Children's Advocacy Center opens 'healing garden' in Gurnee

The Lake County Children's Advocacy Center, which provides a safe, inviting space for physically or sexually abused children, opened a new outdoor healing garden Wednesday to better accommodate its clients.

The garden is outside the center at 123 S. O'Plaine in Gurnee and offers benches, a pergola, a butterfly garden and a small playground provided and partially built by the Chicago Bears.

"For children who are victims, being part of the criminal justice process can be a very scary situation itself and we don't want to add to the trauma," Lake County State's Attorney Michael G. Nerheim said. "It has been a dream of mine to create this healing garden so it can be a place where kids can feel at peace."

The garden was paid for entirely by private donors who raised slightly more than $100,000. The advocacy center is a nonprofit organization and part of Nerheim's department.

Nerheim said he got the idea for the garden from the Chicago Archdiocese, which has a similar one.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by roughly 150 people, including dignitaries and others important to the center, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Laura Notson, who served as the center's executive director from the day it was founded until she retired around two months ago, was one of those in attendance. Notson received a pleasant surprise midway through the ceremony when Nerheim announced that in addition to cutting the ribbon on the healing garden, he also was going to dedicate the advocacy center building to her, making it the Laura J. Notson facility.

"Mike had said he was going to do it, but I didn't know it would be today," Notson said after the ceremony. "Ever since we started this, it was a collective effort (and) not something I, or anyone, has done alone."

Leslie Munger, who served as Illinois Comptroller for two years and was appointed by Gov. Bruce Rauner to be deputy governor in February, praised the hard work of the advocacy center community, which banded together to raise money for the garden.

Munger also took time to recognize perhaps the most-loved member of the advocacy center staff, Mitchell, the yellow Labrador who serves as the facility's dog, and who turned 4 on Wednesday.

"I think it's so nice that in addition to being a wonderful garden and a place for healing for the children, that now we have a wonderful birthday present for Mitchell to enjoy a nice place to play where he can enjoy time with the children and their families and help them heal and bring peace," Munger said.

Suzanne Willet, the chief of special courts in Lake County, takes care of Mitchell when he isn't working at the advocacy center. She said she has seen first hand the positive impact Mitchell and his canine colleague, Hitch, a black Lab, have had with children either in the courtroom or at the center.

"Who doesn't feel better when they love on a dog?" Willet said.

Willet said the dogs' services are paid for by donors and don't cost taxpayers anything.

For more information on the advocacy center and the volunteers who make it possible, visit the website at https://lakecountyil.gov/2066/Childrens-Advocacy-Center.