How You Can Help
OUR CHILDREN NEED YOUR HELP! CAN THEY COUNT ON YOU?
The Third Circuit Child Advocacy Center is seeking your help to insure that our facility continues to help children in our community who have been abused and neglected. The Third Circuit Child Advocacy Center opened in Lake City, Florida in July 2008 with the goal of serving and protecting abused and neglected children in Hamilton, Lafayette, Suwannee, Taylor, Dixie, Madison and Columbia counties. Statistics show that each year it is estimated that only one in ten child victims disclose abuse and every one in three girls and every one in five boys will be sexually assaulted before they reached the age of 18. It is our Center’s mission toprovide services and support to abused children and their non-offending family members while educating the community on recognizing and preventing child abuse.
Before the Children's Advocacy Center movement began, the pain of child abuse didn't end after the physical act. A verbal battery would follow as young victims were subjected to numerous interviews with social, legal and law enforcement agencies. The child would be repeatedly asked to share the painful details of the abuse in an effort to learn the facts and circumstances surrounding the situation. While well intentioned, the exhausting process guaranteed further emotional trauma to the young victim.
In 1995, a small group of concerned professionals and community leaders met to consider a better, more sensitive way to respond to children who had been battered or sexually abused. These individuals envisioned a place where hurting children would have a safe, easy place to talk about difficult, frightening experiences. Out of this commitment and concern, the Child Advocacy Center was created.
The Third Circuit Child Advocacy Center is located in an inviting, remodeled home on Hillsboro Ave in Lake City. It is a child friendly place where a coordinated approach is taken in response to allegations of child sexual and physical abuse throughout our seven county service area. At the Center, Forensic Interviewers, investigators, law enforcement and medical personnel form a team to make decisions about the investigation, treatment and prosecution of each child abuse case. In order to insure their work can continue, we need your help.
The Third Circuit Child Advocacy Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We need and appreciate the financial support of corporations, small businesses and individuals in addition to our annual grant writing and fund raising efforts. If you feel the Third Circuit Child Advocacy Center is a worthwhile cause and would like to help, there are a variety of ways you can contribute:
Monetary Donations
If you would like to make a cash donation to the CAC, you may do so by check . We’ll be sure to send you a receipt acknowledging your donation for tax purposes. Since the Child Advocacy Center is a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt organization, your contributions are tax deductible. You can mail your checks, made payable to the Third Circuit Child Advocacy Center to:
Jonathan Austin
Executive Director
Lake City, Florida
Friends of the CAC
Further, you can show your continued support of the Child Advocacy Center by becoming a Friend of the CAC. For a $25.00 minimum yearly contribution you can become a friend and help sustain and grow the Center over the long term.
Stop Child Abuse License Plates
When you purchase the Stop Child Abuse license plate, you provide $25.00 to fund critical child abuse prevention programs of Children’s Home Society of Florida and The Florida Network of Children’s Advocacy Center.
Sponsorships and Donations
You can also help the CAC by attending, sponsoring or donating auction items to our events.
Wish List
We are in continual need of the following items. If you would like to make a donation of any of these items, you may simply drop them off at our facility.
- Play-Doh brand play dough
- Soda pop in cans
- Toilet paper
- Paper towels
- Fruit roll-up type snacks
- Chocolate candy
- Gift cards to Office Depot, WalMart and Sam’s
- 2 pocket report folders
- DVD / CD Cases
- Locking file cabinets - 4 drawer
- Powerpoint Projector
- Printer
- Printer paper
