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November’s Charity of the Month: The Center for Child Protection

 

The Center for Child Protection

The Center for Child Protection — a nonprofit organization in Austin, Texas — is committed to reducing the trauma that young victims of abuse and neglect face during the investigation and persecution of criminal cases.

Thanks in part to a $10,000 grant from the MDRT Foundation, the Center for Child Protection provides its services for children and families free of charge. This Quality of Life Grant was awarded in honor of David C. Allen Sr., ChFC, LUTCF, a 15-year MDRT member and Silver Knight from Austin, Texas.

Allen has been volunteering for the Center for Child Protection for the last six years — during this time he has raised awareness and more than $300,000 as a result of the annual celebrity golf tournament that Allen helps to coordinate for the Center.

Allen always had an interest in the criminal justice system and even considered a law career. In 1986, Allen became a volunteer court appointed special advocate (CASA) for children who are placed in the foster care system due to abuse or neglect.

“I have always been passionate about caring for and advocating for children and their needs,” Allen said. “My training at CASA helped me set aside my biases and understand the issues that cause child abuse.”

As an accredited children’s advocate center, children who have been sexually or physically abused, or have witnessed a violent crime are referred to the Center by law enforcement and Child Protective Services. The Center for Child Protection provides forensic interviews, medical exams, group and individual therapy, and emergency funds for children and families in crisis.