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The Chamber of Commerce had a rather sizable turnout for a ribbon cutting Thursday morning. It wasn’t a typical business that drew the attendees; it was The Oak House Children’s Advocacy and Sexual Assault Center. Located on West Shotwell Street, next to First Port City Bank, the Oak House had previously been just one location under the Lily Pad umbrella organization of care facilities. Now, it will operate as its own entity.

The Oak House accepts cases involving child abuse of any kind, and provides Sexual Assault Nurse Examinations (SANE), and covers five counties (Decatur, Grady, Mitchell, Baker and Calhoun).

Eakin said part of the reason for the decision to split and become their own entity was for more possibilities for funding and grants.

“Ms. Amy has done a wonderful job,” Chamber President Karen Tobin said. “We congratulate her on this business being an entity on their own, and for the service that you provide for the community.”

“We say ‘One child, one place, one story’,” Eakin said, “because we like for the children to tell their story one time, so they don’t have to tell it over and over again. But we also like to say that we like to be their voice, and it takes all of the agencies that work with us, law enforcement, district attorney’s office and DFACS, and we all kind of stick with that. We like to be the voice of the children.”