Claudnyse Holloman is reminded daily how vital a role her organization plays in uplifting young victims of unspeakable crimes.
As President and CEO of Flint-based Voices for Children Advocacy Center, Holloman oversees a place of respite, giving hope to abused or neglected children who are feeling hopeless and providing crucial help to families feeling helpless.
The name encapsulates the mission.
Any Genesee or Shiawassee County child who has suffered the trauma of any kind of abuse, been neglected in any way or traumatized by witnessing violent acts are indeed given a voice and a strong advocate in their corner.
The Center is also dedicated to prevention and intervention, identifying children who may be at risk and taking steps to stop cycles of abuse before they become victims.
“We work with children who are survivors of physical or sexual abuse or human trafficking to help bring justice for them and help them and their families find a way forward,” Holloman says. “We are a link between abuse victims and vital community services.”
It goes without saying that Holloman is deeply appreciative of all the Center’s allies in law enforcement who are critical to fulfilling its mission, especially Burton Police Department Detective Amanda Eads, who specializes in crimes against children.
“I am assigned to all kinds of cases, but I’ve taken a strong interest in child sexual and abuse cases because nobody, especially children, deserves that,” says Eads, who is closing in on four years as a detective and 19 years with the department. “It’s just satisfying to help see through a resolution to bad situations through the court system and bring closure to victims and families. I also appreciate how my current role gives me a different kind of interaction with the public than when I was a patrol officer.”
When Eads is investigating child abuse cases, she partners with Voices for Children to facilitate sessions between victims and one of the Center’s forensic interviewers while Eads, and usually someone from Child Protective Services, watch from another room.
“Voices for Children interviewers do such a fantastic job of asking children who have been victimized the right questions to get the truth about what is going on,” Eads says. “They also provide important therapy services for victims and their families. If they need any kind of service, Voices for Children gets it for them.”
Eads has developed a particularly strong bond with one member of the Voices for Children staff known as Deputy Daphne, the Center’s black Labrador retriever who is a soothing source of comfort and support for children while they are being interviewed or even testifying in court, usually for the first time in their young lives.
“I’m a dog person, so it was natural that I drew close to Daphne from the time we were introduced,” says Eads. “Daphne plays such an important role in keeping children calmer as they open up about what’s been happening to them and for her to be there once they go to court, which can be a scary situation, is big.”
Holloman values Eads’ combination of tenacity and tenderness.
“Detective Eads always seeks to completely understand every case and treat everyone involved with compassion while being determined to get justice and just be a fighter for any child in such a difficult situation,” she says. “We know she is going to get to the truth and be so thoroughly prepared when she goes to court. I can’t tell you how many times Detective Eads has demonstrated that.”
Holloman specifically cited a heart-wrenching case in which Eads relentlessly pursued crucial evidence to secure justice for a five-year-old victim of sexual assault.
The child’s mother took her to a facility expecting a CSC (criminal sexual conduct) kit to be done, but was told it was not necessary, and that law enforcement might not actually do anything with it.
“It was so disheartening to hear that from the victim’s mother because us not doing anything with a CSC kit is never going to be the case,” Eads says. “It’s critical evidence and an important tool for advancing a case. Fortunately, we were able to have a CSC kit done at the Voices for Children facility and secure a conviction. People having the courage to report such awful things should always be taken very seriously.”
Eads has been honored several times for her work, including twice last year by Voices for Children.
Last fall during the annual All Hallowed Police Officers’ Ball, ABC 12 News Anchor Angie Hendershot presented her with the Beacon in Blue Award, which honors a law enforcement officer for exceptional commitment to community service and justice for children.
Among the reasons cited was Eads’ coming to the aid of children needing urgent medical assistance. Eads resiliently overcame obstacles to ensure they received needed medical care and connected them with Voices for Children for additional support, including access to clothing, gas cards and therapy services.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
There are over 1,400 confirmed cases of child abuse in Genesee County every year. This month is dedicated to raising awareness about child abuse, promoting prevention efforts and supporting survivors. You can show your support by wearing blue – learn more ways to help at voicesforcac.org.
“Amanda was selected for the award because of her sheer dedication to go above and beyond what others might do to help children in need, not only with the cases she handles, but for community events she takes part in like Shop With A Hero,” Holloman shares. “She will even bake goods for our fundraisers and is all about doing extra things to assist in what we do.”
Earlier in 2024, Eads was given the organization’s Law Enforcement Multidisciplinary Team Member of the Year Award during Voices for Children’s Champions Award Ceremony. The MDT team consists of law enforcement officers, CPS workers and Voices for Children staff.
“MDT award recipients are chosen by fellow members of the team, so it was pretty special for Detective Eads to be recognized by her colleagues in that way,” says Voices for Children MDT Coordinator Gayle Hartwell, who is also Daphne’s trainer. “Her being awarded was no surprise to me.”
Eads is humbled and uplifted by the recognition.
“It means a lot being acknowledged for all the hard work done by not just me, but our entire team to get justice for the most vulnerable victims,” she says. “People don’t always realize all that goes into working these kinds of cases, how tough it can be to see children in those situations and what we deal with day after day. So, being honored in that way has been nice.”
Eads’ first major award came in 2016 after emerging from the most difficult, harrowing challenge of her life.
Last spring, Eads received the Law Enforcement Multidisciplinary Team Member of the Year Award during Voices for Children’s Champions Award Ceremony.
“I am assigned to all kinds of cases, but I’ve taken a strong interest in child sexual and abuse cases because nobody, especially children, deserves that.”
Detective Amanda Eads
To a standing ovation, Eads was named the Burton Rotary Club’s Police Officer of the Year and became understandably emotional recounting her arduous and painful, but brave battle against the autoimmune disease lupus after being diagnosed the previous year.
Lupus can be damaging to organs, skin and joints and it began taking a toll on Eads, causing her to miss nearly six months of work. Treatment required aggressive chemotherapy, steroids and dialysis as Eads’ kidneys began losing function.
As if that was not stressful enough, Eads faced termination if she was not back on the job within six months, per union contract, but the heavy-hitters in her corner were not about to let that happen. The department also rallied around Eads with fundraising efforts to assist with medical bills.
“It was amazing when my chief, human resources officer and Burton’s mayor all came together to help me,” recalls Eads, a patrol officer at the time. “They worked things out so that I could come back and perform light desk duty because I was still on dialysis.”
After eight months, Eads was finally able to free herself from dialysis and transitioned to a pill form of chemotherapy.
At last, on March 18, 2016, more than eight months after learning she had lupus, Eads lined up in roll call again and returned to road patrol before becoming a detective in 2021.
The chemotherapy pills are long gone, but Eads still takes several medications daily and her body carries the ravages of the disease. Eads’ kidneys are permanently scarred and functioning at 60%. She was forced to have both hips replaced, a side effect of the steroids. Doctor’s office visits remain commonplace.
“It does not seem like it’s been ten years since I went through that because there are days when it still seems so fresh,” Eads says. “The whole experience changed me in that I’m certainly more health conscious because I know how fragile the human body can be, but also emotionally. I don’t get worked up about things like I used to and have more empathy for people going through similar situations.”
The 44-year-old Eads’ journey to her current position began at the University of Michigan-Flint after graduating from Genesee High School.
Certain coursework and especially her job at the time caused Eads to rethink her original intention of becoming an attorney. Perhaps law enforcement was her true calling.
“I was working loss prevention at JC Penney (in Courtland Center Mall) and found that to be really interesting and fun, so I ended up switching my major to criminal justice with the goal of getting into police work,” Eads says. “The social work-related courses I enrolled in were also really interesting and I thought that knowledge would be good for law enforcement.”
Eads also interacted with Burton police officers during her time at JC Penney and admired their professionalism.
“I started thinking that’s the kind of department I’d like to work for, but there were no openings when I first applied in 2003,” he says.
So, Eads spent nearly the next three years as a Genesee County Sheriff’s deputy assigned to the County Jail before being asked if she was still interested in joining the Burton PD in the fall of 2006.
“I immediately said yes because I knew this would be a great place to grow my career,” says Eads, who has also served as a school resource officer. “There are a lot of bad things that happen in the community, unfortunately, and I want to continue doing all I can to fight back against those bad things to make the community safer. I gained an even greater appreciation for being able to do this job when I was sick.”
Count Hartwell among those thankful to be working with Eads for the foreseeable future.
“I’ve always appreciated the way Detective Eads works her cases and victims and their families know she believes in them and will see their case through to a positive outcome,” Hartwell says. “She is a welcome presence at our monthly meetings and her bond with Daphne is special. She even brings in homemade dog treats for her. Amanda has such a heart of gold.”
