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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cI must admit, something feels so special seeing all of the students walking on that day knowing that they are literally helping children in their own schools receive much-needed services,\u201d Guess said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schools aren\u2019t the only community organizations that pitch in. Kona Ice provides shaved ice, local churches provide students lunches, and several local sponsors like Edward Jones, Bank of Lincoln County, and Jack Daniels Bottling make the walk possible each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust moments ago, a little girl was lying on the floor in my office hugging our therapy dog, Allin, telling him one thing after another,\u201d Guess said. \u201cYou can\u2019t work here and see these amazing human beings and\u00a0not feel passionate about protecting children and ensuring that they receive the services they need. The Blue Ribbon Walk always reminds me that the community is right there with us, supporting us, cheering us on, and loving these children just like we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Previously called \u201cAndrea\u2019s Walk,\u201d the event began 19 years ago when former First Lady of Tennessee Andrea Conte wanted to promote the importance of Children\u2019s Advocacy Centers across the state. After all, according to the Junior House\u2019s website, 700,000 children are physically abused in America each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see these amazing children come to our building and talk about some of the darkest moments in their life,\u201d Guess said. \u201cThe events they tell, many would not be able to hear. They have to tell them because they lived them. I have an amazing staff that are here to listen to them. We always call them superheroes because they truly are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Former First Lady Conte attended many of Junior\u2019s House\u2019s first walks, but when she and her husband left office, the advocacy center changed the name of the event to the Blue Ribbon Walk. It’s only grown in almost 20 years, with the 2023 walk being its biggest fundraiser. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Right now, Junior\u2019s House is the only Children\u2019s Advocacy Center in Tennessee that is also a Court Appointed Special Advocate program, which allows them to train more volunteers to help children in Middle Tennessee. The group is currently seeking volunteers and gearing up for its 20th anniversary in October. They plan to improve and expand their facility to meet the needs of over 500 families they serve annually. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “WE ALL think, “What would I do if I won the lottery?’ When I have those daydreams, assisting Junior’s House is always at the top of my list,” Executive Director Crystal Guess, M.S., MSP, said. Junior’s House, a Fayetteville Children’s Advocacy Center, provides therapy, training, prevention, specialized interviews, and many more resources for Tennessee families. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":20232,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/08\/3-6-1024x683.png\")
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