Kentucky Bar Foundation Grants Support Healing at Family & Children's Place
Since 2004, the KBF has awarded grants totaling $35,000 to support Family & Children's Place. Those grants help transform lives like Katya's, who came to F&CP as a means to healing, but now, years later, is working with the agency to help heal others.
The Kentucky Bar Foundation has awarded five grants totaling $35,000 between 2004 and 2015 to Family & Children's Place in Louisville to support its Kosair Charities Child Advocacy Center and Shively Visitation Center. Those Centers help children like Katya Estes, who came to Family & Children's Place as a means to healing, but now, years later, is working with the agency to help heal others.
Katya, now 21, came to Family & Children’s Place after her grandfather abused her. He pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual abuse of a minor under the age of 12, but spent just a few scant days in prison paying for his crime. His was a 60-day sentence, which he didn’t fully serve. Hers, however, is a life sentence.
Every day, Katya continues to deal with and heal from his abuse of trust, power, and position, and every day, she charts her course to prevent and protect others from abuse. She completed therapy at Family & Children’s Place. She faced her grandfather in court, telling the world of his heinous behavior. She shares her fears, her anger, and her recovery in regular social media posts where her friends and fans bolster and believe in her.
Katya is taking criminology and psychology courses in college, aiming at a career where she can help girls and boys and definitively act to stop and prevent abuse and violence. Maybe a cop? Maybe a therapist? Definitely an activist! Katya also models, and even when she's wearing others’ clothes and makeup that is not naturally her style, her personality, fierce determination, and force are apparent, and she uses the artistic pulpit for purpose – to talk about an unspeakable subject – child abuse.
Katya has served as the lead sponsor of Stomp the Silence: Taking Steps Toward Healing, an annual 5k run/walk at Louisville’s Seneca Park to raise awareness of and funds for Family & Children’s Place. The first run drew a sizeable crowd of kids, adults, friends, and her posse – members of Bikers Against Child Abuse, who have taken her under their leather-clad wing. She has also spoken at the agency’s all-staff retreat, bringing caseworkers, therapists, and others to tears and inspiring them to continue doing their best work to help others like Katya keep their lives, hopes, and dreams on track.
Healing, Katya says, is an every day process. There are good days, okay days, not so good days, and days she wants to climb back into bed and burrow beneath the covers. But every time, she re-emerges, ready to own her life and her lot. She’s determined, she says. She's driven, Family & Children's Place says.
Family & Children's Place is happy and proud to have been and be a part of Katya’s journey and for her help and support to ensure that F&CP continues to provide a place of hope and healing to children and families hurt by abuse.
The Kentucky Bar Foundation is proud and happy too, to be able to support the impactful work that Family & Children's Place does to change and save lives like Katya’s.
Volunteers and kids having fun at the
Kosair Children's Child Advocacy Center and
the Shively Visitation Center
