Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) will join Boys & Girls Homes leadership and Board of Trustees members to announce the state’s first grant to the nonprofit of $1 million as part of the state’s budget that the N.C. General Assembly passed in early July. BGHNC will host a check presentation and reception with Rep. Jones to celebrate the grant at 9 a.m. Aug. 15 on its Lake Waccamaw campus. The one-time state gift was earmarked for Boys & Girls Homes and will be used to grow the nonprofit’s child advocacy center.
While touring Whiteville’s Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center recently, Rep. Jones was moved by stories of the hundreds of children from Columbus, Bladen and Robeson counties that the center treats for physical or sexual abuse each year.
“I want to thank y’all. You’re doing God’s work,” he said to the staff of the CAC. Of the grant, Rep. Jones said: “I think it’s a game changer. We’re all in this together, and we’re here to help each other. We’re here to lift each other up.”
A 70 percent drop in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding since 2018 has harmed Child Advocacy Centers across North Carolina and the nation, said Marc Murphy, President/CEO of Boys & Girls Homes.
“This depletion of non-taxpayer funds has hit home right here in Columbus County,” Murphy added. “Carolyn's Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center in Whiteville is a highly specialized program tackling the trauma of child physical and sexual abuse, a service that is rare in many rural counties in North Carolina. Representative Brenden Jones championed and brought home to Whiteville this directed $1 million state grant for Boys & Girls Homes of NC and Carolyn's Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy, funding that now provides a true lifeline for keeping this vital service available in our area for years to come. More children will be protected and more abusers convicted because of it.”
Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope Director Danielle Nolan emphasized how personal the center’s mission is to her and her staff.
“Our children aren’t just a number here. We follow their cases and advocate for justice for them until each case closes,” she said.
Chairman of the BGHNC Board of Trustees Gary Cooper said this money will help strengthen and expand the 72-year-old organization’s programs of care.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Boys & Girls Homes of North Carolina, I want to express our sincere appreciation to Representative Brenden Jones for sponsoring the legislation that provides a $1 million grant to Carolyn’s Kaleidoscope Child Advocacy Center,” he added. “This grant is a powerful example of elected officials working to protect some of our most vulnerable citizens—children who cannot protect themselves. We are deeply grateful for Representative Jones’ leadership and commitment to the safety and well-being of the children and families served by our Child Advocacy Center. What a tremendous blessing.”
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