CARE House of Oakland County today announces details of a capital campaign that will raise funds to build a new facility for the 33 year-old organization that serves the immediate needs of abused and neglected children while also reaching out with advocacy and prevention programs aimed at breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect.
The CARE House Campaign For Kids now enters its public phase and will raise $4 million to build a 14,000 square-foot building and replace the existing 6,500 square foot building. The new home for CARE House will be built on recently acquired land, just north of the current facility on Woodward Avenue in Pontiac. Groundbreaking is planned for April with an opening scheduled for the spring of 2011. The organization hired R.B. Construction Company/Roncelli Inc. A Joint Venture, based in Sterling Heights, as General Contractor.
CARE House needs a new facility to match the demand for its services in the community, which is growing at a steady rate, creating an urgent need for increased intervention and therapeutic services, as well as advocacy and prevention programs.
"Now is the time to conduct this campaign because we know children need our help," said Patricia Rosen, Executive Director of CARE House of Oakland County. She noted that one in four girls and one in six boys will be abused before the age of 18. An estimated 60,000 Oakland County children are currently at risk for abuse. CARE House is currently able to serve just 1,000 children per year.
"In the past decade, we have seen a 600 percent increase in the number of children coming through our facility's intervention program alone," added Rosen. "We expect the need for our services to continue to grow for the foreseeable future. That's why leaders in our community are joining together to raise the funds required to take this necessary step for CARE House."
The new home for CARE House will feature an expanded ability to serve more child victims of abuse with space for multi-disciplinary teams to collaborate on cases. The new building will also nearly triple existing therapy space, eliminating the current waiting list for children to get the critical therapy needed to begin a healing process. The building will also significantly expand the organization's abuse prevention training programs and add to its volunteer program.
"Every time the doors to CARE House open, a child's future enters," said Cathy Weissenborn, of Bloomfield Hills, the President of CARE House of Oakland County's Board of Trustees. Cathy and Jim Weissenborn join Brier and Garry Neel of Birmingham as Co-Chairs of the CARE House Campaign For Kids.
"Our vision is that all children will be safe and free from abuse and neglect," Weissenborn added. "That vision, and the mission of CARE House, cannot be realized without the additional space needed to help thousands more local children and families. That is why we are leading the effort for this vital project to happen when the community needs it the most."
More than half of the Campaign's funds have already been raised, thanks to the generosity of CARE House's committed supporters. CARE House's Board had studied future needs and evaluated options for this project for the past three years.
CARE House was established in 1977 through a partnership of Oakland County's law enforcement agencies, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office and Children's Protective Services. In 1989, its expanded role helped it become a Child Advocacy Center, now the only organization of its kind in the County.
Members of the community who are interested in donating to the CARE House Campaign For Kids or touring the existing CARE House facility should contact Patricia Rosen at (248) 332-7173 or visit
www.carehouse.org.
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