Child Advocacy Center receives $4,000 from 100+ People Who Care philanthropic group

Aug. 13—MORGANTOWN — The Monongalia County Child Advocacy Center received a $4, 000 donation on Friday from a local philanthropic group called 100 + People Who Care.

Mon Health System President and CEO David Goldberg presented the donation to center Executive Director Laura Capage at the center's Green Bag Road office.

Capage talked to The Dominion Post before the presentation. "Our mission is really to advocate for children who've been abused or experienced other traumatic events."

The center offers the kids a safe space to be interviewed, educated and healed. The center focuses on resiliency building through forensic interviews, family advocacy and therapy services at no cost to the kids or families.

The donation, she said, will be put toward their mental health services, she said. It takes about $700, 000 per year to run all four programs. They have 12 paid staff plus seven-to-eight volunteer interns at any given time.

"Every donation helps, " she said. "This really is an agency for the community." The community values their services and the center helps better the community by making it healthier.

"There's a place here for everybody in the community to get involved, " she said, through donations and attending fundraisers and volunteering—including for such things as serving on the board and helping with upkeep of the center.

Some people think that because Monongalia County is in the center's name, it's a government agency, Capage said, but it's not. It relies entirely on community support.

100 + People Who Care Goldberg said that when he worked in Pittsburgh, he participated in a group called 100 Men Who Care. They would meet to nominate three charities, vote on one and give $100 per member to the charity receiving the most votes.

He came back to Morgantown and met so many people who wanted to give, he said. "I thought, 'Wouldn't this be great ?'"

They called it 100 + People Who Care to reflect that men and women can give, he said. They get together quarterly—live and on Zoom during the pandemic. They held their first post-pandemic live meeting last month and chose the Child Advocacy Center, collecting $4, 000. There's no group overhead—it all goes to the selected charity.

Past recipients include PACE, United Way, Bartlett House, Empty Bowls and Meals on Wheels. They give only to local charities, not national groups.

The group has about 100 members, he said, but not all can give every time. "We want more and more people to join."

Those interested can learn more about 100 + People Who Care at its website, 100pluspeople.org.

TWEET David Beard @dbeardtdp EMAIL dbeard @dominionpost.com

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