The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre is looking to the future.
About 150 people were updated on what’s next for the centre at an event at the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer Wednesday night.
Mark Jones, Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre CEO, said a big goal is building an $8-million facility and moving in by 2020.
A campaign will be launched in the next month to raise funds. Jones said there will also be announcements about donations from partnering service clubs in the coming weeks.
“At this point in time we’re going to continue to work in the space we have now (in downtown Red Deer),” Jones said.
The not-for-profit organization is an integrative partnership between Central Region Child Services, Alberta Health Services, Alberta Justice, Alberta Education, and the RCMP, to better service children, youth, and families impacted by sexual abuse and the most serious or complex cases of physical abuse and neglect.
Wednesday’s event was also held to celebrate the centre’s success since its first interview in December.
“You can’t do wrong when you’re doing right by kids,” Jones said.
“They basically had their childhood stolen from them. It’s our goal to help them heal and get their life back.”
There have been more than 70 interviews conducted in the Red Deer region. Jones said the centre has begun expanding.
“It’s the tip of the iceberg right now,” he said. “We’re starting to see people from Rocky Mountain House, Stettler, and other areas.”
Terry Loewen, Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre board chair, said it’s been a ton of work getting the centre together.
“The results we’ve gotten in four months in a small, very temporary place are outstanding. That tells us we’re on the right path.
“The numbers we’ve seen are high – we knew they would be and that’s the sad part – but the good thing is we’re making a difference in a lot of children’s lives and that was happening before,” Loewen said.
It’ll take the entire community to make the centre a long-term success, he said.
“Awareness and education are the biggest things we want to push,” he said. “Some horrible things happen to people when they’re young children and they don’t know how to get out of it. They just start to spiral out of control.”
Supt. Ken Foster, with the Red Deer RCMP, said the centre has been a safe environment for victims.
“The families of victims come away feeling less stressed and less traumatized because all the services are available to them in a one-stop shop,” he said.
Foster said the centre provides services to mitigate long-lasting effects in victims.
“It’s unfortunate our communities need these services, but they do,” said Foster. “The long-term devastation to these vulnerable victims, being children, can be generational.”
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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