Fundraiser held for Rocky Mount Child Advocacy Center | Local News
More than 150 people came together for dinner, dance and auction event at the Pavilion at Blackwater Junction in Union Hall on March 26, all for a good cause.
The months-long effort started back in October with a vision by Sue Gallagher to pay off the $350,000 mortgage debt currently held by the Child Advocacy Center in Rocky Mount. Gallagher, a court appointed special advocate at the center, is no stranger to fundraising, having twice kayaked all 500 miles of Smith Mountain Lake securing more than $150,000 over the past five years and boosting awareness of the problems of child abuse.
The vision quickly turned to action following a $100,000 match challenge from an anonymous donor. A team of local realtors from the Moneta ReMax office, including Penny Hodges, Casey Johnson, Julie Links and Debra Gatti, plus neighbors Sarah Chichester and Jane Marvin, jumped into action and the event was born.
Businesses and individuals from around the community came together to sponsor the event and donate items for silent and live auction. Melba Seneff, owner of the Pavilion donated and decorated their beautiful facility for the evening, and husband auctioneer, Russell Seneff, kept the night moving with his quick wit and rapid banter. Ippy’s in Rocky Mount provided a plethora of food options while Donnie with Sound Dawgs kept the audience rocking late into the evening.
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Once the auction began, donations came in fast and furious, including a particularly touching moment when nine-year-old Clifton Hardy leapt off his chair to raise his paddle to donate $100 of his birthday money to the cause. When asked why he did it, Clifton simply said he wanted to “help children that weren’t lucky enough to have a wonderful home like he has”.
For more than 28 years, the Child Advocacy Center has been providing comprehensive services to victims of child abuse and neglect. Under the leadership of Joyce Moran, executive director, the CAC uses a community-based, multidisciplinary approach to identify, treat and advocate for safe permanent outcomes for children.
They conduct forensic interviews (to get the details), coordinate medical assessments (to identify the physical injuries), deliver mental health services (to identify the emotional wounds) and also family advocacy (to support the non-offending caregivers). They provide judicial advocacy through court appointed special advocate services and set up closed circuit TV when cases go to court, as well as conduct education and outreach programs to teach individuals how to report their concerns.
This collaborative, wraparound response is grounded in research, cost-effective and child focused. Paying off the mortgage will reduce the Center’s expenses by approximately $29,000 a year, freeing up funds for victim services and abuse prevention.
Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation and promoting the well-being of children through prevention, education, treatment and advocacy can go to the Southern Virginia Child Advocacy Center website at www.southernvacac.org or mail a check directly to: SVCAC , 300 South Main St., Rocky Mount, VA 24151.
— Submitted by Jane Marvin
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