KIDS Center receives $10,000 grant
KIDS Center has been awarded a $10,000 grant from PGE Foundation — the corporate foundation of Portland General Electric — to help support its Project THRIVE program.
Project THRIVE ( T reatment, Healing, Resilience, Inspiration, a Voice, and Encouragement) will provide child-friendly medical exams, family support, and therapeutic services to help 100 new children and families impacted by child abuse.
“As a philanthropic organization with ties to one of Oregon’s most enduring companies, I truly believe we’ve made a positive impact contributing to the success of Oregon,” said Gwyneth Gamble Booth, chair of the PGE Foundation board of directors.
Approximately 88% of children served at KIDS Center come from low-income families who lack access to other resources and are at high risk of re-victimization. Without timely medical treatment and the critical link to therapy provided by our medical, forensic, and family support specialists, all at no cost, the trauma of child abuse can impact their ability to lead a healthy and safe life.
“KIDS Center saved my life. The work you do is so important to this community,” a KIDS Center client explains. “Thank you for transforming lives, inspiring change, and making the world a better place one child at a time.”
KIDS Center serves more than 2,600 children and families annually, and funding for this project will allow them to continue expanding their services, providing the community necessary support and therapeutic treatment for vulnerable children and their families in Central Oregon. Project THRIVE directly supports KIDS Center’s mission — the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of child abuse.
“This PGE grant will help ensure that victims have meaningful access to KIDS Center’s multi-dimensional approach that is completely focused on what is best for the child, and serves every child in a timely manner and at no cost,” says Executive Director of KIDS Center, Shelly Smith. “We are grateful to the PGE Foundation for helping make this vision a reality.”
Built by the community and for the community, KIDS Center is dedicated to the prevention, evaluation and treatment of all forms of child abuse. In a child-friendly environment, KIDS Center provides comprehensive medical evaluations to children who may have been abused, seeking to find out what has happened and to provide a path to healing through family support and therapeutic services. KIDS Center served 2,666 children and families in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties, at zero cost to them, in 2016. Information about KIDS Center, including services provided and annual reports, can be found at www.kidscenter.org .
