đź’ˇ Philanthropy Friday: Kids FIRST
Welcome to #PhilanthropyFriday!
This series represents a conversation about philanthropy happening in the wild. This is a space to play, learn, celebrate, and peer into a small window of how you can support cool work happening in your community.
Today’s Topic: Children’s Advocacy Center, Kids FIRST
I recently had the opportunity to take a tour of Kids FIRST, located in Eugene, OR hosted by development director, Jaclyn Lemonds and board member, Jamie Louie Smith. I was immediately struck by the incredible intention with which they’ve designed their space. This organization is doing some of the hardest and most gut wrenching work among children’s advocacy, yet you walk in to a space that feels both calm and reassuring.
Child Advocacy Centers
A Child Advocacy Center is an organization designed in a very specific, child-focused manor offering child friendly settings where children can meet with multidisciplinary teams to address cases of child abuse. Centers are set up to reduce the number of times a child is asked to share their story and create coordinated and efficient response among providers to take action when necessary. These centers have shown to improve outcomes for children and families affected by abuse by promoting collaboration among partners.
Kids FIRST
The Kids FIRST mission is to provide intervention and advocacy for children who are victims of, or witnesses to, crime. When children visit the center, it is for physical abuse, child sexual abuse, or they have witnessed a violent crime. They aim to minimize the trauma these children experience and offer a safe place to begin their healing journey.
From my tour, I could quickly see how they take pride in their ability to support youth through their traumatic experiences with their warm, child-focused setting. Everything has been thought of starting from what happens when a family walks through their front doors, to how they move through the building and are able to connect with necessary resources all under one roof.
Private family waiting rooms offer a comfortable place for families to be together while they begin the process of moving through each step of their visit.
Here are some of the questions I asked Jaclyn to help us understand the organization more:
What’s something people might not realize about your work?
Many people don’t realize the sheer number of children we serve each year. In 2024 alone, Kids FIRST provided support to nearly 800 children facing concerns of abuse in Lane County. Of those, 65% were seen for concerns of child sexual abuse—an especially hidden and under-reported crime. This statistic highlights the critical need for our services and the importance of raising awareness about child abuse prevention and intervention.
What’s one small action someone could take to support your organization or others like it right now?
One small action you can take right now to support Kids FIRST is to display a Child Abuse Prevention poster at your workplace throughout April. We provide and deliver these awareness posters for free in late March and early April. Additionally, consider taking a free child sexual abuse prevention training—either through our in-person sessions in Lane County or check out other training resources at your local Children’s Advocacy Center if you live in other communities.
What’s something that made you smile recently at your organization?
When asked what they appreciated most about their visit to Kids FIRST, a parent noted: “That my son was given the space to speak up for himself.”
If you could dream big, what’s something your organization would love to accomplish in the next five years?
In the next five years, we dream of expanding our therapy program. There's a critical need for more therapy support for children who have experienced trauma. By growing our mental health team, we aim to reduce waitlists and make therapy more accessible for every child who visits us for a child abuse assessment. We are currently working with our community to make this dream a reality by acquiring and renovating a building in our neighborhood—if you’d like to learn more, please reach out to us!
How can people follow along or get involved?
Take a tour of our facility to learn more about our work firsthand
Consider becoming a monthly donor; even a contribution of $10 can make a difference.
Attend or sponsor one of our events to support our fundraising efforts.
Invite Kids FIRST to speak at your local community club to raise awareness about our mission.
Share your resources with us—whether it's donating items for event raffles or volunteering your time at our events, every bit helps.