Camille Downing has been appointed executive director of the Pike Regional Child Advocacy and Family Resource Center in Troy.

Downing is a native of Troy and a graduate of Charles Henderson High School and Troy University where she earned an undergraduate degree in criminal justice and psychology and a master’s degree in counseling.

She did an internship at the district attorney’s office in Troy and worked in law enforcement in the prison system in Bullock County for five years.

“I worked with teenage mothers at a group home in Montgomery while I was at Troy University,” Downing said. “I knew then that I wanted to work with young people when I had an opportunity.”

Downing said she is appreciative of the opportunity to serve as executive director of the CAC and is looking forward to serving the children of Pike and surrounding counties.
“Working with children is the flip side of the work I was doing,” Downing said. “Having worked with male inmates in a prison setting, I knew that if I could work with the perpetrators, I could surely work with the victims, especially children.”

Downing said she is passionate about children and it is her desire and her mission to do all she can to ensure that no child is in an unsafe environment.

“I want to make sure that Pike and the surrounding counties have the resources to provide assistance to the victims of child abuse and neglect,” Downing said.

The Pike Regional CAC opened in April 2004. During the last three years, 420 cases have been referred to the district attorney’s office.

“The thing that we need to remember about child abuse is that half of the incidents are never reported,” Downing said. “So, for every case that is reported, there is one that isn’t.”
In 2011, the CAC provided more than 141 forensic interviews and provided more than 346 total services involving children in Pike, Coffee, Bullock and Barbour counties.
“The CAC provides forensic interviews, counseling and evaluation services as well as mentoring and parenting classes,” Downing said.

The CAC also takes the “Good Touch Bad Touch” program to the schools.

“The program is offered to the second, fifth and seventh grades and we explain to the students what is and what is not appropriate behavior,” Downing said. “This program is designed to educate children as to what is a good touch and a bad touch and, in so doing, to stop child abuse before it happens.”

One way the community can support the Pike Regional Child Advocacy and Family Resource is by making a donation to the CAC today through the “Alabama Gives Day.”
To make a contribution to the CAC visit www.alabamagivesday.org and designate the Pike Regional Child Advocacy as the recipient of your donation.