Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Centers announce 2016-2017 board …Bill Fletcher new president
(Niceville and DeFuniak Springs, FL) August 3, 2016…The 2016-2017 new board members were sworn in at a recent board meeting for the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Centers. (ECCAC)
Bill Fletcher, a Freeport resident, is this year’s new president. He was last year’s vice president and has been on the ECCAC board for the past 3 years in various capacities.
“I’m honored to be serving ECCAC in this capacity,” commented Fletcher. “Particularly since we now have two fully operational centers in both Okaloosa and Walton Counties to offer our many services available to children experiencing abuse, abandonment or neglect.”
Fletcher spent twenty-three years in businesses related to coal ash management, and was the president and CEO of JTM Industries in Kennesaw, Georgia, one of the largest companies in the country dealing in coal combustion by-products. Since 1998, he has resided in Northwest Florida and was working in the building industry until his retirement in 2009. He is also active in other areas in the community to include being a board member of the Kiwanis Club in Freeport/South Walton and the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce; a citizen volunteer for the Walton County Sheriff’s Department; member of the Institute for Senior Professionals at Northwest Florida State College; and a volunteer for Alaqua Animal Refuge.
Other new board members sworn in for the upcoming year were Shaun Eubanks, Maurice Stouse and Janine Pyle. The upcoming year’s new board officers are Bill Fletcher, President; Tom Cooper, Vice President; and Alan Wood, Treasurer.
Julie Hurst, CEO of ECCAC said, “We are very excited about the strength and capabilities of our new ECCAC board. I have every confidence that under Bill Fletcher’s leadership, we will have a successful year which translates to being able to take care of the impacted kids to help restore their lives.”
ECCAC provides many services for young victims in a child-friendly environment at their Niceville Center and the Pierce Family Children’s Advocacy Center in DeFuniak Springs. Their mission is to prevent child abuse and neglect, protect children in Okaloosa and Walton Counties, and restore the lives and futures of these impacted children. Children are not housed at these locations, but numerous services are offered to them at no cost to include mental health therapy, crisis intervention, referrals to other community providers, interviews and medical evaluations. In ECCAC’s 17-year history, over 40,000 direct services have been provided to the children and their families and more than 10,000 children have received mental health services. Services are provided at no cost by the nonprofit organization.
For further information about the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, to volunteer, or to make a donation, visit www.eccac.org or call 850-833-9237, Ext. 283. If abuse is suspected, call the anonymous Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE.
