Imagine you are seven years old. Pretend just for a moment that you finally found the courage to tell a loved one that someone, a family member, has been hurting you. You are scared and embarrassed and frightened. This person that has hurt you may have said that if you tell it will break up your family or that your mommy or daddy will be mad at you. Now the person that you told is crying and yelling, and is going to tell someone else. Next you have to go to the police station and answer embarrassing questions. You are wondering why you have to go to the place for the bad guys. You are afraid.

Over the next few days you are taken to more places to see even more people and tell these strangers your story over and over. One place has a big video camera in a room with no windows and no toys. The next place has a doctor that you have never met before. This doctor may examine parts of your body that you are uncomfortable with, and may have to take pictures of the bruises or scars you have. The next time you have to tell your story you are so tired and do not feel like telling everything. Your family is still acting so strangely. The adult was right; your family does appear to be falling apart. Should you say you were lying? Do the other kids at school know? Should you just stop talking about it?

Now, imagine that you are that same child but you live in Marion County and there is a place called Kimberly's Cottage.

Imagine that you are seven years old. Pretend just for a moment that you finally found the courage to tell a loved one that someone, a family member, has been hurting you. You are scared and embarrassed and frightened. You and your family go to Kimberly's Cottage. It looks like a house for kids. A nice lady greets you and shows you to the playroom. Then she introduces you to a nice man who will ask you a few questions. You go into a room that is made for kids. You do not even notice the camera that is in the birdhouse, or that there are people from Law Enforcement, Child Protection Team and the Department of Children and Families monitoring your interview in the very next room. You also do not notice that the man talking to you is wearing an earpiece so those other people can ask questions without scaring you.

When the nice man is finished asking you questions, that same person from earlier talks to you and your family. She even takes you to a special room with new toys and blankets to pick out anything you want.

You may need to have a medical exam there, but that same nice lady is going to introduce the doctor and stay right outside the room. Meanwhile, your family is talking to an advocate who is explaining some of the signs of abuse, some common emotions, and how to talk to friends and family about the abuse. You can tell right away that your family feels a lot better and you know that everything will be okay.