Fall 2023 KIDS Center Newsletter

news & updates

Welcome, New KIDS Center Staff & Board

Members

Abigail Cornwell

Front Desk & Volunteer Coordinator

Kourtney Haigh

Child & Family Therapist

Michelle Rhoads

Finance Assistant

Barb Vella Development Officer

O’Malley Facility Dog

Capt. Jason Maniscalco

Bend Police Department

KIDS Center Board Member

Theresa Drulard

St. Charles Health System

KIDS Center Board Member

Love to volunteer?

We’re looking for Front Desk Volunteers to greet visitors with a warm smile and care for families during their visit. Interested? Contact us at info@kidsenter.org.

If you like helping out with events, sign up to volunteer at next year’s Cork & Barrel! Contact info@kidscenter.org for details.

2023’s Cork & Barrel (July 20-22) drew 1,182 guests—our second highest attendance ever! Along with many familiar faces, we also welcomed 268 newcomers. Thanks to our guests and sponsors, Cork & Barrel netted $480,000 to support critical services for local families impacted by abuse. Thanks to all who turned out to wine, dine and make a difference!

The 2023 Visionary Leadership Award was awarded to former KIDS Center board member Jeff Klein for his many years of outstanding service, dedication and leadership. Jeff accepted the honor at this year’s Cork & Barrel Grand Cru event.

The Source Weekly’s “Best of Central Oregon 2023” honored us twice—KIDS Center was awarded runner up for Best Nonprofit Serving Families, and Cork & Barrel was awarded runner up for Best Local Fundraiser. Thanks to all who voted!

Dr. Blair Struble was recently honored for serving a full 10-year term on KIDS Center’s Board of Directors. And a big thank you to Dr. Jeff Absalon, who will be finishing his 10-year term this December. Thank you both for your service!

April’s Healing Hearts event brought together 580 caring members of the community. Of those, 260 guests attended their first KIDS Center function! Healing Hearts netted $169,000 to give hope and healing to Central Oregon children.

TENT THE RETURNS

JULY 18-20, 2024

GET 2024 EVENT DEAILS

SUBSCRIBE NOW

KIDS Center’s largest fundraiser, Cork & Barrel, began 11 years ago as an outdoor event. We’re excited to announce a new home for next year’s Cork & Barrel and a return to the tent.

Join us on Central Oregon Community College’s athletic field—in the tent and under the stars—the weekend of July 18-20, 2024. Meet guest wineries from Napa Valley, one of the world’s premiere wine regions! Watch for Cork & Barrel’s Black Friday ticket release on November 24! Be the first to know about guest wineries, Winemaker Dinners, special sales and more. Sign up for Cork & Barrel 2024 e-news at corkandbarrel.org, or scan the QR code above.

helping kids is a team effort

When we team up with our community partners, children and their families get the support they need to find safety, healing and justice.

DID YOU KNOW?

In Central Oregon, KIDS Center is the sole provider of comprehensive child abuse evaluations for children. An evaluation includes a forensic interview, medical examination, mental health support, and family advocacy, all provided by highly-trained professional staff. It’s truly a team effort.

Why kids need a team.

When law enforcement, child welfare investigators, physicians or therapists believe a child may have been harmed, they need to know:

—Has abuse occurred?

—Is the child safe?

—Does the child need treatment?

KIDS Center teams up with our community partners to answer those questions. Our partners rely on our expertise to conduct an independent child abuse evaluation. The answers we provide help law enforcement and child welfare protect a child in danger. Our partners also know that KIDS Center will support each family beyond the scope of a child abuse investigation. We offer families healing therapy and advocacy for as long as they need us—at no cost to them.

By working together as a multi-disciplinary team, KIDS Center staff and our community partners give children and families the best chance of overcoming abuse.

How we work together to help kids.

Before the Evaluation

Each time law enforcement or child welfare refers a family to KIDS Center, a new collaboration begins. Community partners share background on the case with our Intake Specialist for our team to review. This allows us to be thoughtful and efficient when working with the child and family.

KIDS Center connects a Family Advocate to the family to help prepare them for their visit and to provide any immediate assistance they might need.

The Day of the Evaluation

When a family first arrives at KIDS Center, they are often anxious, stressed or scared. KIDS Center staff welcomes the family into our comfortable space to help put them at ease. Our community partners join us on-site during an evaluation. We provide a special observation room for partners.

To help a child feel at ease, our facility dog, O’Malley, accompanies them to the interview room, where our highly-trained Forensic Interviewer asks the child to talk about what happened to them. Community partners

observe the interview and take notes from the observation room. Next, the child sees a specially-trained pediatric Medical Examiner for a childfriendly, head-to-toe examination. Afterwards, our team discusses their findings with our community partners. Our partners use this information to formulate safety plans and inform their investigation.

“We should all support KIDS Center because they help kids and families in our community who have gone through some of the worst trauma in their life. KIDS Center helps them on the road to recovery and healing.”

—APRIL MUNKS, DISTRICT MANAGER OREGON DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

Our team also meets with the child’s family. One of KIDS Center’s Child & Family Therapists is on-hand to give emotional support. We answer any questions a family might have offer next steps for treatment.

After the Evaluation

KIDS Center staff provide on-going support for children and families as long as needed. We offer long-term therapy for the child, their siblings, and non-offending caregivers. One of our trauma-informed therapists helps guide the healing process.

A Family Advocate also supports the healing process by connecting each family with community resources to reduce their life stressors. Advocates stay involved with families long after an evaluation.

KIDS Center staff continue to support the investigative work of community partners after the evaluation. We prepare a detailed report for the District Attorney overseeing the investigation, and we preserve recordings and evidence gathered during the evaluation. If a criminal case proceeds to trial, KIDS Center staff testify when called. This level of teamwork—before, during, and after an evaluation—gives children and families a chance to heal, rebuild their confidence, and face the future with resilience.

Learn more at kidscenter.org

Meet O’Malley

This summer, KIDS Center welcomed a new (four-legged) team member. Meet O’Malley, our specially-trained facility dog. He may be young (just 16 months old!) but he knows a thing or two about comforting kids.

What does O’Malley do?

O’Malley helps out during a child abuse evaluation— specifically the forensic interview. Children who have experienced the trauma of abuse are often nervous or scared when they arrive at KIDS Center. O’Malley helps put kids at ease, so they feel more comfortable sharing what happened to them. O’Malley is a calming presence in the interview room. He can comfort a nervous or upset child by laying nearby or resting his head in their lap. O’Malley knows more than 50 commands. When he wears his special vest, he knows he’s on the job.

Where did O’Malley come from?

A purebred black English lab, O’Malley comes from a long line of assistance dogs. He was born in Hawaii, and his calm personality made him a perfect candidate for training as a facility dog. One of the youngest of his class, O’Malley trained with Assistance Dogs Northwest. This Bainbridge, Washington nonprofit was interested in sending a dog to Central Oregon and generously placed O’Malley with KIDS Center (at no cost) after learning about our work serving children.

Who cares for O’Malley?

Two KIDS Center staff members—who are Forensic Interviewers—serve as O’Malley’s handlers. Both underwent intensive training at Assistance Dogs Northwest. O’Malley is always with one of his handlers, although he loves to visit the rest of our staff in his free time. When the work day is done, O’Malley goes home with his primary handler.

Join

Friends of O’Malley

Help make a child’s first visit to KIDS Center a comforting experience!

When you become a Friend of O’Malley, you give comfort and support to children and families as they take the first step on their healing journey. On the day of a child abuse evaluation, your donation helps provide free mental health support to a family—a trauma-informed therapist is on-hand to help a family process the results of the evaluation and move forward. Your donation also gives a child a snuggly plush mini O’Malley to take home as a reminder of their new friend.

“Children adore O’Malley, and his calming presence puts caregivers at ease too. A mini O’Malley will remind kids that they are not alone in their healing journey.”

—SARAH GRAZIANI, O’MALLEY’S HANDLER AND FORENSIC INTERVIEWER

coming up

call 541.383.5958.

Va Piano Fundraiser, December 1-31

Visit Va Piano in Old Mill anytime in December and make a donation of $100 or more for KIDS Center, and you’ll receive 50% off bottle purchases for the rest of the month! (Donation must be made in December and must be collected by Va Piano to qualify.) Last year, Va Piano raised $6,800 to support KIDS Center services!

KIDS Center Tours

Join us for a free one-hour tour and get a eye-opening view of how we’re working to end child abuse, one child at a time. Sign up for a tour online: kidscenter.org/tours

October 12, Thursday, 11 am

November 7, Tuesday, 5 pm

November 16, Thursday, 11 am

December 5, Tuesday, 5 pm

Every day, you have an impact on the world around you.