As the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence nears completion, the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre wants to remind everyone to wear blue on Oct. 24 to raise awareness during Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The advocacy centre will be one of the tenants in the Sheldon Kennedy centre (previously called the Centre of Excellence), located on the main campus of Red Deer Polytechnic.
Dylan Rambow, communications co-ordinator with the advocacy centre, said tenants are waiting for the final installation of an air handling unit.
“We’ll be moving in as soon as possible. Everyone is working as hard as possible,” Rambow said.
Since the launch of a public fundraising campaign towards construction earlier this year, advocacy centre staff have been busier than ever.
From January to September, more than 1,000 children and youths have been supported at the centre.
Rambow said the space the new building will provide is desperately needed, and the advocacy centre has a lot of work ahead to address the growing need in the huge region that it serves.
He said the colourful building was purposefully designed so it’s not intimidating to children. Eagle Builders toured a lot of offices and talked to people about what works and what doesn’t.
“Having a space that feels comfortable for the child, feels comfortable for the family, that’s a major part of it, and they did a great job inside and outside.”
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Based on previous research and current population, an estimated 325,000 children are experiencing sexual abuse in Alberta.
Cybertip.ca, a member of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, reported early this year that reports of online sexual luring were up 815 per cent over the last five years.
Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams reported that more than 17.8-million child sex abuse materials (photos and videos) were found in Alberta over the past five years.
Mark Jones, advocacy centre CEO, said child abuse won’t go away on it’s own.
“We all wish it would. But the reality is these children and families need our help. By taking part in our Go Blue awareness campaign during October, you’re spreading awareness of the issues, and something as simple as that could change a child’s life,” Jones said.
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On Oct. 24, individuals, businesses, teams, and other community organizations are encouraged to find ways to Go Blue. The simplest way is to wear blue, post a picture of yourself wearing blue, and post it with the hashtag #GoBlueAB.
Some businesses are offering blue products, or lighting up their businesses with blue lights, throughout the month.
Blue lights will shine on Oct. 24 at Red Deer City Hall, Capstone, the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre at Red Deer Polytechnic, and the Rotary Lighthouse in Sylvan Lake.
Businesses supporting the #GoBlue initiative for the month include Bo’s Bar & Stage, Troubled Monk, and the new bowling alley The Gutter.
The Red Deer Rebels have also joined the campaign. Statistics show that one in three Canadians have experienced a form of child abuse so the Rebels are placing “1-in-3” Blue heart decals on every third seat throughout the Peavey Mart Centrium, which will there for the entire month of October.
Others who want to get involved with the advocacy centre for #GoBlueAB, or Child Abuse Prevention Month, can contact Alyssa Barthel at abarthel@centralalbertacac.ca.