Clackamas County officials joined staff and board members and supporters of the
, a Clackamas County-based medical center for child abuse assessment, for the June 29 groundbreaking of the center's 10,100-square-foot facility in Oregon City.
The building will be on property donated by and situated near
, 1500 Division St.
Tonia Hunt, executive director of the Children's Center, thanked the crowd before inviting children from the community to launch the project's building phase by digging into the land.
"If all we gain here is more square footage, we have failed," Hunt told those in attendance. "We are here to serve more kids."
The current Children's Center facility is 1,200 square feet, which allows for treatment of two children per day. Last year, the center recorded 373 calls for requests to assess children showing serious signs of abuse; due to lack of space, 34 percent of those cases could not be scheduled.
Often it is a law enforcement officer or state
worker who calls the Children's Center to report suspicions of child abuse. The center's staff then conduct forensic interviews, and its medical professionals document any physical signs of abuse.
Two-thirds of the children served at the Children's Center are girls, and half are younger than 7.
The new center will provide as many as 600 assessments per year. Its resources will include bilingual staff, prevention work, a resource library and training and workshops for parents and others who can help recognize and stop child abuse.
The Children's Center has raised $4.1 million of its $4.5 million capital campaign goal, including initial major contributions from Clackamas County, the
, the HEDCO Foundation,
and architect Jon Anderson, who donated his services. Recent support has come from the
, the
and the
.
"The public-private partnership in this venture is really why this was able to happen," said Lynn Peterson, chairwoman of the
. "The success of this campaign is nothing short of a major miracle."
Children's Center campaign leaders are seeking to secure the final $400,000 for the campaign before the planned opening of the new facility in March 2011.
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