A majority of these are pre-sold and will be delivered to local businesses and organizations in support of the Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children. Proceeds from the fifth annual Chicken for Children event support the efforts of the Lewis Center, where young victims of alleged sexual abuse have a safe place to tell their story and begin healing by no longer suffering in silence.
A limited number of lunches will be available for walk-in orders at the Plymouth Congregational Church, located at 501 West Berry Street, Thursday morning. Half chickens, a baked potato, pasta salad and dinner roll are available for $9.00. The Chicken for Children fundraiser’s success has grown exponentially over its five year history. This year’s goal is to raise $13,500 and the Lewis Center is on track to exceed this goal this year in part to the community’s support of the vital services the organization provides. 45 businesses are participating in this year’s Chicken for Children lunch fundraiser.
Every meal pre-sold this year represents one of the nearly 800 children interviewed by a Lewis Center forensic interviewer in 2015 – 75% of which are age 10 and under.
The Lewis Center partners with the legal, social service, and medical professionals to conduct forensic interviews, streamlining the interview process and minimizing the trauma experienced by a child. Without the Lewis Center’s procedures, young victims of sexual abuse are interviewed several times, with multiple agencies, repeatedly having to share painful details of the alleged abuse in an effort to learn what happened. Following the interview, the Lewis Center’s caring staff connects families to community resources to aid children in the healing process.
About The Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children: Founded in 2000, the Child Advocacy Center was renamed the Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children in 2010 in honor of the late Dr. Bill Lewis, a founding member, dedicated neonatologist, and child advocate. Located in Fort Wayne and serving nine northeast Indiana counties, the mission of the Lewis Center is to provide neutral, child-friendly, forensic interviews and inter-agency comprehensive assessments of reported child sexual abuse victims. The multidisciplinary team approach utilized by the Lewis Center makes the agency a unique provider of a specialized service – a service provided at no charge to the community. From 2010 to 2013, the agency grew from providing 558 interviews to 755 interviews. To ensure the provision of quality interviews and service, the Lewis Center achieved reaccreditation from the National Children’s Alliance in 2014. The Dr. Bill Lewis Center for Children receives administrative management from SCAN, Inc. (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect), a separate 501(c)3 organization. For more information, visit us at www.lewiscenterforchildren.org and follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/lewiscenterFW
