Hometown Heroes Walk For Children Award Winners

Five community leaders were presented the 2022 Hometown Hero awards by Child Advocacy Center Director Sharon De Boer and board member Terry Fann at the 7th Annual Hometown Heroes Walk for Children Friday morning.

"Each of these Hometown Heroes is a passionate advocate for children," De Boer said. "They are servant leaders who have dedicated their careers to making our community a better place for children and families."

The awards were presented during the annual Child Abuse Prevention Month event. The 2022 award winners were Art Dinkins, Patty Oeser, Detective Michael Yates, Dr. Lisa Milam, and Jessica Ramos Wauchek.

Art Dinkins served in the U.S. Army and received his bachelor's degree in physical education from Mississippi State Valley University and his Master's in Public Service Management from Cumberland University. He is a dedicated family man who has been married for 29 years and has two sons and one grandchild. He a deacon at Oliver Branch Church in Murfreesboro.

Dinkins has worked at the Department of Children's Services since December of 2005, where he is a true team player. He was hired at Williamson County Department of Children's Services as a Foster Care Case Manager 3. Three months into his new career, his Team Leader abruptly left. He stepped up and took over the Team Leader role with no hesitation. In 2009, he transferred to Rutherford County Department of Children Services to be the Foster Care Team Leader. But instead of supervising Foster Care, he went to where he was needed the most as the Child Protective Services Team Leader. He has always done whatever it takes to keep the department in compliance. Those duties include visiting homes, entering case notes, doing Child and Adolescent Needs Assessments, and attending meetings for his team.

Dinkins has dedicated his career to assisting Rutherford County child abuse and child sexual abuse victims and being an outstanding supervisor to his staff.

Patty Oeser served as a dispatcher, patrol deputy, school resource officer, and detective for 24 years with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office. Most recently, she worked as a Family Crimes Unit detective responding to child physical and sexual abuse cases. She taught classes about internet safety to students and parents and she handled the sex offender registry.

Oeser served on the Tennessee Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force comprised of the FBI, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement. As part of the task force, she investigated a Milton man accused of using sextortion of girls online in a western state and Germany. The FBI describes sextortion as a crime that happens online when an adult convinces a minor child to share sexual pictures or perform acts on a webcam.

Oeser investigated a church youth education director who was indicted on charges of statutory rape of a girl beginning when she was 13 years old. The perpetrator pleaded guilty in February and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Oeser was honored in 2018 with a Department of Children's Services Child Abuse Prevention Month Award because she responded whenever Child Protective Services investigators needed her help in child abuse cases. She always went beyond the call of duty in protecting children.

Oeser has served on the Hometown Heroes Walk for Children Committee that has hosted this event in past years. She is currently the Rutherford County Safe Schools Director where she continues to make a difference in the lives of Rutherford County children and youth.

Dr. Lisa Milam is a Tennessee expert in the field of child sexual abuse with children for the last 30 years. She is the CAC's "go-to" person about forensic medical exams. She has trained every Child Protective Investigative Team member in the county. From the beginning of her career, Dr. Milam has worked with child sexual abuse victims and taught others how to help them.

She is completing her 30th year as a forensic social worker with Our Kids and is Director of Expansion. She has participated in the evaluation of more than 10,500 children and has successfully launched four satellite clinics in child advocacy centers in rural areas of Middle Tennessee. The child victims in those rural counties would not have received the quality medical care and forensic evaluations that they deserve without her pioneering efforts. In addition, she conducts assessments for more complex cases involving young children.

Milam received her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Tennessee College of Social Work and is a licensed clinical social worker. She has provided clinical supervision for many social workers in Middle Tennessee. She has presented at professional conferences in Tennessee and across the nation and has published numerous research articles.

She is a prize-winning baker and a TURBO Kentucky basketball fan. She lives in Springfield with her husband and cats.

Detective Michael Yates was hired by the Murfreesboro Police Department in July of 1996 and became a Field Training Officer five years later in July of 2001. He was promoted to Detective in 2011 and joined the Special Victims Unit in May 2016. His Associate's and Bachelor's degrees are from MTSU.

This Hometown Hero works all of his cases, from beginning to end, in a very victim-centered way. He conducts thorough investigations, faithfully attends Child Protective Investigative Team meetings, testifies well in court, and helps families navigate the complex criminal justice system.

Talking to a police officer can be scary for kids. Detective Yates is a family man who knows how to talk to kids. No matter what the child's age, they know they aren't in trouble and he is ready to help them. Children feel safe and heard when they talk to him. As a detective with the Special Victim's Unit, he interacts with children and families whose lives have been shattered, and the ability to talk to kids and families and give them some of their control back is vital to bringing them the justice they need.

Yates teaches a class at the Murfreesboro Police Department's Citizens Police Academy and was an integral part of setting up Darkness to Light child sexual abuse training for the department. Yates has been a faithful member of the Hometown Heroes Walk for Children Committee where he DJ's the event, helps secure donated food for the picnic lunch, and always has creative new ideas every year--like the Tennessee guitar for this year's Silent Auction.

Jessica Ramos Wauchek is a critical staff member for the Child Advocacy Center. Her bachelor's degree is in accounting from Ashford University and she has her associate's degree with a major in accounting and a minor in management from New Jersey City University. When she came to the Child Advocacy Center, all of her employment experience was in the for-profit world--as a staff accountant at H.D. Smith Pharmaceutical, World Packaging, Gregory Commons, and Long Island Beef.

When Wauchek applied at the CAC, she just wanted a "little bookkeeping job" that she could do part-time while her kids were in school. Now, she oversees the Child Advocacy Center's accounting, fundraising, and community education program.

Wauchek is one of the hardest workers at the CAC. Several years ago, the United Way online grant system had a glitch and it took hours to add the data. She was at the CAC until 4 a.m. inputting the data before the deadline. She is always willing to help, whether it is moving furniture or helping the social workers add up their client numbers at the end of the quarter. Her family supports her by volunteering.

Wauchek has the best attitude. She comes in every day with a smile on her face, an infectious laugh, and a contagious sense of humor. With the heart-breaking cases worked at the CAC, she helps balance the sorrow. She holds the Child Advocacy Center together. She is out front and behind the scenes making positive things happen every day.

"All of these Hometown Heroes have never desired any recognition for their accomplishments because it has never been about them," concluded De Boer, "It has always been about the children."