A lot has changed for Beth Heilman since TMJ4 last spoke with her a few months agoShe was working with Child Protective Services but now has a new title: Manager for the Sheboygan location at the <u class="rte2-style-underlin e">Lakeshore Regional Child Advocacy Center</u>, or the CAC."It's a dream come true for me, she said. It really is." The center supports kids who are affected by violence, neglect and abuse, by connecting law enforcement agencies, child specialists and mental health professionals.The significance of Heilmans new role runs deep for her. A few years ago, she found out someone had hurt her child.The family immediately sought help from the CAC."When that happened, we decided we weren't going to be victims, we were going to do something with it."Beth has come full circle. Shes now an advocate for the location in Sheboygan."It was clear early on that the need was here in our community."40 percent of the victims the team has served are from Sheboygan. 1 in 5 children have a City of Sheboygan address.TMJ4 visited the new site in late December when leaders were asking for the communitys help raising $500,000.The money was needed to finish construction and pay for three years of operations.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Leaders ask for communitys help for new Sheboygan Child Advocacy Center After that story aired, Executive Director Amanda Didier said a local donor approached her and gave the organization $100,000. He handed over an additional $50,000 not long after.The donor and his staff saw the story and that we did together and was so moved by it, Dider explained. Construction was still in progress at the time, but the demand for services couldnt wait."We started interviewing children here before we had all of our doorknobs."It was essential, Heilman added. We cant tell them, Hold on. Were not quite ready.A total of $200,000 is still needed to reach the fundraising goal theyve been working toward since 2023 a total of $2.5 million.The Sheboygan site had its ribbon cutting on Thursday afternoon. In attendance were figures such as Ryan Sorenson, Gov. Tony Evers and other local leaders. A community grand opening is scheduled for late April.Didier said all 16 other CAC locations across the state were labors of love, but This one is so special because it was the community that decided, We need this. We need this now and it cant wait.To me, it speaks to the heart of Sheboygan County and what can be accomplished when we collaborate for good."Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less