Honors Day
Every year at Honors Day, the Memphis Child Advocacy Center honors our heroes: our committed team members, dedicated volunteers, and community advocates who work to safeguard the most vulnerable kids in our community. Our 2022 Honors Day was held Friday, November 18, at the FedEx Event Center. Everyone enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast before the program. Guest speaker Dr. LaShaunda Massey, PhD. inspired the audience with her words on "Reclaiming Joy". Congratulations to all the award honorees! Honors Day was presented by Southland Casino Racing.
Awards. At Honors Day, we recognize the commitment of both our team and the community members who support our mission. The Shelby County Child Protection Investigation Team (CPIT) is headquartered at the Memphis Child Advocacy Center. CPIT is 15 agencies strong and provides a coordinated team response to reported child sexual abuse and other severe abuse. There are also volunteers, donors, advocates, and organizations in the community that help our mission in a myriad of ways.
The CPIT award honorees are nominated by CPIT members and are selected by committees made up of peers from multiple CPIT agencies.
2022 Honors Day Award Winners
The CPIT Excellence Award for Compassion honors members of the Shelby County Child Protection Investigation Team (CPIT) who have demonstrated exceptional compassion to children and their families. In 2022, two members were honored. Dr. Amanda Taylor, the Director of Nursing at the Shelby County Crime Victims & Rape Crisis Center, and Sgt. Euvonnie Keefer from Memphis Police Department’s Juvenile Abuse Unit, are this year’s winners.
The CPIT Excellence Award for Compassion honoree Sgt. Euvonnie Keefer.
The CPIT Excellence Award for Teamwork recognizes those whose performance demonstrates commitment to exceptional professionalism and team collaboration. Valerie Gooden, Team Lead with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, will be recognized for teamwork at this year’s Honors Day.
The Community Advocate Award honors a community member whose efforts in Shelby County demonstrate commitment to the safety and well-being of children. This year’s Community Advocate Award goes to Jennifer Balink, Executive Director of Kindred Place.
The Nediva Award honors a volunteer who has made invaluable contributions toward the center’s mission. Nediva is a Hebrew name which means noble and generous. It is the origin of the word volunteer. This year, Memphis CAC Board Chair, Craig Weiss, will be recognized with the Nediva Award.
It takes a capable, committed team to successfully confront child sexual abuse in our community. The work of the team headquartered at the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, combined with action by dedicated community members, makes a real impact in our community. Together, we are helping victims become children again.