CULLMAN, Ala.– The Link of Cullman County’s Nurturing Place, a weekly gathering place for tutoring, life skill sessions and supervised visitations is officially open with refreshed paint, furnishings and decor courtesy of a grant given from the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention. Staff, board members, Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs and several community members were present as Executive Director Melissa Betts cut the ceremonial ribbon on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.
The lush, renovated space boasts a large foyer filled with school supplies, a learning kitchen, a smaller room with floor-to -ceiling shelving stuffed with books for all reading levels and two supervised visitation rooms.
Dakota Trammell, literacy coordinator at The Link, noted the nonprofit takes a very hands-on approach. It’s not unusual for learners and tutors to be found sprawled in the floor working on letter recognition and incorporating tactile experience to the learning at hand.
“We try to accommodate learners no matter what is going on,” he said. “A lot of our learners are some form of neurodivergent, so we meet them where they’re at. Just an extra hour a week of one-on-one can make a huge difference.”
Betts mentioned that the timing of the ribbon cutting was especially poignant given that the project was funded by a grant given from the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, and April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“I truly am pleased that we were able to do this.” she smiled. “It’s really a need for us to give our kids who come here for services a safe place that was designed with them in mind.” She noted the importance of soft skills that will be taught in the newly-renovated kitchen and how it will positively impact the family unit as a whole. “It’s a place where we can truly nurture those children and the families who come in with them.”
For more information about The Link’s Nurturing Place, contact The Link at 256-775-0028 or visit www.linkingcullman.org.
