A Kelowna, B.C., charity that provides services for kids that have experienced abuse and neglect says it’s seen a growing case load this year.
The Child Advocacy Centre is looking for public donations this holiday season to support its work.
“We are dealing with a new report of abuse on-average every third day,” said executive director Ginny Becker.
“This year our file load has grown over a hundred per cent over last year.”
The facility brings together multiple services and supports for children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
“It really just becomes this cohesive story around these kids where they have one person that is their advocate that helps them navigate this really complicated system. Our principal goal is to create an opportunity for healing for these kids and allow them to move beyond their story of abuse,” Becker said.
However, there is a price tag associated with maintaining the centre for healing.
Keeping the centre running costs around $1 million a year and the registered charity gets a significant portion of its budget from community fundraising.
So the centre is hoping to raise at least $100,000 over the holiday season.
“It does allow us to get a good running start in the new year working on the core programing and core initiatives of the centre,” Becker said.
The centre has recently received a commitment from the City of Kelowna to contribute to the facility’s rent each year and a $10,000 donation from a local business, called The Charity Hub, that liquidates surplus goods and gives a portion of the proceeds to charity.
“I did a tour of the facility a number of months ago and I was super impressed of the thought and the technology that’s gone into this building,” said Dave Rolleston with The Charity Hub.
“I was hoping to challenge some of the other corporations that are local in Kelowna to also do the same…to find some passion in their heart during this season and step up and also donate.”
The centre is hoping that donation will help kick-start its fundraising drive.
“By doing a better job of supporting kids of who have been experiencing trauma we do change…the long-term outcomes for these kids and where they might end up,” Becker said.
The charity says every dollar donated till the end of the year, up to $100,000, will be matched by a group of advocacy centre donors.
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