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Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center Receives Inaugural Donation from “Guys Who Give” – Allegan Chapter

Summer is a time for relaxing and celebrating, and Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center has much to celebrate as the first non-profit to be awarded funding by the new Guys Who Give – Allegan Chapter.

Already with an impressive 22 local members in just a mere few weeks, the Guys Who Give – Allegan Chapter awarded $2,200 in July 2026 to the crucial mission of Safe Harbor, which provides a healing journey for kids who have been victims of abuse and neglect in Allegan, Barry and Van Buren counties.

“During our Second Quarter meeting, I had the honor of pitching Safe Harbor, who was selected, much to my excitement,” said giving group member Matt TerAvest, who works as a Wealth Advisor with Tibbitts Financial Consultants.

How “Guys Who Give” works: during each quarterly meeting, a handful of members from the Guys Who Give each showcases a non-profit in Allegan County to the larger group. Each non-profit is discussed, highlighting why the non-profit is deserving of the funds. Then each member of the giving group votes, and the non-profit that receives the most votes is selected. Each member of the giving group then individually writes a personal check to that non-profit. A non-profit organization is eligible for selection every two years by Guys Who Give.

Allegan County Chapter’s founder Ben Otis, from The Team of Weichert Realtors, first learned of Guys Who Give through a neighbor, who “participated in the Kalamazoo Chapter and introduced me to the founders,” said Otis. “It sounded like an engaging way to participate in giving for the community, as well as a great way to learn more about amazing organizations serving Allegan County.”

Otis also learned that Guys Who Give has been around nationally since 2015, with a growing number of chapters within our home state of Michigan, all providing a local impact, one that will now be felt here in Allegan County.

“We are so honored to be the first recipient from Guys Who Give in Allegan,” said Safe Harbor Executive Director Lori Antkoviak, JD. “Local support is vital to our mission of providing a lifeline to kids in our community. The fact that a supporter not only advocated on our behalf, but that so many of its members chose to personally support our mission, that all makes the tough work we do a little easier.”

Guys Who Give – Allegan Chapter is just getting started, according to Otis.

“We would love to grow our chapter to at least 100 members,” he said. “The more members we have, the bigger the positive impact we can have on our community.”

The national organization of Guys Who Give can be found at guyswhogive.org, and the Allegan Chapter can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/guyswhogiveallegancounty

Re-Accreditation Valid for 5 Years for Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center

For the fifth time under Executive Director Lori Antkoviak’s leadership, Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center is recommended for re-accreditation by the National Children’s Alliance (NCA), as announced to the agency in an email on June 18, 2026.

Serving as the oversight and accrediting agency for all Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) across the country, NCA staff “are thrilled to recommend Safe Harbor for reaccreditation,” the lead site reviewer announced. After this recommendation process, the site review team sends their findings and a scoring form to NCA’s Accreditation Department, which then reaccredits the CAC.

“Having this accreditation by the NCA ensures that our children and families in Allegan, Barry and Van Buren counties are getting the highest quality level of coordinated and evidence-supported services through their local CAC, Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center,” said Antkoviak. “Our staff, board members and Multidisciplinary Team Members from each county work to ensure that we are not only upholding these rigorous standards, but also surpassing them, because that’s what our community and kids deserve.”

During the re-accreditation process, Safe Harbor was required to provide years’-long, extensive documentation, culminating in a full-day onsite visit with an NCA two-person accreditation team, all to prove the agency upholds the following nine essential standards:

1) Multidisciplinary Team Standard
2) Forensic Interview Standard
3) Victim Support and Advocacy Standard
4) Medical Evaluation Standard
5) Mental Health Standard
6) Case Review and Coordination Standard
7) Case Tracking Standard
8) Organizational Capacity Standard
9) Child Safety and Protection Standard

“The Standards for Accreditation for Children’s Advocacy Centers represent the evidence-supported core competencies of the CAC model,” according to the NCA’s National Standards of Accreditation for Children’s Advocacy Centers, June 2023 edition.

Although the formal reaccreditation process is completed, the daily work continues as the agency strives to keep our kids and families safe, all the while providing them with hope and healing through evidence-supported interventions.

In 2025, Safe Harbor staff:
– Provided Forensic Interviews to 335 children throughout the three counties we serve
– Provided 65 children with counseling services
– Presented about body safety to 7,145 children
– Supported 11 kids through our Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program

If you would like to get involved to help the kids of Allegan, Barry and Van Buren counties, please email development@safeharborcac.org.

Each County Served by Safe Harbor Represented in Annual Awards

Safe Harbor Children’s Advocacy Center’s mission is to provide a Lifeline to victims of child abuse and neglect, and each year, we have the privilege of granting three Child Advocate of the Year Awards – one within each county we serve.

The Child Advocate of the Year Award honors Trooper Ray Hoffman, who provided a daily example of how to advocate for child victims. He encouraged others to strive for excellence in this work. Child abuse cases require careful and thorough investigations and prosecutions and take a toll on those of us who work in this field.

In Allegan County, Safe Harbor works with several dedicated law enforcement dedicated to child abuse investigations.  “One detective stood out to us this past year as the Child Advocate: Detective Rob Flokstra,” said Executive Director Lori Antkoviak.

Beyond his advocacy and leadership, Detective Flokstra is known for his approachable nature and positive spirit. He fosters trust, builds meaningful relationships, and brings a sense of warmth that makes collaboration both effective and enjoyable. 

“We are deeply grateful for his continued support of Safe Harbor’s mission and for the difference he makes,” Antkoviak said. “His dedication, integrity, and heart truly set him apart, and this recognition is a reflection of the lasting impact he has on our community.”

Flokstra also attended the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Training and assisted in the development of ACSO’s Child Abduction Response protocols.

In Barry County, Safe Harbor honored Kayla Wickham, a Child Protective Services investigator who has dedicated more than 12 years consistently, all the while demonstrating an unwavering commitment to child safety and advocacy. 

Her nomination reads, “Kayla is described a professional who goes above and beyond in every aspect of her work. She invests significant time and effort to ensure all relevant details are thoroughly explored so that children are protected and safe. She is not deterred by difficult or complex cases and routinely does more than what policy alone requires when the well-being of a child is at stake.”

Antkoviak added: “Over the past several years, Kayla has been involved in numerous significant and challenging cases that have come through Safe Harbor.”

Her dedication, persistence, and follow-through have directly contributed to positive and safe outcomes for children—outcomes that may not have been achieved without her willingness to dig deeper and advocate tirelessly on their behalf. Her genuine care for the children she serves is evident in her work, even when it requires additional time and personal commitment.

In Van Buren County, Safe Harbor named Assistant Prosecutor Rachel Keeley as Child Advocate of the Year.

Her nomination reads, “Ever since Rachel started working as an Assistant Prosecutor in Van Buren, she has been dedicated to serving those she is most passionate about – women and children.  She requested her caseload include all the Criminal sexual conduct cases that came into the office so she could focus her time and talent to serving in this area.  She has worked tirelessly and passionately to develop relationships with these children who have been broken by those they trusted.  This relationship was established so that she would be able to fight the battle in the courtroom to try to receive some justice on their behalf.  She has been able to achieve a winning record that most prosecutors only dream about in criminal sexual conduct cases and she has touched the hearts of many along the way.”

Congratulations and thank you to all the Child Advocates of 2026!