LACASA Center has been awarded a $24,750 grant from the Diane & Bruce Halle Foundation, which is part of the Discount Tire Michigan’s Driven to Care philanthropic program.
The Halle Foundation/Discount Tire grant provides critical funding for LACASA’s nationally certified Child Advocacy Center and its interactive therapies program.
“This grant is a wonderful gift for our Children’s Program,” said Elizabeth Stahl, LACASA’s vice president of children’s services. “It is enabling the agency to replenish and purchase critical tools and resources that will assist our counselors when providing appropriate therapeutic interventions that support children who are healing from trauma.”
LACASA’s interactive therapies program is designed to enhance children’s ability to express themselves during the therapeutic process. The program aligns with LACASA’s diversity, equity and inclusion objectives to compassionately address the individual communication needs of children who have special needs or who are at varying developmental stages.
The Halle Foundation grant funds are being used to update, replace and enhance various interactive materials and therapeutic tools in three brand new, dedicated rooms in LACASA’s Children’s Advocacy Center. These rooms are named the Sand Room, Puppet Room, and Children’s Group Activities Room. New furnishings also have been purchased, including seating and tables that accommodate children up to 18 years.
Six therapists with master’s degrees in social work are employed at LACASA, and they serve hundreds of children in Livingston County each year. These therapists use evidence-based approaches that have been proven effective for young people affected by trauma. In 2022 and throughout 2023 thus far, LACASA’s counselors have provided more than 1,500 hours of counseling services to help children recover from trauma and interpersonal violence.
The interactive therapies initiative assists child abuse victims in sharing their personal narratives through the use of therapeutic tools. Youth of all ages benefit from interactive therapies, which help them learn how to give voice to their experiences, express their feelings through therapeutic activities, and learn valuable coping skills as they heal from trauma.
“We are grateful to the Halle Foundation and the Discount Tire Driven to Care program for this generous grant,” said Bobette Schrandt, LACASA’s president & CEO. “Our children’s therapy program has gone without new supplies and therapeutic tools for years. We are thrilled that our counselors now have the most up-to-date resources they need to help children and youth overcome the trauma of abuse.”
LACASA’s expanded children’s resource room, thanks to the Halle Foundation, is available 24/7 and provides LACASA counselors with a broad spectrum of tools and materials to utilize during individual and group counseling sessions.
For more information about LACASA’s programs for victims and survivors of child abuse, visit lacasacenter.org.
