Our History

Chaucie Quillen was born on September 3, 1974. She grew up in Carmel, where she excelled in both academics and athletics. It seemed Chaucie had a wonderful life. In reality, her father had been sexually abusing her since she was 10 years of age. Chaucie found the courage to report her abuse when she was 18. Her father was prosecuted, but after a two-week trial the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The case was subsequently resolved through plea negotiations and Chaucie’s father received a sentence on charges of sexual battery. The strain of her abuse by her father and the inability of the legal system to adequately address her case took its toll and on December 26, 1995 Chaucie took her own life. Everyone involved in Chaucie’s case wondered what could have been done differently and how to prevent this outcome from happening to other victims of abuse in Hamilton County. This became the driving force behind creating Chaucie’s Place on April 30, 2001.

Our focus has always been on preventing abuse and suicide through evidence-based curriculum that educates and empowers both youth and adults alike. These efforts and our growing list of community partners has given us the opportunity to impact thousands of children in Hamilton County since 2001.

After recent legislation was passed, an enormous opportunity presented itself to broaden our reach and impact across Indiana. Our vision has grown, which required the expansion of our name to cover the entire state and blend our current and future programming offerings. Chaucie’s Place became the Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse & Suicide in 2019.

We haven’t changed our focus or the belief in what we do or why we do it. Rather, it was a powerful way to build on a legacy of courage, strength, and empowerment that Chaucie herself embodied.

We will continue our mission of prevention...
We will continue our commitment to education...
We will never stop making a difference in the lives of the children and adults we serve.

 
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Our Mission

The mission of the Indiana Center for Prevention of Youth Abuse & Suicide is clear - to prevent youth abuse and save lives. Our team is dedicated to creating awareness that 95% of abuse is preventable and providing critical resources necessary to give hope to those who have lost their way. We will work with our communities to make sure that evidence-based curriculum is in place, so both youth and adults, can be empowered to protect, prevent, and create a personal mission to end abuse, once and for all. 

 
 
 
 

Meet Our Team

Our team may be small by number, but the difference we make is huge. Every person on our staff has made the mission to prevent abuse and suicide in our communities’ youth - personal. We know education is the key and by empowering both youth and adults, we can work towards a day when there is NO MORE abuse.

This isn’t a job for us, it is a true calling. We’ve seen, firsthand, the impact that prevention programming can make within our schools, sports teams, churches, and homes. We know how critical creating open and constructive dialogue is to removing stigmas, perceptions, and fears over the topics of abuse and suicide. We know we can prevent more abuse from happening and save lives through our organization. 

 
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Lauren Ayers

Education Scheduling Coordinator

Contact Lauren

 

Beth Mitchell-McCoy

Lead Education Specialist

Contact Beth

Megan Banet

Director of Programs

Contact Megan

 

Melissa Peregrin

Executive Director

Contact Melissa

 

Erin Leraris

Lead Education Specialist

Contact Erin

 

Malia Wood

Program Support Specialist

Contact Malia

Child Safety Specialists

Levi Bolinger
Lindsey Brown
Giulia Marciano
Aiyana McCollum
Reema Rammaha

 

 

Our Board of Directors

 

Current Members

Matt Clark, President - CE Solutions, Inc.
Elizabeth Linden, DNP, RN, NE-BC, Vice President – Indiana University Health Adult AHC Hospitals
Melissa Lorson, Treasurer – Helmer Scientific
Kelly Kaufman, CFP®, CWS®,CDFA™, Secretary - Charles Schwab
Shara M. Eloms MSN, RN, NE-BC - Adult Academic Health Center at Indiana University Health
Kendra Fauth-Edwards - CarDon & Associates, Inc.
Thomas Gehlhausen - Hamilton County Community Corrections
Ed Gehr - Martin Marietta
Brian Griffiths - Construct Connect
Tom Linkmeyer – Indiana Racing Commission
Joe Milli - MISO
Toni Richins - Consort HR

Honorary Board Members

Dr. Judith Campbell
Charles Jeffras
Jon Kizer
Kim Lane
Beth Stickles McDaniel
Dave Schnase
Tom Shine
Dan Stevens