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Gift cards from major retailers will give children, families a hand up during their recovery

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 19, 2017) – Family & Children’s Place is launching its Care Card program. And while the launch is taking place in the run-up to the end of year holidays – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa – the program is planned year-around to give some extra help to families who come to Family & Children’s Place to report, escape and recover from violence, abuse and neglect.

“Children and families we work with face issues that are incomprehensible to most of us,” said Pam Darnall, president and CEO of the child abuse prevention and treatment agency. “Violence, child physical and sexual abuse, neglect, problems in school and at home that threaten safety and security.

“At these times, and especially around the holidays, families are focused not on giving their children stuff, but rather getting them help,” she said, adding that many also lack the resources to take care of basic needs, let alone a joy-filled Christmas.

The Care Card will help fill gaps many families affected by abuse may face as they navigate from hurting to healing.

“We’re asking people to help children and families on their journey to recovery by purchasing and donating $25 gift cards to Family & Children’s Place,” said Janet Tinsley, program coordinator. Cards from MasterCard, VISA, Kohl’s, Kroger, Target or Walmart are best, she said, “because our families already shop at these stores, so they are convenient to them.”

The agency will provide donated cards to client families to use to purchase the things they need most. For some it might be diapers for their newborn; or games or toys to entertain, amuse or stimulate development. Others may need shoes, socks, or jackets for coming cold days, transportation to a counseling session, or food to help kids stay strong during their ordeal.

Care Cards empower families to help themselves, Darnall said; they give a hand up to the help and hope the children and families need to recover fully from abuse.

“There’s no wrapping, no worries about batteries or color or if it’s age appropriate,” said Darnall. “It’s the perfect gift every time, which is why this isn’t just a holiday-centric program. It begins now, but we will be asking the community to help these people year-around because child abuse knows no season.”

Donated gift cards can be dropped off at the Family & Children’s Place campus, at 5^th and Kentucky streets, or its southwest Louisville office at 1800 Neville Dr., or at its Indiana offices, 2818 Grant Line Rd., in New Albany, or 100 W. Court Ave., in Jeffersonville.

A Care Card is a gift of good – a gift that is always the right size, which never disappoints, and never returned.

For information, call 502-893-3900, ext. 265.

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About Family & Children’s Place
Family & Children’s Place protects Kentuckiana children, families and communities from abuse, neglect, and exploitation and helps them heal. The organization has supported families for nearly 135 years and helps more than 6,000 children and family members annually. For more information, visit www.famchildplace.org or call 502-893-3900.