Dozens rappel building to aid the GreenHouse child advocacy center

Oct. 26—Rappelling five stories down the Landmark Building "can be scary, but it's also scary for kids to describe what (abuse) happened to them," said Natima Walker, executive director of the GreenHouse Child Advocacy and Sexual Assault Center.

When rappelling the side of a building, as roughly five dozen individuals did Saturday as part of a fundraiser for the GreenHouse, "you have to trust qualified, dedicated professionals to do their jobs, and that's what we ask kids to do" when they report an assault.

Over the Edge, the organization responsible for the safety of those rappelling, "is so organized and professional," said Bob Caperton, who was first down the building. "They take every precaution, which eliminates any fear."

People who raised $1,000 were able to rappel the Landmark Building during the third annual Rock & Rappel, and the adjacent Burr Performing Arts Park hosted Resurrection: A Journey Tribute Band for a concert that night.

"We wanted to do something unique" as a fundraiser, and "we wanted to use this beautiful park, too, for a concert," Walker said. Rock & Rappel is "a very unique event."

"I like that they're unconventional enough to differentiate their event, and it's a nice little thrill," said Caperton, who has rappelled twice for the event, with his wife, Lizzy, substituting for him the other year. The height and descent "never really bothered me, and it's not too stressful."

"I was glad to get my feet on the ground," said Melissa Ash, who rappelled at the same time as her friend, AJ Jackson. "Standing on the ledge is definitely the hardest part."

Jackson is "not afraid of heights, and I'm kind of a daredevil, (so) it was a lot of fun," he said. Plus, "The GreenHouse helps out in the community," so the event benefits a worthy cause.

"It was scarier than I thought it was going to be, (especially) that first step over," Dee Goodwin, who rappelled the building at the same time as her friend and fellow Brookwood School teacher Brooke Lee, said with a good-natured chuckle. "Brooke and I ran 20 miles this morning, because she's training for a marathon" in November, and "I'd rather run another 20 than do that again."

Lee disagreed, noting she'd opt for the rappel over running any time.

"It was a fun experience, and I'm very happy to be a part of it," she said with a grin. "I'd do it again right now."

The GreenHouse, which serves Whitfield and Murray counties, assists and advocates for children who have experienced trauma, as well as survivors of sexual assault, and "they can come here to our facility" to provide their statements, according to Mollie Welch, an advocate and prevention coordinator for the GreenHouse. "They disclose it, and it's one-and-done, so they don't have to talk about it again if they don't want to."

Lee has "known kids who visited the GreenHouse, and what they did for (those children) was indescribable," she said. "They make it a relaxed environment that's so much less threatening than having to sit and talk to police officers."

As a teacher for three decades, Goodwin "knows kids who have had to visit the GreenHouse" and benefited from it, so she overcame her fear and rappelled Saturday. "It's for the GreenHouse, (so) how can you not?"

The GreenHouse has been busier since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the nonprofit is seeing more children with schools back to in-person education, Welch said.

"They're more comfortable disclosing" abuse to a teacher, counselor, social worker.

Goodwin and Lee both fund-raised extensively at their school and were impressed by the generosity of students and staff.

"The kids brought so much money, (with one even noting) 'This is my allowance,'" because they, too, want to support the GreenHouse, Goodwin said. "It was very cool."

Caperton's grandmother, Sue Barrett, "was one of the founders of the GreenHouse, so the cause is dear to my heart, and I really support what they do," he said. "It's very convenient (as it's) right in the middle of downtown."

The GreenHouse offers therapy, advocacy, medical examinations and supplies for immediate needs, Welch said.

Money from the United Way of Northwest Georgia allows the GreenHouse to provide therapy free, while the Victims of Crime Act Fund, created by Congress in 1984 to provide federal support to state and local programs that help victims of crime, provides money for the GreenHouse's other services, as do fundraising campaigns and donations.

Anyone interested in more information about The GreenHouse can visit greenhousecacsac.org, while those in need of services can call the 24-hour hotline — available in both English and Spanish — at (706) 222-1147.