Morgan County Child Advocacy Center

🚌✏️ Help Us STUFF THE BUS for local students and teachers! 📚🎒

United Way of Morgan County is inviting workplaces across Morgan County to join our annual Stuff the Bus school supply drive benefiting Morgan County, Hartselle City, and Decatur City Schools.

A simple collection box in your office can make a huge difference for students starting the school year without the supplies they need to succeed. Whether your team collects 10 items or 1,000, every donation helps local children walk into the classroom more confident and prepared.

📌 Most-needed items:
• Pencils
• Backpacks
• Composition notebooks
• Folders

💼 Perfect for:
✔️ Offices
✔️ Small businesses
✔️ Churches
✔️ Civic groups
✔️ Employee teams

📅 Last day to donate: July 23rd

Gather your coworkers, spark a little friendly competition, and help us Stuff the Bus for local students and teachers in need!

To participate or arrange a donation drop-off, contact United Way of Morgan County. Signups are below.



https://form.jotform.com/261245405654051

Disclosure can be one of the hardest things a child ever does. That’s why it’s so important for trusted adults to create safe, supportive spaces where children feel heard, protected, and believed. The therapists and advocates at the Morgan County CAC work with parents, caregivers, and family members to teach them how to respond to a disclosure.

If a child chooses to disclose:
✨ Stay calm
✨ Listen without judgment
✨ Reassure them it’s not their fault
✨ Let them know they did the right thing by telling someone

One caring response can make a lifelong difference. 💙

Thank you to the North Alabama Scottish Festival & Highland Games for your generous donation to the Morgan County Child Advocacy Center!

Your support helps us fulfill our mission of providing help and healing to children who have experienced abuse and neglect. We are grateful for your generosity and commitment to making a difference in the lives of local children and families! 🩵

June is National Internet Safety Month, so the Morgan County CAC wants to remind all parents, caregivers, and family members the importance of social media monitoring! Social media can be a place for connection and creativity, but it can also expose children to risks like cyberbullying and inappropriate content. Monitoring your child’s social media isn’t about invading privacy — it’s about protecting their safety and keeping communication open.

When children experience abuse, neglect, or overwhelming stress, their brains can shift into “survival mode.” Understanding how the brain responds to trauma helps caregivers, educators, and communities respond with empathy and compassion. By learning about the brain, we can better understand:
✨ why some children struggle to regulate emotions
✨ why memories may be fragmented
✨ why safety and connection are essential to healing

The Morgan County CAC offers free Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to the clients that we serve. TF-CBT is the gold standard for trauma treatment, and the CAC is proud to be home to the only Certified TF-CBT Therapists in both Decatur and Morgan County, all listed on the National Registry!

Learning about common trauma responses matters because it helps you understand your own and other people's behavior that might otherwise feel confusing. At a basic level, these responses come from your nervous system trying to protect you from perceived danger. They’re not character flaws, they’re survival strategies. Understanding that can shift how you interpret reactions in stressful situations.

A huge thank you to the Affiliate Council of the Morgan County Association of REALTORS® for selecting the CAC as a beneficiary of their annual golf tournament this year!

We are incredibly grateful for your generosity and support of the children and families we serve throughout Morgan County. This funding will directly support forensic interviews and trauma-focused therapy services for children who have experienced abuse and neglect, helping ensure they receive the help and healing they deserve at no cost to their families. 🩵

The therapists and family advocates at the Morgan County CAC do a great job of educating caregivers on what to look out for if they think their child is experiencing a mental health concern. Here are some common signs to look out for!

Summer is right around the corner! Check out these safety tips when looking into a summer camp for your child!