When the pandemic hit earlier this year, Child Advocates of Fort Bend (CAFB) was forced to cancel all in-person fundraising events to protect the safety of guests and donors. “Community support of our mission has never been more critical. “Child abuse did not go away while the world stopped to deal with this epidemic. In fact, COVID-19 has shown us that the children we serve are more vulnerable than ever, which is why we are asking the community for help” stated CAFB CEO Ruthanne Mefford. “We cannot wait – these children need our help now.”
“We are experiencing the impact of this health crisis with higher volumes of child abuse and an increase in ‘emergency calls’ due to the children being isolated and away from school. Whereas teachers might have seen and reported something before things escalated, we are now seeing much more severe physical abuse than ever before. We anticipate that when children return to school, we will see a dramatic surge in reports of abuse.”
CAFB adheres to a strict Zero Tolerance Policy for Child Abuse in all of our practices and operations. “While we cannot control the number of children who come through our doors or the circumstances that brought them to us, we are committed to ensuring that they get the life-saving, transformational help that they need,” said Mefford.
To continue to provide services, respond to the anticipated surge in child abuse and to dramatically reduce the wait list of children who are waiting to begin healing, Child Advocates of Fort Bend is seeking funding from the community through its Voices For Children Sustainable finding program. Participation is easy and requires a commitment to make an annual recurring gift of $1,000 for 5 years. Your tax-deductible gift immediately supports the children with a trained CASA Advocate, forensic interview, therapy, LifeSkills tools and case management, while enabling Child Advocates of Fort Bend to continue providing it’s transformational and life-saving services. Payments can be spread over 5 years and paid monthly, quarterly or annually. For more information about the Voices for Children program or to make a pledge contact Dana at dmersiovsky@cafb.org.
Child Advocates of Fort Bend is holding a Transforming Lives VIRTUAL Summer Soiree mission-focused program and live auction on August 22 from 7pm until 8pm. You can make a Voices For Children gift, view the silent auction and bid online at www.CAFB2020.givesmart.com. For help bidding, links to view the program or more information about this event go to: www.cafb.org/events/gala. To become a sponsor or for more information on how you can get involved go to https://www.cafb.org or contact Lisa Moore at Lmoore@cafb.org.
ABOUT CHILD ADVOCATES OF FORT BEND:
Child Advocates of Fort Bend provides a voice, heals the hurt and breaks the cycle of child abuse through two nationally-affiliated programs – Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and its Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC). CASA Advocates are assigned by the courts as “Guardian ad Litem” for children in foster care who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. The agency trains and assigns volunteer advocates to every child to advocate for their “best interests”, especially their safety, permanency and well-being. In Fort Bend County, 100% of children have a CASA Volunteer Advocate compared to only half of the children in other counties throughout the state. The Children’s Advocacy Center is a safe place for children to tell their stories of sexual abuse, receive therapy and mental health services and be referred to a specialized team for sexual assault medical exams so they can heal. CAFB incorporates a coordinated team approach that includes law enforcement, CPS and the District Attorney’s office to ensure that child victims recover, and justice is served. The agency serves more than 400 children each month. For more information about CAFB go to www.cafb.org.