24-Hour Helpline 1-800-928-7273

About

We are Lotus

"Just like the lotus, we too have the ability to rise from the mud, bloom out of the darkness, and radiate into the world.”
-Unknown

Our Strategic Framework

VISION

FREEDOM FROM OPPRESSION & VIOLENCE FOR ALL

VALUES

RESILIENCE, EMPOWERMENT, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION

MISSION

SUPPORT SURVIVORS. STRENGTHEN FAMILIES. EMPOWER COMMUNITIES.

Lotus is Kentucky’s designated Children’s Advocacy and Sexual Violence Resource Center for the Purchase Area Region. Our mission is to support survivors, strengthen families, and empower communities. At Lotus, we see the goal of recovery as not only surviving trauma but also opening up to the possibilities of hope, healing, and growth.

Lotus is committed to ending child abuse and sexual violence. We are working to cultivate a collective, unified community that meets survivors with compassion and a culture that simply does not tolerate interpersonal violence.

Our History

1984

Our efforts began in 1984 when Western Baptist emergency room nurses recognized a need. Western Baptist then installed a 24-hour helpline and volunteers were trained to assist and support victims. This was just the beginning. Educational programs began throughout the community and survivors of sexual offenses were offered counseling, medical assistance, and legal guidance.

1987

The Western Baptist Hospital and the Paducah Cooperative Ministry Rape Victim Service, Inc. was established.

1990's

During the 90’s, we expanded our services and established our Paducah campus sexual assault center on a beautiful new campus and expanded services in the Murray-Calloway County area.

2007

We assumed the designation from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services as the regional children’s advocacy program and established Kentucky’s first Expressive Arts Therapies Center dedicated to working with victims of violence.

2018

We changed our name to Lotus, reflecting the exceptional courage, strength, and resilience of survivors and symbolizing enlightenment and reawakening to embody our community initiatives.

We also established our Holistic Healing Center which provides a safe, nurturing environment that supports a holistic approach to healing and wellness.

2019

We underwent our GROW Lotus renovation and addition of our main campus in Paducah. The purposeful design of the structures and grounds of our campus supports highly specialized intervention and restorative services as well as our community outreach and education initiatives. Our Sanctuary Project promotes health outcomes by fostering enhanced tranquility and therapeutic experience through green spaces specifically designed throughout our Paducah campus to meet the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of survivors and families.

2022

In 2022, Lotus launched our Hope Heal Grow Mobile, the first mobile children’s advocacy center in Kentucky. This mobile unit, or “Winnie” as our team calls her, is innovating our outreach and expanding access to critical, life-saving services for children and families across the Purchase Area Region.

Present

Lotus’s new Mayfield location is currently under renovation with plans to launch services in September!

Meet Our Team

Lori Wells Brown, MS

Chief Executive Officer
270-534-4422 ext. 019

Karen Durbin, CPA

Chief Financial Officer
270-534-4422 ext. 012

Amberly Haverstock

Chief Program Officer
270-534-4422 ext. 032

CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER TEAM

Nichole Wadley, MS, LPA

Forensic Specialist & Team Lead
270-534-4422 ext. 015

Sarah Grimsley

MDT Coordinator
270-534-4422 ext. 023

Megan Meade

Family Advocate
270-534-4422 ext. 018

Bethany Vaughn

Family Advocate
270-534-4422 ext. 034

ADVOCACY TEAM

Ivette Cope

Director of Advocacy
270-534-4422 ext. 039

Megan Bell

Survivor Advocate
270-534-4422 ext. 022

Forrest Hamilton

Advocacy Support Specialist
270-534-4422 ext. 021

THERAPY TEAM

Amanda Harris, LCSW

Therapist & Therapy Team Lead
270-534-4422 ext. 033

Taylor Daugherty, CSW

Therapist
270-534-4422 ext. 024

Charis L. Gurrola, LPCC

Therapist
270-534-4422 ext. 016

Olivia Lanier, CSW

Therapist
270-534-4422 ext. 013

Emily McGee, M.Ed

Therapist
270-534-4422 ext. 26

SUPPORT STAFF

Kasey James

Service Coordinator
270-534-4422 ext. 010

Image

Kaitlyn Reagan

Service Coordinator Mayfield
270-534-4422 ext. 027

COMMUNITY TEAM

Paris Jones

Outreach & Education Specialist
270-534-4422 ext. 037

Hadley Purcell

Outreach & Education Specialist
270-534-4422 ext. 029

Join Our Team

Grow your career at Lotus! We offer competitive benefits including:

  • Health, dental, and vision coverage
  • Generous paid time off and 11 paid holidays
  • Life and AD&D insurance
  • Retirement plan
  • Abundant training opportunities
  • Wellbeing resources, including access to Expressive Arts and Therapies Center, Holistic Healing Center, and a tranquil outdoor sanctuary

View current job openings at Lotus below.

We're Hiring!

“I love working for an organization whose values align with my own. Lotus cares about their staff and has provided me with the support and opportunities I need to grow personally and professionally.”
-Lotus Therapist

The Lotus Children’s Advocacy & Sexual Violence Resource Center has an opening for a Full-Time Outreach & Education Specialist.

Who We Are:

Lotus is Kentucky’s designated Children’s Advocacy and Sexual Violence Resource Center for the Purchase Region. Lotus’s mission is to support survivors, strengthen families, and empower communities. Committed to ending child abuse and sexual violence, Lotus works to cultivate safe, equitable, just communities where all persons thrive.

Lotus so perfectly symbolizes the exceptional courage, strength, and resilience of survivors. We see the goal of recovery as not only surviving trauma but also opening up to the possibilities of hope, healing, and growth. And like the lotus flower, under the right conditions, the possibilities for growth are limitless. We seek to create a safe, nurturing sanctuary where each survivor and family is met with a clear path to the specialized care and holistic resources they need in order to truly heal and reclaim their lives. At Lotus, our shared values of resilience, empowerment, diversity, equity, and inclusion drive all that we do.

Position Purpose:

The Outreach and Education Specialist utilizes Social Behavior Change framework to guide work in developing and implementing prevention and outreach programs aimed at preventing child sexual abuse through enabling changes at individual, community, and societal levels to prevent child abuse and improve health and overall wellbeing of children, families, and the community.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate and deliver MBF Child Safety Matters program to K-5th grade.
  • Implement D2L Stewards of Children Program to inspire adults to increase awareness of the scope of the issue, take actionable steps towards both preventing and responding to abuse, and create safer environments for children in their life.
  • Delivers additional CAN prevention programming: planning, designing, and implementing necessary prevention education programming as requested.
  • Provide support at partner-hosted community Parent Cafes to increase protective factors in families.
  • Collaborate to ensure effective child abuse prevention messaging and community outreach/engagement campaigns.
  • Facilitate and/or participate in community outreach and engagement events.
  • Represent Lotus on assigned community partner coalitions and groups.
  • Collect and report program service data statistics and conduct process and outcomes evaluation for all programming delivered.

Position Requirements & Preferred Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university OR high school diploma and four (4) years of relevant experience required.
  • Preferred qualifications include (2) years of experience in community outreach/engagement, program development/implementation, and outcome/impact measurement and evaluation.
  • Applicants must possess strong communication and collaboration skills.

Work Schedule:

  • 40-hour work week with supervisor-approved schedule to meet position responsibilities, including occasional weekend and evening hours.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

Job Type: Full Time

Benefits:

  • Dental insurance
  • Flexible schedule
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Professional development assistance
  • Retirement plan
  • Vision insurance

Ability to commute/relocate:

  • Paducah, KY 42001: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred)

Education:

  • High school or equivalent (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

The Lotus Children’s Advocacy & Sexual Violence Resource Center has an opening for a Full-Time Outreach & Education Specialist.

Who We Are:

Lotus is Kentucky’s designated Children’s Advocacy and Sexual Violence Resource Center for the Purchase Region. Lotus’s mission is to support survivors, strengthen families, and empower communities. Committed to ending child abuse and sexual violence, Lotus works to cultivate safe, equitable, just communities where all persons thrive.

Lotus so perfectly symbolizes the exceptional courage, strength, and resilience of survivors. We see the goal of recovery as not only surviving trauma but also opening up to the possibilities of hope, healing, and growth. And like the lotus flower, under the right conditions, the possibilities for growth are limitless. We seek to create a safe, nurturing sanctuary where each survivor and family is met with a clear path to the specialized care and holistic resources they need in order to truly heal and reclaim their lives. At Lotus, our shared values of resilience, empowerment, diversity, equity, and inclusion drive all that we do.

Position Purpose:

The Outreach and Education Specialist utilizes Social Behavior Change framework to guide work in developing and implementing prevention and outreach programs aimed at preventing child sexual abuse through enabling changes at individual, community, and societal levels to prevent child abuse and improve health and overall wellbeing of children, families, and the community.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Coordinate and deliver MBF Child Safety Matters program to K-5th grade.
  • Implement D2L Stewards of Children Program to inspire adults to increase awareness of the scope of the issue, take actionable steps towards both preventing and responding to abuse, and create safer environments for children in their life.
  • Delivers additional CAN prevention programming: planning, designing, and implementing necessary prevention education programming as requested.
  • Provide support at partner-hosted community Parent Cafes to increase protective factors in families.
  • Collaborate to ensure effective child abuse prevention messaging and community outreach/engagement campaigns.
  • Facilitate and/or participate in community outreach and engagement events.
  • Represent Lotus on assigned community partner coalitions and groups.
  • Collect and report program service data statistics and conduct process and outcomes evaluation for all programming delivered.

Position Requirements & Preferred Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university OR high school diploma and four (4) years of relevant experience required.
  • Preferred qualifications include (2) years of experience in community outreach/engagement, program development/implementation, and outcome/impact measurement and evaluation.
  • Applicants must possess strong communication and collaboration skills.

Work Schedule:

  • 40-hour work week with supervisor-approved schedule to meet position responsibilities, including occasional weekend and evening hours.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

Job Type: Full Time

Benefits:

  • Dental insurance
  • Flexible schedule
  • Health insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Professional development assistance
  • Retirement plan
  • Vision insurance

 

Ability to commute/relocate:

  • Paducah, KY 42001: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Preferred)

 

Education:

  • High school or equivalent (Preferred)

Work Location: In person

Board of Directors

Lotus is currently seeking dynamic and diverse leaders to serve on our Board of Directors. Do you share our collective values? Do you have skill sets and perspectives that align with our strategies, goals, and needs necessary to successfully advance our Lotus mission?

Ashley Parrott

Chair
Baptist Health
Director of Operations

Jamie Walker

Chair-elect
Independence Bank
Trust Assistant

Shannon Pace

Treasurer
Paducah Bank 
Assistant Vice President/Associate Credit Analyst

Anna Turner-Abernathy

Secretary
Ballard County
Ambulance Service
Assistant Director

Misty Cates

Past Chair
Harrah’s Casino
Director of Finance

Tiffany Benberry

Self-Employed
Mental Health Counselor

Angela Copeland

Paducah Independent Schools
Director of Finance

Reis Driver

Baptist Health
Director, Business Development

Dr. Stephanie Ford

Murray State University
Assistant Professor,
Middle School Education

Rae Hall

Paducah Bank
Teammate Experience Manager/HR Generalist

Steven Luther

Baptist Health
Associate Vice President, Operations

Tennille Rushing

Mercy Health
Vice President of Medical Group Operations

Dawn Mason

BFW
Accounting Manager

Tiffany Scott

Baptist Health
Director of Operations

Mark Thompson

BFW Engineering
Business Development

Lori Wells Brown

Ex-Officio Member
Lotus
Chief Executive Officer