Three Great Georgetown Non-profits
February 29, 5pm • Georgetown Sheraton • soireewilcotx.org
Dinner, dancing, games… a parade of floats, firewalkers, beads and more!
The Soirée is an annual gala in Georgetown that celebrates children and those who have committed their time and their talent to helping them.
This year marks the fourth year for guests and sponsors to put on their best and shiniest clothes and give back in a fancy way. The Soirée is the brainchild of Karen Wilson and Georgetown Project Executive Director Lesli Janca, who wanted to create a fun and collaborative fundraising event that would enable non-profits to work together while focusing on kids. Lesli says, “This year The Georgetown Project is teaming up with the Williamson County Child Advocacy Center (WCCAC), and Court Appointed Child Advocates (CASA). These three groups are a great fit with regard to mission; it is all about kids, working with under-served groups, and other youth-related social issues.”
HAVING A BIG EVENT HAS BEEN WELL-RECEIVED BY SUPPORTERS; BY COMBINING RESOURCES, WE LEARN A LOT ABOUT EACH OTHER AND WE ONLY ASK FOR HELP ONCE.
~Lesli Janca
THE GEORGETOWN PROJECT
Founded in 1997, the Georgetown Project is a collaborative organization that works with more than 50 other groups on a monthly basis. They have served nearly 25,000 children in Georgetown and foster intergenerational relationships as part of positive change.
When people say “It takes a village…” the Georgetown Project is the leader of that village. They bring people who serve kids and families together to get to know each other better. Their mission is to fill the gaps within and around child and youth planning for everything from hunger to homelessness. Lesli says, “Some of our groups work with the same children and families, and our collaboration strengthens that support with appropriate referrals and a warm handoff.”
The Project is a place where leadership, and youth participants ask, What if…, and create positive change. Much of their focus is on what kids themselves see as needs in the community. To do this, they engage daily and weekly with the students who participate in their many programs, and hold an annual Summit. During those face-to-face meetings, young people sit with leadership from all walks of Georgetown to share their top issues and concerns.
Their vision is that no child is hungry, hurt, alone or rejected; and that each feels loved, respected, and is treated with dignity. Everything they do is to empower young people to became caring and capable members of our community in turn.
The Georgetown Project is…
- AFTER SCHOOL ACTION PROGRAM
- ASSETS IN ACTION
- BRIDGES TO GROWTH PARENT CENTER
- COMMUNITY INTERACTION PARTNERSHIP
- KID CITY SUMMER CAMP
- SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM
- NEST EMPOWERMENT CENTER
- TGP COLLABORATIVE FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH
WILLIAMSON COUNTY CHILD ADVOCACY CENTER
Williamson County is one of 210 in Texas to help serve more than 60,000 children each year. Our Child Advocacy Center (CAC) provides a safe and friendly place for children who have been abused to meet with counselors, be treated by medical professionals, and seek justice—hand-in-hand—with law enforcement. It is a centralized county resource that provides all Williamson County municipalities access to the same level of care and investigative services, regardless of size. Their sole mission is to put the child victim’s best interests first.
Children are referred to the center to report and detail child abuse. Working with professionals right away helps protect, and reduce the emotional trauma for children and their non-offending family members. As well, the CAC process is designed to foster and protect the integrity of any subsequent criminal investigation.
All CAC services are free of charge to every family living in the County, including forensic interviews, medical exams, counseling, and family advocacy. The CAC also reaches out to communities and supportive organizations to educate people on recognizing and responding to potential abuse.
With multi-disciplinary teams, child-focused standards, and a full array of services, every child receives the highest standard of care available.
In addition to standard services, they also provide inspired assistance when they are able. Just one example of these is giving victims a bedroom make-over. Volunteers procure and deliver everything from new furniture and paint to toys, so a child never has to lie down in a place that is reminiscent of fear or pain.
COURT APPOINTED CHILD ADVOCATES
When children enter the foster care system because their home is no longer safe, a judge may appoint a volunteer to help. That volunteer is called a court appointed Special Advocate, or CASA. These volunteers focus on one case at a time; they bring a unique perspective to the court case; and their sole objective is representing the child’s best interest.
CASAs are screened and highly trained before appointment. They are assigned to help one child or set of siblings at a time so they can focus on giving that child or sibling group individualized advocacy and attention they need.
CASA provides this support for every abused child in the County, and their volunteers are the “eyes and ears” for the judge in child welfare cases. This includes researching each child’s situation and making objective recommendations to help them reclaim their childhoods from abuse and neglect. The volunteers are often the only stable presence in these children’s lives as they navigate the foster care system.