Photos courtesy of Child Advocates of Fort Bend
For more than two decades, Exchange Club of Sugar Land and Child Advocates of Fort Bend have worked in partnership for the prevention of child abuse in Fort Bend County. When Child Advocates of Fort Bend needed help with urgent funding to accommodate a huge increase in the number of children served by the agency this year, naturally, they turned to Exchange Club of Sugar Land for help. On Wednesday, Exchange Club answered the call and presented the agency with a check for $15,000. Shown are Ruthanne Mefford, CEO of Child Advocates of Fort Bend and Vernon Hunt, Vice-President of Exchange Club of Sugar Land.
“The number of forensic interviews conducted by Child Advocates of Fort Bend from reports of abuse and children disclosing abuse has increased by 78% since last year,” stated Child Advocates of Fort Bend CEO Ruthanne Mefford. This increase is unprecedented in the agency’s history. The increase is not limited to forensic interviews. In fact, Child Advocates of Fort Bend has experienced high growth in all of its services – forensic interviews, therapy, and court appointed advocacy and family services.
Together, Child Advocates of Fort Bend and Exchange Club of Sugar Land have served more than 15,000 children in the last two decades. Both organizations are committed to ensuring that every child gets the help they through outreach to school children and teens, direct services for victims at Child Advocates of Fort Bend and court appointed advocacy for children in the court system.
About Exchange Club of Sugar Land:
Exchange Club of Sugar Land is an all-volunteer, national service organization for men and women who want to serve their community, develop leadership skills and enjoy new friendships. Exchange Club of Sugar Land members work to make the community better through their national project – the Prevention of Child Abuse and other service projects including Santa’s Exchange. For more information on Exchange Club of Sugar Land go to: http://ecsl.org/index.php.
About Child Advocates of Fort Bend:
Child Advocates of Fort Bend is a non-profit agency dedicated to ending child abuse by providing a voice, healing the hurt, and breaking the cycle of child abuse in Fort Bend County. Through its Court Appointed Special Advocates Program (CASATM), Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) and more than 200 trained community volunteer advocates, Child Advocates improves the lives of more than 400 children each month and has served more than 14,000 children since opening its doors in 1991.
For more information on how you can become a voice for children and get involved with Child Advocates of Fort Bend, contact Volunteer Services at 281-344-5172 or cdavis@cafb.org or log onto www.cafb.org.
The agency’s annual Christmas Home Tour raises much needed funds to support its programs for abused and neglected children. The Christmas Home Tour on December 7 + 8 features 5 beautiful private homes in Fort Bend County decorated for Christmas. One ticket allows entry to all five homes during tour hours. More than 1,000 volunteers are needed to help with this event. To become a sponsor or to volunteer or for more information go to https://www.cafb.org/events/home-tour/ or contact Lisa Moore at 281-344-5108 or lmoore@cafb.org.