A couple of months ago, one of Ryan’s coworkers invited us to attend a fundraising dinner for Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection and last night we joined in the effort to raise money for this incredible organization.
Since Ryan and I are still relatively new to the Ocala area, I didn’t know too much about Kimberly’s Center going into this event, but by the end of the evening, those who work at the center earned all of my respect.
Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection is a child-friendly facility that is often the first place a child visits after an allegation of abuse. The staff at Kimberly’s Center helps children who have been hurt by child abuse or neglect find healing through specialized and child-friendly services. They perform medical exams, offer counseling and more – all in the comfort of one child-friendly facility.
The stories we heard last night about the children who have come to the Center were incredibly emotional. They helped a five-month-old baby who was brought to the center with broken bones and bruising all over her body. They helped a young boy whose body was covered in welts from his mother’s boyfriend’s belt. They helped a high school teenager who was raped by her father and ended up pregnant.
The stories about these children were absolutely heartbreaking and the effort Kimberly’s Center clearly pours into trying to help them heal is incredible. (If you would like to join us in donating to the Center, you can click here and easily donate through PayPal.)
Just yesterday, in Marion County alone, 26 calls were made reporting suspicions of child abuse.
Attending this dinner last night made my heart ache for these children. Every child deserves love, warmth, compassion and tenderness. If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse in any way, I pray that you find healing and strength.
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What a great cause! I worked with a similar organization in college and it really affected me! Thanks for posting!
Looks like a nice fundraiser for a great cause. Kimberly’s Center seems like a wonderful place for children to heal. As a counselor myself I can appreciate their efforts at assisting children in an environment that feels comfortable and safe to them. If I lived in Florida I’m sure it would be a place I wouldn’t mind working!
PS That skirt is so cute! Will it be on the Fashion Page?
yes! just updated the fashion page with all the info. now: https://www.pbfingers.com/2012/11/09/high-waisted-lace-skirt/
That sounds like an amazing organization, and those poor kids! It’s easy for us to forget that not everyone had great childhoods with loving families. We had a similar organization in Charleston that a lot of our KD Shamrock fundraising proceeds went to!
This is a GREAT cause! I feel like everyone has something that they can give to people that are less fortunate, even if it is just time.
I’m loving the lipstick! Also…I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say WHERE did you get that gorgeous skirt from???
i got it on sale through hautelook – just updated the fashion page w/ more info, but the only links i could find to the skirt now were from the UK: https://www.pbfingers.com/2012/11/09/high-waisted-lace-skirt/
Amazing, thank you. As I’m in the UK I may be able to get my hands on it and totally steal your style 😉
oh that’s perfect!!
That’s such a great cause! With two children of my own, I can’t even imagibe how anyone would ever ever ever harm a child. It makes my heart hurt. It’s nice to know there’s organizations like this.
What an amazing cause! Also.. what an amazing skirt!! Where is it from?
thank you! it’s from hautelook (the brand is darling) – just updated the fashion page w/ all the info! https://www.pbfingers.com/2012/11/09/high-waisted-lace-skirt/
I became emotional just reading this post. What an amazing organization! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m definitely going to check out similar organizations in my area, too. There can never be too much support for causes like this.
Amazing organization! So sad there is a need for it to exist.
What a great foundation. I just don’t understand how anyone could be cruel to children. They are so helpless, it just doesn’t register for me how there are people in the world who do that! Thank God for foundations like this one that raise awareness.
Wow!! What a fabulous organization- I hate that we even need to have these organizations because no child should EVER have to worry about or endure these acts of abuse. But so grateful that they exist. Thanks for supporting them!!
What an amazing cause! I work for a similar agency in Kentucky now. It’s amazing how places such as Kimberley’s Center can make such a difference in the lives of the children they serve. Thanks for getting the world out there about one more place to make a difference! 🙂
This sounds like a great cause! I’m looking for some public health companies to do internships and hearing about places like this make me realize how many options there are out there in the field!
That is such a great cause! The number of calls in one day you mentioned blew my mind.
me too. i was shocked.
I really appreciate you using your blog as a platform to promote great charities like this one. Thanks, and please continue — these organizations need the exposure!
What an excellent cause to be a part of! Good for you & Ryan for finding a way to meet new people that also benefits those in need 😉
what a great organization! I work with this demographic on a daily basis and leave work everyday extremely grateful for the life that I was given and strive to make the kids lives I work with as privileged as I can given their circumstances.
What a great cause; thank you for posting!
I stayed at a place like Kimberly’s for a few days in elementary school (eventually moved in with my grandparents), and the stories I heard from the other kids were astounding. I became close to a young boy my age who was there because his dad beat him and then left him at a gas station. So sad. And yet, looking back, there wasn’t a sense of gloom at the place. It felt warm, comforting, and safe- exactly what was/is needed!
What a fantastic cause. My most recent job as a mental health therapist was working with adolescent girls, almost all of whom shared similar stories of abuse and neglect. It truly is heartbreaking to come face-to-face with these stories. The amazing thing, though, is the incredible beauty, strength, and resilience of these children and youth. In that way, it’s also equally uplifting and inspiring.
Love the outfit by the way! 🙂
2 thumbs up for raising awareness. I am really disturbed by how prevalent domestic abuse is.
I volunteer with a similar organization with children 0-2 yrs of age. It is such a fantastic place . Thank you for bringing this need to everyone’s attention thru your blog. Have a great day.
This post is really hitting home for me today, my sister’s husband has a leg injury that doesn’t allow him full use of his leg, and he walks with a limp. I asked her one day what happened, and she told me. I’ll just say, he wasn’t born that way. It absolutely broke my heart and I don’t like to think about it.
But anyway, to switch gears entirely, I couldn’t help but notice some red lipstick! Hope you don’t think I’m a crazy stalker but I remember you saying you’re sometimes afraid to just go for it in the lipstick category (I can relate). Glad you went for it, it looks great!
Wow, what a great organization–thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for helping to raise awareness about this issue. Omg those stories are heartbreaking. 🙁
It make me so heartbreakingly sad to think of kids in such terrible places. Thanks for raising awareness. I’ll be donating this afternoon and sharing the site!
that sounds like an awesome organization. there’s a similar center in my college town where we sent our shamrock proceeds & did volunteer work with. it’s sad they are needed, but good they are there!
Definitely a fantastic cause to support, I’m glad you and Ryan went!
This post was much appreciated, as my husband and I have been praying about fostering, as we have fallen in love with orphans and God’s call to care for the “fatherless”. We are involved with a ministry called Bridge a Life; that actively advocates, finds homes, supports, etc in order to ensure otherwise abandoned, neglected, or abused children thrive in Christ-centered families. Our trip to Uganda this past summer and increasing participation in Bridge a Life has really lead us to seeing real stories, matching faces with real pain, and the strong, resilient hearts in these children that just need someone to love them, a safe place to stay, and no worries about where their next meal is coming from. There is so much need in our backyards!
That’s really good of you, what a noble cause. It’s especially nice that you are able to raise the profile of the charity with your blog as well! I hope they get a lot of donations coming in from this.
Julie, I encourage you to look into becoming a guardian ad litem (GAL) in your area: http://guardianadlitem.org/. Volunteers are appointed to advocate for children (birth – 18) in the foster care system who are currently removed from their parent(s) until it can be shown the parent is or is not capable of caring for the child. A volunteer meets with the child/children at least once per month and keeps tabs on everyone involved in the case (parents, foster parents, social workers, etc.). Yes, the work can be tough, but it is extremely rewarding. You have a flexible schedule, and these kids really need help. Look into it! 🙂
I really appreciate you taking some time to shine some light on the significant child maltreatment that occurs far too often. I work at a Child Advocacy Center, very similar to Child Protection Centers, so every day I get to work with these children you are supporting! Many people turn a blind eye to a problem that makes them feel uncomfortable. However, failing to acknowledge the significant problem does not reduce the prevalence.
I saw someone bring up the fact that child maltreatment is a public health concern! I love that line of thinking. In April, the CDC released a study highlighting the economic impact child maltreatment has on the nation. The lifetime cost of child maltreatment costs the US $124 billion dollars every year. Cost wise, it is comparable to diabetes type 2 and stroke. So helping out any way possible with financial support or volunteering with Kimberly’s Center or similar agency always helps the agency, your community, and our most valuable citizens, our children.
So thanks again! I’m really glad you had the opportunity to learn more about Kimberly’s Center and thankful you brought some awareness to the area of child maltreatment through your blog!
This is such a great cause. I feel like sometimes we get caught up in everything else life throws at us and don’t think about all of the child neglect and abuse that goes on right in our towns. It seems like a foreign concept to most of us who aren’t directly affected.