SPRINGDALE, Ark. — The Children's Safety Center (CSC) of Washington County opened up its current building for the public to tour before they move into their new 15,000-square-foot facility off of Gene George Blvd in Springdale.
“We've been in the same spot for 26 years, we have over 14,000 handprints all over our walls," said Development Director Emily Rappe' Fisher. “To see these handprints and to say goodbye one last time is bittersweet.”
Each handprint on the wall represents a child who was a victim of abuse and their emotional story of recovery.
Rappe' Fisher said they've outgrown the space because of a rising number of cases that call for more employees.
“When we opened our doors in 1997, this place was perfect,” said Rappe' Fisher. “Now we've grown the staff so much because the needs of child abuse victims have increased in Northwest Arkansas.”
Last year the CSC saw 882 kids, a 33% increase from the year before.
"It just shows the need for an increased space to be able to do our job to the best of our ability for these kids,” said Rappe' Fisher.
Even though the CSC is expanding, the staff has found ways to keep the original 14,000 hand prints around.
"We had an EAST class come over from Springdale High School that have taken individual photos of all 14,000 handprints. So we're having different organizations and companies help us create art pieces out of those which will be visible in the new building," said Rappe' Fisher. "We will continue the handprints in the new building, but they will be on canvases."
The grand opening for the new building is set for December 2023.
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