Up & Coming Weekly

April 20, 2021

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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12 UCW APRIL 21-27, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM EVENT TAMMY HYDE, Communications/Community Engagement Coordinator, Child Advocacy Center. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com 910-484-6200. Child Advocacy Center needs community support to receive grant by TAMMY HYDE Based on national best practice and research, the Child Advocacy Center was founded in 1993 by a group of concerned local professionals seek- ing to coordinate services provided to child abuse victims and their families. e CAC provides a safe and child-friendly environment where professionals from community agencies come together to interview, investigate and to provide support for abused children and their families. is results in a collaborative approach of pro- fessionals from Child Protective Services, the Dis- trict Attorney's office, law enforcement, Guardian ad Litem, Military Family Services, social workers, victim advocates as well as medical and mental health professionals to provide a coordinated, comprehensive response to victims and their caregivers. By having a collaborative approach, the CAC reduces the number of interviews for child victims of abuse by providing specially trained professionals to conduct forensic interviews in a centralized location. National research has deter- mined that this type of coordinated approach can help alleviate trauma for children, increase the prosecution rate of perpetrators, and be fiscally beneficial to the community. In fiscal year 2020, the CAC served 876 chil- dren and their non-offending family members and saved the community an estimated $700,000 through its multi-disciplinary team approach. In addition, the Child Advocacy Center provides education to the public and professionals on pre- venting, detecting and reporting child abuse. Unfortunately, the center has seen an increase in the need for services while at the same time be- ing financially affected by not being able to host their two signature fundraising events during the pandemic in 2020 — the Fayetteville Ultimate Lip Sync Show Down and the Pinwheel Masquerade Ball & Auction. As many students have returned back to school in person, we anticipate an even higher increase in the number of cases reported to the CAC. Now more than ever, we need your support. e Child Advocacy Center is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization funded through the gener- osity of corporate, state, organization and founda- tion grants; corporate and individual donations; in-kind contributions; and event sponsorships. ere is no charge for services provided to child victims of abuse referred to the CAC. ankfully, the Child Advocacy Center was recently granted a $10,000 "All or Nothing" chal- lenge grant from the Simply East Anonymous Trust Challenge Grant. e challenge grant is for $10,000; however, the challenge is that we must raise at least $10,000 in order to receive the matching grant from Anony- mous Trust. If we do not meet the $10,000 in donations, we will not receive the matching chal- lenge grant. e purpose of this grant is to raise funds from new donors, increased gifts from indi- viduals, corporations, foundations and churches. e Challenge Grant will run through July 31, 2021. Donors may participate as a new donor or an existing donor. Every dollar that is raised will be matched. New donor donations and existing donors, who increase their giving from the year before, will be matched dollar to dollar. is is another way you can be a part of supporting the work of the CAC in our community. ere are also additional ways that you can donate to the CAC, such as through our beautiful Tribute Murals. Tribute Murals offer a unique way to celebrate, honor or remember special people and occa- sions. Currently we have e Giving Tree Leaves Mu- ral and/or the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Stars Mural. You may make a donation for the children served by the CAC and have your gift recognized as part of our beautiful tribute murals. e murals were created by local artist Cornell Jones, and they are on the walls of the reception area and the board/ conference room. While April is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month, we know that the mis- sion and vision of our work continues throughout the year and as such, communities are encour- aged to increase awareness about child and fam- ily well-being, and to work together to implement effective strategies that support families and prevent child abuse and neglect. To make a donation or to learn more about how you can become involved, please visit CAC- FayNC.org. We sincerely appreciate your support. e Pinwheel Masquerade Ball (above) and the Ultimate Lip Sync Show Down are the signature fundraising events for the Child Advocacay Center each year. Both events were cancelled due to the pandemic. CAC is asking the communty to help by donating to the "All or Nothing" challenge grant happening now through July 31. Christian music station local your

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