What if we told you you could change your city with just $5? Enter our sophomore Give Raleigh campaign, where that’s exactly what you can do—and double your impact.
Until Dec. 15, every donation—whether $5, $10 or some larger amount you have to spare or want for a tax write-off—is being matched by our partner TowneBank/Towne Insurance, up to the first $10K donated.
Making good on Aesop’s proverb that “no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted,” every dollar literally adds up—and galvanizes the generous spirit of Raleighites. “I’ve seen firsthand, over and over again, that Raleigh is a city full of passionate and generous people,” says Nicole Stewart, former Raleigh city councilor and current director of engagement for the A.J. Fletcher Foundation. “When there is a cause they care about, they give what they can to support it. And small dollar donations add up and make a huge difference—especially for our local nonprofits.”
There’s still time to give, to make a difference with just a few dollars—and help us smash the near $25K we raised out of the gate last year. We are so thrilled to use our bullhorn for benevolence as we partner with this year’s trio of local nonprofits touching every age group and innumerable need—Haven House, Healing Transitions and SAFEchild—for a better tomorrow for all of us. It’s giving generous! Donate now at giveraleigh.com.
Haven House
Building strong young people and bright futures for five impactful decades, Haven House’s legacy is one for the books. Empowering youths ages 6–24 who are homeless; in crisis; or having difficulty at home, school or in the community to understand, work through and overcome challenges, the local safe haven is the place for vulnerable youth to find their way—and find the help they need. “Haven House served over 1,500 youth last year—a 25% increase from the year before—reflecting the urgent and growing needs in our community,” says Haven House Chief Executive Officer Michelle Zechmann. “The Give Raleigh campaign is vital to meeting those needs by helping us reach more young people. … Every donation, no matter the size, is about coming together to provide hope and a brighter future for all.” havenhousenc.org
EVERY DONATION MAKES AN IMPACT
$5 💰
One meal for a youth (10–17) at Wrenn House
$10 💰💰
One pair of athletic shorts for intervention program
$25 💰💰💰
One day of outreach and basic needs for youth experiencing homelessness
$50 💰💰💰💰
One hour of crisis counseling to youth and/or their families
Healing Transitions
At the core of every community is its people—all of them. And Healing Transitions is a beacon of real community for all Raleighites via its “Recovery for All” MO: Always open. Always free. Always everyone. Always another chance. Always community. And no matter who we are or how it begins, we all come to the same realization that we’re powerless to control addiction alone. Thankfully, there’s a way to prevent from-OD-to-RIP. “Healing Transitions is committed to making essential, effective recovery services accessible to everyone—especially those who are homeless, uninsured and underserved,” says Healing Transitions Executive Director Chris Budnick. “To eliminate barriers, we offer all of our services completely free of charge. This means every single donation—no matter the size—plays a critical role in our mission. When we say every dollar matters, it’s because it helps us continue saving and transforming lives—and the impact doesn’t stop there. It ripples out, touching families, friends and the broader community. It’s our neighbors’ support that makes this possible.” healing-transitions.org
EVERY DONATION MAKES AN IMPACT
$5 💰
One meal
$10 💰💰
Average prescription
$25 💰💰💰
Day of service on campus
$50 💰💰💰💰
24-hour stay in nonmedical detox
SAFEchild
Safety is not a birthright. But it should be. And they don’t teach parenting in school. But, fortunately, bringing healthy families to the forefront is SAFEchild via its roster of support and education services you won’t find anywhere else. In short, in a world where access is everything, SAFEchild is changing—and saving—lives. “We are the place for parent education and support, children’s medical evaluations when there is suspected abuse, and school-based programs in every Wake County public elementary school, plus several charter and private schools,” says SAFEchild’s Executive Director Cristin DeRonja. “We are that safety net for children and families in Wake County. Every dollar means so much to us… to be able to provide life-saving and life-changing services to children and families. And every dollar raised through Give Raleigh to ensure SAFEchild’s mission can thrive is critical to the health of the community.” safechildnc.org
EVERY DONATION MAKES AN IMPACT
$5 💰
Child care for a family attending SAFEchild parenting classes
$10 💰💰
Medical gown for a child seen in SAFEchild’s Advocacy Center
$25 💰💰💰
Funny Tummy Feelings programming for a Wake County first-grade classroom
$50 💰💰💰💰
Parenting classes, meals and child care for three Wake County families in SAFEchild classes
What if you could change your city with just $5?Now you can. Turns out, “no act of kindness, no matter how small, [really] is ever wasted.” Embodying the essence of Aesop’s proverb, RM’s sophomore Give Raleigh campaign—where every dollar literally adds up—is launching for 40 days of giving Oct. 1 in partnership with TowneBank/Towne Insurance to inspire the generous spirit of Raleighites.
Coming off an inaugural campaign supernova that raised a whopping $24,242, we look to double down on our community investment this year with a new handpicked trio of local nonprofits: Haven House, Healing Transitions and SAFEChild. As with last year, every dollar raised will stay right here in Raleigh and help families just like yours and ours. And our benevolent partners TowneBank/Towne Insurance will again match the first $10K of every donation—think $1, $5, $10 and beyond, donated to the one that most resonates with you or split three ways—and thereby doubling your dollar’s impact.
“Your donation matters,” says Nicole Stewart, former Raleigh city councilor and current director of engagement for the A.J. Fletcher Foundation. “Once upon a time in Raleigh, there was a group of 20-year-old women who pooled their fresh-in-their-career dollars together to donate to causes they cared about. Together, with even more of their friends, they raised nearly $10,000 in one year (and that was in 2007!). Over the course of their 14-year run, they raised and donated over $425,000. Small dollar donations add up and make a huge difference—especially for our local nonprofits.”
Raleigh is one of the most charitable cities in the country. Beyond sheer Southern hospitality, we donate, volunteer and buy tickets supporting boots-on-the-ground charities whose hard work wraps their arms around local families in their time of need and gives hope for a better tomorrow.
I’ve seen firsthand, over and over again, that Raleigh is a city full of passionate and generous people,” says Stewart. “When there is a cause they care about, they give what they can to support it.”
And each of these impactful organizations make a difference in our city each and every day across all sectors—strengthening and empowering families, youth and all, including the uninsured and underserved, through child abuse services, housing, crisis management and addiction recovery. Together we hope to galvanize our community’s inherently good nature to come together and propel these critical purposes.
Read about these three impactful organizations—and give hope where otherwise there may not be any. Then, from Oct. 1 to Nov. 10, let’s smash the funds raised last year, Raleigh! It’s giving generous! Donate at giveraleigh.com.
Photography by Keith Isaacs, courtesy of Healing Transitions
Recovery for All
At the core of every community is its people—all of them. And Healing Transitions is a beacon of real community for all Raleighites via its “Recovery for All” MO: Always open. Always free. Always everyone. Always another chance. Always community.
Regardless of birth year or bankroll, addiction likely touches each one of us in our lifetime—whether ourselves, a partner, a parent, a peer, a child, a colleague and so on. And it doesn’t always look the way you’d imagine. It affects individuals and families from every community in all walks of life—tearing at the very fabric of who we are. Separating us from everything we’ve known. Alienating us from everyone we need.
And no matter who we are or how it begins, we all come to the same realization that we’re powerless to control that addiction alone. But there’s a way to prevent “from OD to RIP.” And a glimpse of hope can reroute the course of an entire life.
Healing Transitions is committed to making essential, effective recovery services accessible to everyone—especially those who are homeless, uninsured and underserved,” says Healing Transitions Executive Director Chris Budnick. “To eliminate barriers, we offer all of our services completely free of charge. This means every single donation—no matter the size—plays a critical role in our mission. When we say every dollar matters, it’s because it helps us continue saving and transforming lives.”
“Healing Transitions is committed to making essential, effective recovery services accessible to everyone—especially those who are homeless, uninsured and underserved,” says Healing Transitions Executive Director Chris Budnick. “To eliminate barriers, we offer all of our services completely free of charge. This means every single donation—no matter the size—plays a critical role in our mission. When we say every dollar matters, it’s because it helps us continue saving and transforming lives.”
A lifeline for neighbors in need, with a focus on “healing” (recovery) and “transition” (rekindling desire to return to meaningful and productive life), so-named Healing Transitions is dedicated to the notion that addiction doesn’t have to be the end of the story. With open doors 24/7, the organization is Wake County’s only long-term, peer-based recovery program, serving the needs of all those struggling—with no financial barriers.
“Most importantly, Healing Transitions turns people’s lives around who can’t afford expensive recovery programs, but it also cleans up Downtown significantly,” says Healing Transitions board member David Meeker, who also serves as partner in Trophy Brewing, which has dedicated much of its resources and efforts, including the popular Trophy Trot, to the healing org. “We are so lucky to have Healing Transitions in Raleigh.”
Through its on-demand and innovative peer-to-peer addiction services ranging emergency drop-in shelter and nonmedical detox to long-term services and sustained sobriety, the recovery-oriented organization is dedicated to meeting anyone where they are, including those who are homeless, underserved and uninsured. In short, Healing Transitions saves lives. Period.
What I love about Healing Transitions is they don’t give up on people who need help,” says local hospitality titan Scott Crawford, who, beyond his dedication to nourishing the community via his boon of best-in-class concepts, also serves as a distinguished member Healing Transitions’ board of directors—and is marking his 20th year of recovery with his inaugural October Freedom Harvest event to benefit the nonprofit.
“There were people in my life who didn’t give up on me,” adds the renowned chef/owner of Crawford Hospitality and five-time James Beard semifinalist—including for Outstanding Hospitality this year. “And this is the reason I can celebrate 20 years of sobriety now—there’s no better way for me to celebrate than to give back to my sobriety community.”
To that end, every dollar donated to Healing Transitions saves lives—“and the impact doesn’t stop there,” says Budnick. “It ripples out, touching families, friends and the broader community. And it’s our neighbors’ support that makes this possible.” healing-transitions.org
Photography by Keith Isaacs, courtesy of SAFEchild
Stop Abuse for Every Child
Safety is not a birthright.But it should be. And they don’t teach parenting in school. Fortunately, bringing healthy families to the forefront is SAFEchild via its roster of support and education services you won’t find anywhere else.
“We are the place for parent education and support, children’s medical evaluations when there is suspected abuse, and school-based programs in every Wake County public elementary school, plus several charter and private schools,” says SAFEchild’s Executive Director Cristin DeRonja.
Established in 1992 with an MO to Stop Abuse For Every child (aka SAFE)—because “every child has the right to mature in an environment free from abuse and neglect”—it’s the only child-abuse prevention agency serving Wake County and providing a full range of no-cost critical prevention and intervention services for children and families.
[SAFEchild] took a horrible experience and made it as comfortable, manageable and safe as possible considering the circumstances… without causing any additional harm,” says a local parent whose child was served through the SAFEchild Advocacy Center.
“We are that safety net for children and families in Wake County. Every dollar means so much to us,” says DeRonja. “We raise over $3 million annually to be able to provide life-saving and life-changing services to children and families. And every dollar raised through Give Raleigh to ensure SAFEchild’s mission can thrive is critical to the health of the community”—not to mention having more people involved and aware of the prevalence of child abuse and to advocate for the children, she adds.
In short, in a world where access is everything, SAFEchild is saving lives. “I describe it as free counseling,” says a former participant. “It was such a breath of fresh air to actually… have someone who truly understands where you are, like right there.”
Today, the org’s reach has expanded far beyond physical safety. Raising a tremendous $11.1 million in just two years, the nonprofit bowed its 20,000-square-foot Raleigh facility last fall, allowing it to further empower children and caregivers and build stronger families via a range of programs, classes, parenting resources and support groups.
Photography by Keith Isaacs, courtesy of SAFEchild
“As Wake County continues to grow, so does the need for supportive family services,” says DeRonja. “The new space positions us to provide more for a growing community in a very time-sensitive manner—which all ties back to resources. For us to meet families and children in a time-sensitive way and provide more of what we do, it all ties back to people financially supporting our mission.”
As one local parent who learned multifarious avenues for positive parenting puts it: “It’s an education you won’t get anywhere else. This is a program you need, a group you need, before you know you need it.”
Thus, as little as $5 can have an immediate impact on programs and services that change the trajectory of—and even save—several lives and strengthen the safe and healthy community it fosters for all of us.
In a group of people sharing their stories, “you realize it’s not just you that feels this way,” says another program participant. “You come to realize mine can change too.” safechildnc.org
EVERY DONATION MAKES AN IMPACT
$5
$10
$25
$50
Child care for a family attending SAFEchild parenting classes
Medical gown for a child seen in SAFEchild’s Advocacy Center
Funny Tummy Feelings programming for a Wake County first-grade classroom
Parenting classes, meals and child care for three Wake County families in SAFEchild classes
For 51 years, local youthhave been lifted up by a haven for hope. Building strong young people and bright futures for five impactful decades, Haven House’s legacy is one for the books.
With an MO of empowering youths ages 6–24 who are homeless; in crisis; or having difficulty at home, school or in the community to thrive and be safe, supported and successful, the transformative nonprofit has altered the course of tens of thousands of vulnerable youths’ lives and futures for the better since its inception in 1973.
Helping them understand, work through and overcome challenges, Haven House is the place for youth to find their way—and find the help they need. “Haven House served over 1,500 youth last year—a 25% increase from the year before—reflecting the urgent and growing needs in our community,” says Haven House Chief Executive Officer Michelle Zechmann.
The Give Raleigh campaign is vital to meeting those needs by helping us reach more young people struggling with homelessness; mental health challenges; and problems at home, school or in the community,” Zechmann continues. “Every donation, no matter the size, is about coming together to provide hope and a brighter future for all.”
A critical asset to the health of the entire community, Haven House meets our local young people and their families where they are. Together, its 10 essential programs have helped youth navigate and overcome some of life’s most difficult challenges; be better prepared to transition into adulthood; and find paths to success by providing critical access to resources, counseling, connections, mentorship and community.
Of those programs, Wrenn House answers a critical call by providing a safe space through the only homeless, runaway and crisis-intervention program and shelter for ages 10–17 in the Triangle. Meanwhile, point-of-entry Street Outreach provides runaways, homeless and street-dependent youth under age 24 with their most essential needs and resources, and transition-in-place assistance helps homeless 18–24-year-olds (and their minor dependents, if applicable) move into transitional housing.
Doubling down on bright futures, myriad programs work with at-risk, court- or juvenile justice system-involved youth—from physical to mental. Innovative Second Round implements boxing, weight training and fitness to teach discipline, teamwork and leadership, while the January-launched Outpatient Therapy program provides guidance and resources to address growing mental health matters via clinical assessments, individual and family therapy sessions, and education.
Haven House was exactly what my son needed,” says one parent of the program. “For a while early on, I wasn’t sure [graduating high school] would happen, but I knew it could, and Haven House made it possible.”
Ultimately, Haven House is there for all of us when no one else is. And every donation, no matter how small, makes a difference in the life of a young person in our community. Just $5 can quickly add up to rewrite a child or young adult’s worst chapter for a better ending. Donate for a better future. Because it takes all of us. And we are “stronger together.” havenhousenc.org
EVERY DONATION MAKES AN IMPACT
$5
$10
$25
$50
One meal for a youth (10–17) at Wrenn House
One pair of athletic shorts for intervention program
One day of outreach and basic needs for youth experiencing homelessness
One hour of crisis counseling to youth and/or their families
Collaboration and big-picture thinking produce a proposed new district.
If you’ve seen Yellowstone, you know property ownership and inheritance dealings can turn ugly quick. But when Wake County, WakeMed and Wake Tech VIPs assembled to discuss the future of the area surrounding WakeMed’s campus off New Bern Avenue in Southeast Raleigh—where each institution owns a portion of land—there was no contention. Instead, the three parties decided to throw out property lines and work together to create a health and education district that would benefit everyone.
A remarkable unprecedented move spawning a major impact on Raleigh for years to come, the project will be transformational not just for Southeast Raleigh, but for the entire New Bern Avenue corridor—aka “the gateway right into Downtown,” says Tom Cavender, WakeMed’s VP of facilities and construction. Think green space, pedestrian- and bike-friendly paths, and a quad-like feel augmenting the area and adding to the bus rapid transit construction already underway.
“The synergy that will come from this collaborative effort will reach far beyond the borders of these three institutions to impact the entire community in a very positive way,” says former Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson—“from affordable housing to active lifestyles to creating healthy communities to health care services to educational opportunities.”
According to Cavender, what spurred the project was “essentially a confluence of energy between Wake Tech, WakeMed and Wake County… a situation where the sun, stars and moon all aligned.” In short, Wake County received bond money to build a replacement public health center at New Bern Avenue and Sunnybrook Road—nearly adjacent to both WakeMed and Wake Tech—at the same time Wake Tech and WakeMed were collaborating on long-term plans.
So Cavender called Jeff Carter and Mark Forestieri, his Wake Tech and Wake County counterparts, respectively, and said, “What if we just sat around a table… and thought through a way we can better utilize what we have available to us? It’s a great public-private partnership.”
They gathered key players from each org, and “we said, ‘Peel all your allegiances away: What’s best for all of us when we look at this massive 135 acres of land we have between us?’” Cavender recalls. Everyone was on board—and the idea for a health and education district was born.
“It truly was this notion of an opportunity for everybody to win, and I think that’s what’s going to happen,” says Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. “Health care needs from our area are going to continue to grow because we’re growing—and we’re growing older at the same time. … We’re the largest higher-ed provider of health care in Wake County and one of the largest in the region, so that’s a key expansion area for us.”
While WakeMed will inherit adjacent land from Wake County for replacement facilities, Wake Tech will gain significant acreage from WakeMed on the Falstaff Road side to achieve its desired growth. “Right now we’re investing $121 million in the initial expansion for our education part of the campus, so it’s going to mean some big opportunities for Wake County and for the future,” reveals Dr. Ralls.
According to Cavender, the entire district is currently in the rezoning stage and will most likely go to City Council for approval by the end of 2024. If it passes, we could be seeing cranes in the sky by this time next year. The rest is still unwritten because, as Hutchinson points out: “These three institutions erased the property lines and redrew them so each institution would benefit from what they needed versus what they owned. Nothing like this has ever been done before.”
Cavender notes the trio served as the “key component to get this thing off the ground and rolling.” But now he’s hopeful more of WakeMed’s partners and developers willing to invest in the area with speculative incubator buildings will want to join the district.
“We’re being very judicious and purposeful in our thinking,” says Cavender, nodding to child abuse prevention nonprofit SAFEchild’s 20,000-square-foot facility on the campus as an initial partnership to pave the way for further such community collaboration. He also hopes it will serve as a magnet to draw people to the school and to businesses in the area.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Hutchinson. “There is such tremendous leadership in all three of these institutions, and I just continue to be amazed at what they can deliver as a model for not only North Carolina, but also for the rest of the country.”
Wake Tech Phase 1 Plans
New parking garage
Cutting-edge 106,000-square-foot addition to its Perry Health Sciences Campus—approximately half of which will be a simulated hospital
Expansion of the nursing program and imaging program
Imaging program will boast a partnership with Siemens, making it one of the most high-tech training centers in the nation.
Two additional building sites available to support Wake Tech’s long-term future growth
We’re all about giving back to our community, which is why throughout the year we feature local nonprofits that are doing the good deed of doing good for those in need. These orgs make it easy for you to give back as well—and what better excuse to lend a hand to the community than Giving Tuesday?
To make it easy, we’ve compiled a host of orgs that we’ve featured in Raleigh Magazine this past year worth your consideration. Click the links below to learn more about their missions and how your donations make an impact.
Boys & Girls Clubs: Read our story on Boys & Girls Clubs’ new Connected Learning Center here and donate here.
Housing Options for Students Today (HOST): Read our story on how HOST is helping halt homelessness among college students here and learn how you can support their mission here.
SAFEchild: Read our story on SAFEchild’s new facility here and donate here.
The Green Chair Project: Read our feature on The Green Chair Project’s recent Chairity 2022 event here and learn how to donate here. Additionally, the org is hosting a Giving Twosday event this year. Bring any two of its most-needed items to Green Chair on Nov. 29 and receive a cookie from Tiff’s Treats.
CASA: Read our story on CASA’s supportive housing community in Raleigh here and donate here.
The ALS Association North Carolina Chapter: In April, we held a monthlong Gin for the Win celebration with pop-ups to benefit the ALS Association North Carolina Chapter (in partnership with local bars and restaurants). Donate to the chapter here.
Raleigh🤍 Stickers + Magnets: We created magnets and stickers with all proceeds going toward RPD officer Gabriel Torres’ family following the tragic shooting that took place in Raleigh in October. Torres, who was off-duty at the time, was one of the five people killed. Purchase a magnet and/or sticker here.
Hailey Brooks’ GoFundMe: A GoFundMe page was set up for Hailey Brooks, the little girl who was lost during the Raleigh Christmas Parade earlier this month. Donate here.
As Wake County’s population grows, we’ll need significant investments to ensure child abuse victims get the services, support and treatment they need; right now, we’re falling short.
A child’s tiny heart drawing, along with the words “I hope you remember me”—“remember” is spelled with a ‘d’ in place of a ‘b’—reminds Cristin DeRonja of why she gets up each morning to go to work at a job most would consider taxing.
“That is [a memory] I will forever hold on to,” says DeRonja, the executive director of SAFEChild, a nonprofit operating the only child advocacy center in the county that coordinates evaluations, investigations and treatment of the most serious cases of child abuse with law enforcement agencies, the county’s Child Welfare Division and the district attorney’s office.
“For a sweet little cherub to say something so succinct but so poignant…how could we ever not remember that child, and all children, in our actions?,” DeRonja continues. “We all have a responsibility of remembering them.”
But, since the center located near WakeMed Hospital on New Bern Avenue opened just over a decade ago, Wake County, home to the largest public school system and the largest population of children in the state, has become in danger of leaving some of its most vulnerable children behind.
Cristin DeRonja
Law enforcement agencies, including the Raleigh Police Department (RPD), are understaffed and overstretched. In 2018, only 65 percent of assessments of child abuse and neglect by Child Protective Services were completed within the 45 day policy time frame, according to county data. Four prosecutors in the DA’s office are assigned to around 250 cases of abuse each year, resulting in significant backlog. And SAFEChild’s child advocacy center, which operates on a budget of under $1 million annually, needs to hire more staff; right now, some children have to wait up to four weeks to receive evaluations and crucial treatment services, such as therapy.
“It’s a domino effect,” DeRonja explains. “There are capacity challenges of our referral partners based on caseloads that come in and they have to refer to us and we’re overloaded because they’re overloaded. It’s the blessing of inheritance, the gift that keeps on giving in terms of under-resourced organizations, public and private, across the board.”
Reporting and Investigating Abuse
Senior detective Alex Doughty, a 24-year veteran at RPD, has worked as an investigator of child abuse and sexual assault cases for 14 years. He’s proud of his unit, he says, as its six detectives—who handle between 40 and 60 cases of child physical and sexual abuse each, per year—sees less turnover than other divisions.
“For the specialized cases we handle, RPD has allowed older, senior detectives to remain because of their experiences and love for the cases,” Doughty says. “It helps to have the attitude of wanting to be there.”
“We all look at it like, ‘If this was my child, what would I do? How far would I want to go with this?,’” adds Eric DeSimone, a lieutenant in RPD’s Detective Division. “Detectives do want to be there, they’re specially trained. All of them go as far as possible.”
One of the main challenges they run into? Protecting children who can’t speak, including infants, and those who won’t.
“It’s having kids feel that they can come forward,” Doughty says. “[Abuse] is very under-reported because of the safety issues kids have, from feeling embarrassment to feeling they did something wrong or that no one would believe them. It’s a live and learn situation.”
Once a law enforcement agency, such as RPD or any of the municipal jurisdictions within Wake County, receives a report of child physical or sexual abuse, the agency is required to investigate immediately. Allegations of child abuse can be reported by the general public—anyone is considered a “mandated reporter,” and if you suspect any type of child abuse, call 911—but abuse allegations can also be directly reported to the county’s office of Child Protective Services (CPS) in its Child Welfare Division.
If the allegation involves a caretaker, typically a family member caring for the child, county social workers are charged with assessing the immediate safety of the child or children, including interviewing all children and adults in the household and assessing the environment of the home. CPS social workers may then work in coordination with law enforcement and the DA’s office to share information and determine whether a crime has occurred.
According to Wake County’s budget for the 2019 fiscal year, CPS received 7,935 reports in 2018, of which 5,009 were accepted for CPS assessment; of those accepted reports of child maltreatment, 92 percent were initiated timely, while only 65 percent assessments were completed within the 45 day policy time frame. Eight percent of children experienced a repeat of maltreatment.
For the 2020 fiscal year, the county’s Child Welfare Division received 23 additional positions, with six of those assigned to the assessment of child abuse and neglect, says Paige Rosemond,* the division director of Wake County’s division of child welfare.
“With that being said, our challenges are not with the number of assigned positions to assess serious injury and sexual abuse but with keeping those positions filled,” Rosemond wrote in an email to Raleigh Magazine. “There is higher turnover in our two [serious injury and sexual abuse investigation] units than in our entire general child welfare staff. The egregious nature of assessing and witnessing children being seriously injured and/or sexually abused by a caregiver is challenging for even the most seasoned child welfare professional.”
If law enforcement and CPS do decide to bring charges against an alleged offender, the case could take years to go to trial.
“There gets to be tremendous backlog, especially with all of the restrictions that surround being a registered sex offender,” says assistant district attorney Melanie Shekita, who has handled child abuse cases in the DA’s Special Victims Unit for 19 years. “We probably try more cases than other units in our office because of the stigma. Obviously, no one wants to be a registered sex offender, and the punishments are severe. So, we have a backlog.”
Wake County’s Holdren says the county’s biggest challenge currently is after sexual abuse or exposure to violence is assessed.
“As a community, we need to increase the availability and access to therapeutic services,” Rosemond wrote. “With gentrification and lack of affordable housing in our city centers, our most vulnerable populations are migrating to rural areas of the county. This, unfortunately, creates other challenges,” such as less access to public transit and living wage employment, and fewer therapeutic services to support families in rural areas.
Evaluating and Treating Children
Once law enforcement and CPS investigate and substantiate reports of child abuse, they can refer Wake County children and families to the SAFEChild advocacy center. There, children receive services including a holistic medical exam to assess their overall health and welfare and, often, what’s known as a forensic interview conducted by a trained child abuse evaluation specialist.
The interview takes place in the center’s comforting, child-friendly setting and is recorded and observed by detectives, social workers and other members of the multi-disciplinary response team in real time. The forensic interview is admissible in court, with the goal of preventing children from being re-traumatized by having to retell their stories over and over, a process that also can jeopardize investigations into abuse from a prosecutorial standpoint.
“We could double the size of the staff at the SAFEChild advocacy center to get kids in quicker,” says Shekita, the assistant DA who also serves on SAFEChild’s board of directors. The child advocacy center evaluated 357 children during the 2019 fiscal year. “I know it’s frustrating for these professionals that it can take up to four weeks and we all just don’t have enough resources to get the families in as quickly as we would like to.”
“People don’t know that SAFEChild is just as important as law enforcement and the DA side,” adds DeSimone, the detective. “It is equally as important.”
Currently, SAFEChild operates on a budget of $2 million a year, which is comprised of funding from state and local governments, foundations, civic and service organizations and, mainly, from individual and corporate donations (see chart).
Of that $2 million, about half goes to SAFEChild’s advocacy center, while the other half funds several programs that support parents and families (see box). CPS often refers families to SAFEChild’s parenting programs but individuals can refer themselves, too, and anyone can participate in the programs, DeRonja explains. During the 2019 fiscal year, SAFEChild served more than 15,000 children and families overall, a 63 percent increase over 2018.
Each spring, SAFEChild hosts a gala to raise money towards funding operations for the next fiscal year. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and, this year, SAFEChild will raise funds online during a weeks-long campaign around the theme of staying at home to stretch dollars further. Board members will host their own small gatherings at their homes to raise money and anyone can donate to the nonprofit through its website.
SAFEChild
SAFEChild’s eventual goal, a separate capital project from its budgeted, year to year operations, is to unify its child advocacy center and the facility where the programs are administered—currently located in offices on Morgan Street, close to downtown—under one roof, as well as to hire more staff to meet the need of the county’s growing population.
“At this point, if this community doesn’t get behind SAFEChild and our multi-disciplinary team toward expansion, we’re all contributing toward a child’s trauma occurring longer than it should,” DeRonja says. “It should never be occurring in the first place but we should be eliminating it, stopping it from the second we’re aware of it, and expediting the response, treatment and healing as soon as possible.”
“Child abuse affects all aspects of our population,” Shekita say. “Not just poor people, not just rich, not just black, not just white. It’s universal, unfortunately. It’s everywhere, and easy to turn a blind eye to. We’re thankful that SAFEChild has not only its advocacy piece but programs for parents who may need help. Our hope is members of our society will ask for that help, that they know it is not shameful to reach out when you are in need.”
Learn more about SAFEChild or make a donation at safechildnc.org
SAFEChild Programs and Advocacy Center
SAFEChild serves nearly 3,000 children and families through parenting programs and the SAFEChild advocacy center, plus 12,000 first-graders in Wake schools through the Funny Tummy Feelings program. Programs include: • Welcome Baby/Moms Supporting Moms Support and mentoring for first-time and experienced mothers • Mens Program A parent education program for fathers • Move Program Hope and healing for mothers who have experienced domestic violence in an intimate relationship • Nurturing Program Strengthening families with children ages 4-12 • Plus Program Strengthening families with infants, toddlers and/or teens • Crianza Con Cariño SAFEChild’s Spanish-language parent education program • Funny Tummy Feelings A school-based child abuse prevention program for first graders • SAFEChild Advocacy Center A community-based center coordinating evaluation, investigation and treatment of the most serious cases of child abuse in Wake County
SAFEChild FY 2019 Income: $2,039,357
Individual donations: $646,125
State and local government: $424,963
Foundations: $281,758
Civic and service organizations: $190,783
Corporations: $383,606
Faith based: $27,445
Medical reimbursement/miscellaneous: $84,677
SAFEChild FY 2019 Expenses: $1,814,460
Program expenses: $1,399,549
Development and marketing: $240,993
Administrative support: $173,919
*Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story attributedquotes from Paige Rosemond,the division directorof Wake County’s division of child welfare, to a Wake County government communications specialist. The story has been updated to reflect that the quotes are from Rosemond.
