The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MECASA) has awarded Spurwink’s Cumberland County Children’s Advocacy Center (CCCAC) with the 2026 CAC Award, alongside other local organizations.
The MECASA Awards celebrate partners whose efforts have strengthened systems of care statewide. The CAC award in particular recognizes exceptional collaboration and survivor-centered leadership.
“Showing up for survivors requires us to show up for each other,” MECASA stated. “When the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in York County needed support, their colleagues stepped up. Because we all know what it’s like to lose staff we had counted on. Because we’ve all had hard days ourselves. Because we all know that this work is too important to those who count on us. And mostly, because we all know that at the end of the day, we’re in this together. Because of this support, the work continued. Children and families were supported, and our systems partners got what they needed to pursue justice. What could have been a devastating disruption was instead a lesson on generosity and the gift of mutual aid rooted in shared values and shared grace.”
The Cumberland CAC team provided coverage for York County from December 2024 through January 2026. During this time, we received an additional 82 referrals for forensic interviews for York County, in addition to the 216 referrals we received for Cumberland County.
Congratulations to the incredible Cumberland CAC team! The award is well-deserved!
Pictured: Melissa Matthews, Sara Stowe, Joyce Wientzen, Silvia Baxter, Aly Young
