BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER
FOR THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Commission on March 30 declared April Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, with District 2 Commissioner Ross Morris inviting the county to attend the Twin Cedars Child Advocacy Center’s ‘Bites, Brews & Blues’ fundraiser.
Twin Cedars is hosting its third-annual fundraiser on April 10 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $75 for general admission and will include food, samples from local restaurants and drinking establishments and a silent auction, according to the Twin Cedars website.
Morris said the statewide commissioner leadership group he’s a part of is passionate about child advocacy.
“[Twin Cedars is] horribly, poorly understaffed, and they do a lot,” Morris said. “We are doing everything we can to bring some awareness and training and really want to get our elected leaders trained and knowledgeable about how much our child advocacy centers [do],” he said.
The event will be held at the Choctafaula Natural Escape, with proceeds benefiting Twin Cedars, Keeping Family Connections and Lee County CASA.
Twin Cedars provides therapy, medical exams, forensic interviews and family advocacy for children and families referred by law enforcement or child protective services.
“All child victims or witnesses to crime in our area are required to come through our agency, and no other local organization provides the comprehensive services we offer,” Twin Cedars’ website reads. “We are there for children at their most vulnerable moments, helping them on their path to healing and justice.”
In addition to Twin Cedars, Keeping Family Connections helps children in foster care with a visitation program, and Lee County CASA trains and supervises volunteers who advocate for children in foster care and provide recommendations for the custodial care of vulnerable children.”
Morris said that he hopes the fundraiser will provide much-needed support to those organizations.
“This is their big fundraiser to try to help them, as they’re poorly funded, sadly,” Morris said. “This is an avenue that could give them additional funding.”
