A Legacy of Hope: Sharon De Boer Honored for 25 Years at the Child Advocacy Center
When Sharon De Boer walked into the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) of Rutherford County 25 years ago, she carried with her a vision: to create a place where children and families could begin to heal. As the Center’s founding director, she set out to build a safe, home-like environment for children facing the unthinkable – child abuse, child sexual abuse, and drug endangerment – alongside their non-offending family members in Rutherford and Cannon Counties.
“I didn’t want the center to feel like a government office. The space needed to feel like a home, a place where children could feel safe enough to share their story,” said De Boer, who was honored for her quarter-century of service at the CAC’s anniversary celebration in August at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
That vision first took root when then-District Attorney Bill Whitesell sought to bring the CAC model to Middle Tennessee and tapped De Boer to lead it. “I was the only paid staff member. In that first year we served 233 children and 13 family members,” she recalled. Today, the CAC has 14 staff members, serves both Rutherford and Cannon Counties, and has helped nearly 50,000 people, including 22,000 children.
Turning Vision into Impact
From the beginning, De Boer recognized that the work could not be done in isolation. The CAC model brought together the Department of Children’s Services, law enforcement, prosecutors, and trained advocates into one coordinated response team. This innovative approach meant children no longer had to retell their stories repeatedly in intimidating settings. Instead, they could speak once, in safety, while professionals worked together on their behalf.
The impact has been profound. Before the CAC existed, only a handful of child abuse cases in Rutherford County were prosecuted each year. Today, thanks to forensic interviews and expert testimony from CAC staff, prosecutors can pursue cases more effectively, ensuring offenders are held accountable.
“Every time a child comes through our doors, it’s a chance to bring them out of fear and into hope,” said De Boer. “That’s what drives me.”
Leading in the Face of Hard Truths
The statistics remain sobering: one in 10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday, yet more than 80 percent of cases never reach authorities. De Boer has never shied away from this reality. Under her leadership, the CAC has grown to a $1.5 million organization serving more than 3,200 people annually—including over 1,300 children in the past year alone.
She has also championed prevention. More than 17,000 community members have completed the CAC’s Darkness to Light training, learning how to protect children and respond effectively to signs of abuse.
A Lasting Legacy
The Child Advocacy Center has earned national accreditation and recognition as one of the strongest programs in the country. But for De Boer, the greatest measure of success comes in the children who leave the Center with renewed hope.
“When kids leave here, they feel like, ‘This isn’t my burden anymore. These adults are going to handle this.’ And in that moment, you see them be a kid again,” she said.
At her 25-year celebration, colleagues and community partners praised her dedication. De Boer, in turn, emphasized the collective effort: “It truly has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the director of the Child Advocacy Center. This has been a community effort from the very beginning, and together, we’ve made a difference in the lives of thousands of children.”
For 25 years, Sharon De Boer has been more than a director—she has been a pioneer, an advocate, and a steady source of hope. Her legacy lives on in the children who found safety within the Center’s walls and in a community made stronger, safer, and more compassionate because of her vision.
For more information, visit cacrutherford.org.
