Having spent my teenage years in Turley Children's Home now known as Hope Harbor at Claremore, Oklahoma I am so glad to see the laws cracking down on child abuse and sex abuse because I saw so much physical and sexual abuse in Turley Children's Home back in the 60's.
I learned early on that if an orphan reported abuse that he or she would be the ones punished rather than the abusive houseparent.
However at the age of 14 I was rather brave and took justice into my own hands when I reported an incident of a severe beating of a young girl at Turley Home. I took the ten year old girl to the school nurse and in horror she said she would have to talk to the administrator at the home but my name would not be brought up.
However when I arrived home that day the supt. was waiting for us at our bus stop trying to figure out who had done it.
I naively walked up to him and told him that I reported the child's abuse. He quickly informed me to report to my housemother and that she would deal with me and she dealt with me but didn't dare lay a hand on me. Rather my punishment was to be that I couldn't bathe/wash my hair and would have to wear the same dirty clothes to school and church for six weeks and that I would attend no after school functions during that time.
However the following Sunday the housemothe remembered that was "open house" when our cottage was used to raise money from the church members who paraded through our manicured living space.
She flew into action and had me bathe, wash and get my hair in curlers and under the dryer before the day of blow dry hair styles.
The grounding was called off because even she realized how hypocritical that was.
I saw so much abuse and even one of the girls was almost raped by a neighboring minister who carried her home one evening from a vacation in Arkansas. (He later served on the board.)
She told me about it and no one else because she knew it would do no good.
The following Wednesday night he visited our church which was a distance from his home. I think he did this to see the reaction he would get from her.
Well she was sitting by me in church and ran out crying as soon as she saw him come in. She was questioned as well as him and nothing was done.
One thing led to another and later she ended up in a mental hospital and was finally released to go home to her mother in Texas after being put her truth serum.
When she finally started talking after being silent for eight months the mental hospital knew she was telling the truth about what happened to her at Turley Home.
This minister served on the board for many years.
About 9 years ago I called Turley Home to find out when and where the reunion was to be held. He was the one who answered the phone and asked me if I remembered him and I answered "yes" and left it at that.
Within the next two weeks before the reunion he resigned from the board.
I attended the reunion. He was there. The children from the orphanage who are now in our 50's were not allowed to get up and speak. I suspect they knew we might break loose and sweep the dirt out from under the rug.
Anyway life goes on and I am on my mission to bring justice to those who are guilty of child abuse whether physical or sexual.
If you wish to read more about Turley Children's Home you may visit our website at www.turleyhomehopeharbororphanspage.org
Sarah Hudson Pierce

There are no time lines for reporting child and sex abuse. I encourage those who have been abused sexually to report it now because sex offenders don't usually stop with one child.
Sarah Hudson Pierce