In order to appreciate just how far an organization has come, itâs often useful to go back to its beginnings. Kathy Vinzant is known by many as the executive director of the United Way of Lincoln County. She retired from that position in March. Way back when the Lincoln County Coalition Against Child Abuse and the Child Advocacy Center were in their infancy, Vinzant was the director of those organizations. At the Annual Appreciation Luncheon for the coalition against child abuse and LCCAC held on Wednesday, Vinzant shared stories of how the organizations were formed.
It was back in 1991 that Ola Mae Foster and Melinda Houser recognized the need for a means to educate the public about child abuse prevention. The Lincoln County Coalition Against Child Abuse was established 1992 and ran by volunteer board. Vinzant was hired in 2002 and under her leadership the LCCAC was created in 2007. Cathy Davis took over in 2008 and Sherry Reinhardt in 2009. The LCCAC became an accredited child advocacy center in 2009 and has been successfully re-accredited in 2014 and 2020. Child advocacy centers are required to be reaccredited every five years.