The following was the speech given by Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County's Courage Award recipient Vickie Price. I asked her if I could use the speech she gave at the award dinner to honor her in my Know Your Community segment of my blog. She obliged. Thank you, Vickie. You are a blessing to have in this community. Northwest Arkansas is blessed by you. Thank you for being you.
COURAGE
According to Wikipedia Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. I have my own definition of courage. Please allow me to share.
It was 1996. The first time I saw Courage was a 10 year old little girl who told that "her daddy had been touching her." Courage was rising above the fear of losing her mother and her brothers after being told she would never see them again if she did tell. Courage was taking that chance. My daughter, DesaRae was that 10 year old little girl. Her courage saved her brothers and I from what would have become worse sooner rather than later. We were not blessed with having the Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County (CAC) in 1996. Desi did have some counseling but the family did not. We stood strong, however and were survivors.
Fast forward to 2011. Courage was a little girl 5 years old. The first sign of her courage came when she, with the help of the CAC, bounced back from abuse by her father and step-mother while in their care. They had chained her to a dresser during the nights. They would use the feeble excuse "so she couldn’t get up." That was my introduction to the CAC. Not only did I watch that little girl stay strong, I saw her heal completely. The principle of her kindergarten class said he would never have known. With courage she opened her heart knowing she would be ok just like her mother did back in 1996. Her name is Jersey. The CAC won her heart along with mine, her mother, and the entire family. That is when I became a volunteer. I wanted to help. I knew children could be saved. I had witnessed it first hand! I was excited to make a difference. Jersey was a survivor.
A couple weeks shy of the one full year of Jersey's recovery, she was taken from us - forever. It was 2012. She was 6 years and 6 days old. For anyone who doesn't know Jersey's story, a trusted man, the babysitters husband, now sits on death row for her rape and murder. My granddaughter will not bounce back. The CAC cannot help her. Where is this courage? That word was not one that I would have used to describe myself. I was destroyed along with her mother, her Pepaw, her little sister, and her aunts and uncles.
But Courage, yet again, would show itself. Not once or twice but many times over I would see it. For the third time my daughter was caught up in the same nightmare of abuse. She had lost her child. What would she do? Curl up and die? Believe me, it was considered. It took courage to live. To survive. To get up and take care of business and to be a Mom to the daughter she had left.
And that brings me to yet another little one who would show courage. Leah - she was 10 days shy of being 3 years old. She slept with Jersey every night. She was too little to talk much and could not explain what had just happened. When Jersey was removed from the bed they shared she climbed in her momma's bed. Her momma thinking she had awakened from a dream pulled her close and they fell asleep. It would be the last time Leah would see the sister that she loved so very much.
The CAC once again was there. Immediately, Leah was in counseling. 2 1/2 years would go by before she would "graduate" from their care. She will be six in November. She still talks about her sister and speaks outwardly about missing her. She knows Jersey is in heaven. Leah is a survivor.
People would say to us "I don’t know how you do it. You are so strong."
I'm not the one with courage. That belongs to all these children the CAC helps. I am driven by my desire to help stop anyone from feeling the loss that I still feel. I am driven by seeing first hand what the CAC can do! We have lived it from the lowest degree of sexual assault to the highest degree. I am willing to do anything to help stop it. My heart is broken. I do this because I want to, I need to, and my passion for it outweighs my broken heart.
I accept this Courage award for every single child who cannot receive this for themselves. For my then 10-year-old Desi, my 6-year-old angel in heaven, Jersey, my now 5-year-old granddaughter, Leah, and every single child who remains nameless.
Vickie Price
September 17, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment