By Kaylee:
To experience the innocence of childhood is one of life’s greatest gifts. The harsh reality is that too many children are robbed of the gift of innocence by being the victim of sexual abuse. One in four girls and one in seven boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18. Who will reach out to these wounded children? Pat’s Place will.
There are many agencies in Mecklenburg County that investigate, treat and prosecute child abuse cases, but Pat’s Place is unique. Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center focuses the resources of these agencies under one roof to achieve the best comprehensive outcome for abused children from birth to age 18.
When a child enters Pat’s Place, the program is designed to be child-friendly and non-institutional. While at the house, the child will be interviewed in an age appropriate manner in a room that has video capability (since video recordings are allowed in NC). There is also an observation room where there is a live camera feed for people to witness the interview for investigation purposes. The child will then receive a medical exam by a medical staff that specializes in child abuse. There is also a social worker available to assist the family during this traumatic time. Other services that are offered are: comprehensive case management, parent support groups, advocacy and prevention education.
One of the main goals of Pat’s Place is ensuring that the child and family are safe and supported throughout the entire process. Having all of these services under one roof reduces the child abuse victim’s trauma and enables recovery.
Pat’s Place opened its doors in 2004 and has assisted over 1,600 children affected by sexual abuse. For the doors to remain open, Pat’s Place relies on funding from a variety of foundations and private donations.
On Saturday, September 11th, Pat’s Place will have its 6th Annual Barbeque and Bluejeans event at the home of George & Meg Dewey, 3141 Sharon Road. This is an event that you don’t want to miss! Tickets are on sale on the Pat’s Place website: www.patsplacecac.org. This event is critical in providing the funds to carry on this important work. If you are unable to attend, there are many other ways that you can help. Please visit the website to see the list of different opportunities and listed below are some items currently needed:
• Toys
• 6 oz. Play-Doh
• Bottled water
• Healthy, pre-packaged snacks
• Journals
• Fun pens for journals
• Puzzles
• Coloring books
• White roll paper, 36″
Somewhere an innocent child is about to be victimized by sexual abuse. Won’t you reach out to help?
A special thanks goes out to Kaylee for featuring this incredible event that is so dear to her heart. Smarties, you might want to buy your tickets asap because these sell out F-A-S-T and it’s a really incredible night! To get all the scoop on this weekend’s activities, read Courtenay’s Wednesday Smarty Scoop blog below. Happy Humpday!
2 comments
Great blog, Kaylee!!! I remember seeing your pics from this party last year and it looked like so much fun. Hope you get a great turnout!- Katie 🙂
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