In 2017 State Farm Agent Tracy Walker attended Child Advocates of Fort Bend’s annual Voices for Children Breakfast. In a room with over 300 other community members, she learned about the detailed work the agency was doing for children and families in Fort Bend County. In that moment Tracy committed to become a treasured Voices for Children Circle Member. “When I heard about the work that they were doing and the need that they had, I was moved to help them,” stated Walker. “When CAFB CEO Ruthanne Mefford did a virtual tour of Child Advocates of Fort Bend’s Davis George Campus for our BNI group in late 2020 and talked about the need and the impact of COVID on the agency, I was compelled to do more.” Walker reached out to Felicia Hutchins, State Farm Social Responsibility Analyst, and other state farm agents in the area, and they came up with a strategy. The agents were offered the opportunity to tour the agency, get involved, and consider donating to this worthy. Through their individual donations and a Good Neighbor Grant from State Farm, approximately $6,000 was donated. One agent not only made a financial gift but signed up for training to donate his time as a CASA Advocate – proving that like a good neighbor State Farm really is there for children and families in Fort Bend County.
The COVID crisis was difficult for everyone but for children suffering from physical abuse and sexual abuse, it was especially challenging. “Not only did we see more severe cases of abuse with many children witnessing violence but for children in foster care, the uncertainly brought on by the pandemic amplified their anxiety, delayed court hearings, reunifications and permanency for many children,” stated CAFB CEO Ruthanne Mefford. “As a result, we saw higher levels of anxiety in children, depression, PTSD and suicidality at much greater numbers than ever before. Consequently, we amplified our outreach efforts, created a new service line for Community Engagement to work on prevention through awareness and education and we increased staff to deal with the increased need for services.”
Child Advocates of Fort Bend was deemed an “essential service” by the Governor in 2020. As such, the agency kept their doors open throughout 2020. “We’ve seen a 60% increase in need for our services over the past 8 years and a 22% increase in 2021 to date. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on community support and donations to maintain our services to children. We cannot do the work that we do without the generous support of the community and organizations like State Farm, and we are especially grateful that they are here for us and for all of the children and families in Fort Bend,” continued Mefford.
If you would like to learn more about Child Advocates of Fort Bend and the work that they are doing for the children in Fort Bend County contact Dana Mersiovsky to schedule a virtual or in-person Voices of Children tour of their facility. You can reach Dana at DMersiovsky@cafb.org or 281-344-5106.