Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center reopens after sustaining serious water damage in 2022

TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA) - A special open house was held Monday, Nov. 6 at the Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center.

“We’ve got new floors, new walls. We are rejuvenated and ready to go,” said Ana Willis, a development specialist with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Texarkana.

Late in 2022, the building housing these programs suffered heavy water damage, forcing the organizations to close their doors and find a new, temporary location. After months of work, the building is back and ready to serve children in the area in need of an advocate. Willis says CASA trains and supports community volunteers to advocate on behalf of children in the foster care system, while the Texarkana Children’s Advocacy Center provides a safe setting for child abuse victims and promotes overall healing.

“The significance is we want to show everybody the building and all the work we have done and we have still been serving children even though we were in a new location briefly,” Willis said.

Willis says insurance paid for the repairs, along with $50,000 in donations from the community. In 2022, these two programs assisted more than 1,700 children. Willis says although they’re back in their building, they’re still in need of help.

“Every child who comes through the center and does a forensic interview gets a blanket or a bear. They get a comfort item and we are short on blankets and stuffed animals,” she said.

The Children’s Advocacy Center is located at 1203 Main St. in Texarkana and serves 11 Arkansas and Texas counties.

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