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Foothills Alliance outgrows older home, moves into AnMed property A red-brick house on Calhoun Street was once filled with the sounds of small voices, had children's books waiting on tables and was decorated in primary colors of blue, red, yellow and green. But for nearly a year now, it has been silent. That will now be changing thanks to the AnMed Health Center's Board of Trustees. The house will soon again be filled with children — children experiencing a different kind of pain than the ones who came before. This house is at 218 E. Calhoun St. in Anderson. From 1997 until 2006, it housed the AnMed Health Pediatric Works. Soon it will become the new home for Foothills Alliance's Child Advocacy Center — a free gift from AnMed's board of trustees. "This is part of our efforts to weave a tapestry of collaboration in this community," AnMed Health President John Miller said. "We really felt like the community would be best served if we could not add to Foothills Alliance's financial burden. By giving this house to them, they can focus on their mission — which is helping the community." Foothills Alliance, a non-profit agency that serves adults and children who have been sexually assaulted and works to prevent child abuse, has operated in Anderson and Oconee counties since . In that time period, the child advocacy center has quadrupled the number of children it has seen for treatment and forensic interviews, the agency's Director Fay Brown said. That growth, from 50 children to 200, has pushed their limits in the building they now use — a 2,000-square-foot house on U.S. 29 South that was donated to them by Mountain Creek Baptist Church. "That has been such a wonderful location for us," Ms. Brown said. "Confidentiality has become an issue there because we only have one waiting room. We were at a critical point in the life of the child advocacy center… Now AnMed has exceeded our need. It really is a dream come true." Ms. Brown said the gift was the result of about 18 months of discussion with AnMed to possibly purchase that AnMed property on Calhoun Street. The red-brick house is next door to Foothills Alliance's headquarters. The house, which has been added on to, has been vacant since the middle of last year. AnMed Health purchased it for about $400,000 in 1997. It is 5,200 square feet and is ideal for counseling parents in and for bringing in children for forensic interviews and counseling because it's actually a house. Ms. Brown said the agency hopes to move into the building by this summer. Article reprinted with permission from the Anderson Independent-Mail (Anderson, SC). |
This website is not meant to be used in lieu of counseling or other professional guidance. This site is for informational and educational use only. To speak with a Foothills Alliance representative, please call (800) 585-8952. Website designed and maintained by Dian Hall. |
