ROCKY MOUNT, Va. – The Southern Virginia Child Advocacy Center aims to raise $20,000 through its milestone 20th annual Johnny CASA Race this Saturday, supporting crucial services for children facing abuse or neglect in the region.
The event, featuring both a five-miler and 5K run/walk options, kicks off at 9 a.m. in Rocky Mount. More than 250 participants have already registered, with organizers hoping for an even larger turnout to support their cause.
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“This is something very close to my heart, and so what can be better than helping children?” said Race Director Johnny Nolen.
The Southern Virginia Child Advocacy Center serves about 800 people annually across Franklin, Henry, Patrick, and Pittsylvania Counties, as well as Martinsville. In the past year alone, from December to the present, the center has provided support to roughly 540 children.
The center offers comprehensive services, including:
- Medical examinations for children who have experienced physical or sexual assault
- Therapy
- Forensic interviews in specialized facilities
- Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program
The center continuously seeks volunteers for various roles, ranging from working directly at the facility to serving as Court-Appointed Special Advocates, also known as CASAs. CASAs play a vital role in investigating reported child abuse cases and making recommendations to juvenile courts on behalf of affected children.
“To see the change and the growth and the opportunities that have come about because our community has a child advocacy center and a CASA program, excellent,” said the non-profit’s Executive Officer, Joyce Moran.
Moran also said it’s important for people to pay close attention to signs of child abuse.
“So, children who may always have the physical indicators, the marks, the cuts, the bruises. Those are things that you truly can pay attention to, emotional changes, behavioral changes, sleep pattern changes, children not performing at the same level academically, those are things that may indicate. They’re not always going to be an indicator, but for someone to pay attention that something may be going on,” said Moran.