KVC honors Van Buren officer with Hero Award

“We have made a lot of changes since 2020, and we’re hopeful that more changes will continue to be made for the positive,” said KVC Missouri Director Michael Turner.

KVC stands for “Knowledge, Value, and Connection,” according to Turner; and it serves as an organization that is focused on providing assistance and advocacy for victims of sex crimes and strengthening families.

He spoke those words at the Child Abuse Prevention Day banquet, which was held at Fellowship General Baptist Church on Friday, April 5.

The banquet was held in April because April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month.

As part of the event, Turner awarded the group's 2024 Hero Award to Sgt. Shiloh VanTassel with the Van Buren Police Department.

“I know there isn’t a lot of appreciation felt by many people in this room because of the nature of this work,” Mohrmann remarked. “But (VanTassel) never says anything bad and is always uplifting and supportive for everyone. And I’m honored to present her with this award.”

Turner informed the crowd the numbers for Southeast Missouri are stark. In 2020, there was a steep increase in clients served through victim advocates.

“We focused on expanding services and reach from there,” Turner remarked. “And I’m happy to inform everyone that we can now do exams for victims of sexual assault directly on site, instead of sending them away to a different location.”

Turner explained having to send victims to a different location was discouraging for some victims, who would later opt to not go.

Turner also explained there are now services being provided in both Ripley County and Dunklin County, and the decision was made to open up services to adult sexual assault victims.

Turner also informed everyone about Missouri Network Against Child Abuse and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, and how those programs are being developed to address issues throughout the region.

“When people think about sex trafficking, they often have this mental image of pimps with a stable of prostitutes,” program manager Danielle Mohrmann explained. “And in some areas, that’s accurate. But in this area, sex trafficking looks more like parents using their children to barter sex for drugs or money, or paying a child in their own family for sexual acts. And there is also a lot of sexual exploitation of children in this area.”

Demi Lee, community outreach and education specialist with KVC, shared that fliers have been created and distributed in locations such as public restrooms in an effort to reach people who may be in need of help but don’t know where to turn.

“Missouri ranks third in the nation for sex trafficking,” Lee noted. “And studies show the majority of victims have been victimized multiple times.”

Lee went on to explain KVC hopes to build a platform, in which other partner agencies can share their expertise in an effort to change things for the better.