History Of Matty’s Place
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The vision for Matty’s Place developed in 2005 when a group of community leaders met with the vision of opening a child advocacy center to meet with needs of abused and neglected children in the region. With the closest child advocacy center located in Minneapolis, access to services for children and their families was extremely difficult. The leaders created an advisory committee that still leads Matty’s Place in vision and support. Their mission is threefold: 1) facilitate comprehensive, community-based services for children in Southeastern Minnesota, ensuring their safety, permanency and well-being while supporting and strengthening families, 2) provide training for professionals as well as medical therapeutic treatment for child victims utilizing the support of the National Child Protection Training Center, and 3) serve as a model and leader nationally for best practice in child advocacy.
Matty’s Place is named in memory of Matthew Eappen (Matty). Matty was born on May 24, 1996 as a healthy baby and died eight short months later due to abuse from his nanny, who was convicted of 2nd degree murder. The following are excerpts from the victim statement Matty’s mother read to impact the court during the trial.
“On February 4th, 1997, all our hopes and dreams were torn apart. Our Matty had been hurt. We soon learned our baby Matthew was dying. We couldn’t believe it. It was inconceivable, and it was beyond us to comprehend that our Matty was hurt because someone we trusted had hurt him.
Matty died in our arms surrounded by family, including his loving, 2 year-old brother, Brenden. Despite his tubes and IVs and surgical dressing covering his head, he looked to me like a little prince. Since that day our lives are completed altered. Our hearts are heavy every day with the most excruciating pain.
How can we make sense of any of this? How can we go on? Can we be happy again? I get flashbacks of what I envision happened to my innocent, defenseless, baby Matthew. I am sickened to think he was crying for help but was instead beaten by hands that were supposed to have been caring for him.”
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Matty's Parents, Sunil and Deborah Eappen, generously provided the initial donation to allow for the development of Matty's Place.
History Of Matty’s Place
x
The vision for Matty’s Place developed in 2005 when a group of community leaders met with the vision of opening a child advocacy center to meet with needs of abused and neglected children in the region. With the closest child advocacy center located in Minneapolis, access to services for children and their families was extremely difficult. The leaders created an advisory committee that still leads Matty’s Place in vision and support. Their mission is threefold: 1) facilitate comprehensive, community-based services for children in Southeastern Minnesota, ensuring their safety, permanency and well-being while supporting and strengthening families, 2) provide training for professionals as well as medical therapeutic treatment for child victims utilizing the support of the National Child Protection Training Center, and 3) serve as a model and leader nationally for best practice in child advocacy.
Matty’s Place is named in memory of Matthew Eappen (Matty). Matty was born on May 24, 1996 as a healthy baby and died eight short months later due to abuse from his nanny, who was convicted of 2nd degree murder. The following are excerpts from the victim statement Matty’s mother read to impact the court during the trial.
“On February 4th, 1997, all our hopes and dreams were torn apart. Our Matty had been hurt. We soon learned our baby Matthew was dying. We couldn’t believe it. It was inconceivable, and it was beyond us to comprehend that our Matty was hurt because someone we trusted had hurt him.
Matty died in our arms surrounded by family, including his loving, 2 year-old brother, Brenden. Despite his tubes and IVs and surgical dressing covering his head, he looked to me like a little prince. Since that day our lives are completed altered. Our hearts are heavy every day with the most excruciating pain.
How can we make sense of any of this? How can we go on? Can we be happy again? I get flashbacks of what I envision happened to my innocent, defenseless, baby Matthew. I am sickened to think he was crying for help but was instead beaten by hands that were supposed to have been caring for him.”
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Matty's Parents, Sunil and Deborah Eappen, generously provided the initial donation to allow for the development of Matty's Place.