The Child Advocacy Centre (CAC) of 琉璃神社 received a boost on Tuesday.

On July 18, local charity East Meets West Children鈥檚 Foundation donated $15,000 to the CAC to help support children鈥檚 mental health.

鈥淭his money will be going specifically into our families program, which provides immediate access to trauma-informed counselling services,鈥� said CAC Executive Director Ginny Becker. 鈥淐hildren are often on lengthy wait-lists, waiting to access services and the challenge with that is the impact on the child鈥檚 mind is very immediate so it鈥檚 really important that we have the ability to be responsive, in the moment.鈥�

Becker also mentioned that year after year, demand for support services has been going up more than 50 per cent.

鈥淭he need never goes down, it just continually grows,鈥� said Becker.

Councillor Mohini Singh, who also works with East Meets West, was on hand for the cheque presentation on Tuesday.

鈥淲e wanted to see how we can help programs in our city that impact children,鈥� said Singh. 鈥淭his is not an overnight fix, this is a lifetime fix. If we can jump in and support counselling at an early stage, there is a chance the child will be able to lead a very emotionally healthy life.鈥�

The CAC is an organization that runs entirely on donations and grants.

East Meets West raises money every year to help support charities across the Okanagan. Annually, they host a Diwali dinner, which is their biggest fundraiser each year. In 2022, the event alone raised $100,000. At the cheque presentation on Tuesday, Singh announced this year鈥檚 Diwali dinner will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21.

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jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com
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