Written by Tanya Terry
Cooking with the Chiefs is a fundraiser for Voices for Children Advocacy Center taking place September 13, for the second time. Through it, community members will be able to watch as local police and fire chiefs step out of uniform and into the kitchen to compete for the title of Ultimate Chef!
“It’s a chance for them to partner up with a restaurant in their community and it’s definitely a fundraiser for us,” stated Angie Essenburg, forensic interviewer at Voices for Children Advocacy Center.
Essenburg added the advocacy center does not charge for any of the services they provide.
“They come up with a restaurant, and they come up with a dish, and they serve it and everybody that gets to come gets to eat – and then vote on their very favorite dish.”
Participants will include: The City of Flint Police Department, the University of Michigan-Flint Police Department, the Hurley Medical Center Department of Public Safety, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, Genesee County 9-1-1, Flint Township Fire Department, Grand Blanc City Police Department, Mt. Morris City, the Grand Blanc Township Police Department, the Grand Blanc City Fire Department, the Clio City chief, the Clio Fire Department, the Metro Police Authority chief, the Mundy Township fire chief, Richfield Township Police Department, Clayton Township Police Department and the Fenton Fire Department.
Fenton Fire Department’s Chief Robert Cairnduff was last year’s winner. He partnered with the the Fenton Fire Hall restaurant, and will be doing so this year.
“They served Fenton Fire Hall’s famous macaroni and cheese.”
Essenburg pointed out the number of child abuse cases in Genesee County is double what it is in the country as a whole. So, she added, the need in our area for help for these young victims is huge.
“We have court bags that we send with the kids,” said Essenburg. “Sometimes kids will go to court, and they’re stuck there all day. So, we put together bags. We have games, snacks, drinks and stuff to keep them entertained while they’re over there. We have a need for those now. So, I believe that the money is going to help us to make more court bags.”
Voices for Children Advocacy Center serves as a voice and an advocate for children throughout Genesee and Shiawassee Counties. The center services child survivors of abuse (including human trafficking) and neglect, as well as their families. Center staff help provide advocacy for the well-being of the child.
Voices for Children Advocacy Center conducts forensic interviews for children ages 2-17 who have an allegation of sexual abuse, physical abuse, human trafficking, neglect or witness to violence. The advocacy center also has an amazing therapy program on site. They also offer court-appointed special advocates, volunteers that follow kids through the foster care system. The volunteers follow the children no matter where they go within the foster system, or what home they are in. They are able to go to court and speak for the children.
Additionally, Essenburg said the Voices for Children does a lot of prevention in the community.
“We’ve been going into the schools and doing preventive work for the kids,” said Essenburg. “We also have a lot of classes that we teach as far as mandated reporter training, safe sleep training for babies and that kind of thing.”
Essenburg called Cooking with the Chiefs a “really good time.”
“We have a multidisciplinary team, which has law enforcement, child protection services (CPS), prosecutors, mental health, medical. We’re all on the same team. That’s the really great thing about voices – is that when there is a child who has a crime committed against them, they have a full team, and we all come together at the same time for that child. With all the terrible things that we all hear all the time, it’s a lot of fun to be able to come together and raise money for these kids, having a fun time. It’s also nice to have an event that we can have the general public come to.”
Essenburg pointed out when people haven’t needed their services, they typically don’t even know Voices for Children exists.
For tickets or sponsorship opportunities, visit https://voicesforcac.org/cooking-with-the-chiefs/
