We have come so far since 1992. We work daily to improve and expand our programs while ensuring that trauma is reduced for these children and their families during one of the most horrifying times in their lives. And we have outgrown our building along the way. We could use at least one more forensic interviewer to hear children tell their stories. We could house more detectives and CPS workers, and there is a two-week waiting list for a medical exam. While our counseling program has expanded to include long-term therapy, our children work to heal their pain on a chair in an office instead of in a play-therapy room with space and tools to help in healing. More than 5,000 children continue to suffer as silent victims of sexual abuse. And there are thousands more that we are not yet reaching through KIDZ Have Rights.
In the middle of all of these expansion needs, we still have daily operational needs and costs associated with providing services to nearly 1,000 children each year. With these needs in mind, each month the Center hosts two "Walk in Their Shoes" informational tours of the building. The Center also hosts an annual "Stop the Hurt . . . Begin the Healing" fund-raising luncheon. One-third of the Center's budget comes from individual donors.