child abuse victims were interviewed there in 2015, Nerheim said, but a majority of these crimes still go unreported.
"That's because they're afraid of the system and afraid to come forward. That's enough positive reason to hold this event," he said.