When a little girl, 11 year old Andre' Bosse, was abducted, raped, and murdered in 1997, Bill Burd, a Michigan State Police Trooper, felt so strongly that he had to act to prevent child abuse in all forms that he teamed up with Andre's parents to create a center that helps children who suffer from abuse. The focus of the center was to provide facilities so children could be interviewed about their abuse away from the police station, principal's office, etc. He wanted to give children privacy and respect in a child-friendly environment. He knew that not only was this best for reducing the trauma of an abuse investigation for a child, but it also would help identify perpetrators and make children safer.

Bill has always been at every fund-raiser, school-training seminar and prevention event when the Center needed him. He works tirelessly as a role model for local youth in schools and as a popular soccer coach. He wrote a grant and was able to purchase a robot dog that has been used effectively before thousands of children to tell them about personal safety and child abuse.

The Center has grown. It now includes a medical room so abused children can be examined in privacy and comfort away from the hussle and noise of an emergency room. It also includes space for counseling, interviews, and supervised parent-child time. The Center's programs reach thousands every year in this rural, poverty-stricken area with high child abuse risk factors.

Bill continues to be the driving force of the Center, as a volunteer and on the Board of Directors. He knows that it shouldn't hurt to be a kid.

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