UPDATE: $1495 of $16,000 goal raised as of July 15, 2020
IREM’s 37th annual fashion show and fundraiser that was canceled due to COVID-19 not only meant the loss of an evening gathering with friends, it also meant the loss of a substantial donation to the Child Abuse Network. For years, IREM’s fashion show has supported the Child Abuse Network in our mission to provide a multi-disciplinary team approach to child abuse investigations. By consolidating all the services needed to adequately investigate a child abuse case under one roof at the Children’s Advocacy Center, CAN significantly helps families navigate the process while reducing the trauma of reliving a traumatic event through the constant retelling of it. The IREM Fashion Show typically raises $15,000 for CAN each year, which has generously been matched by the Leinbach Company, making their regular donation to CAN each spring about $30,000.
Losing that money alone is difficult for CAN, but we’ve also lost income from our own canceled events and the economy has impacted individual donor support. But the most heartbreaking part is that the pandemic is leading to a child abuse epidemic. With children not being seen by teachers, police officers and other caring adults outside of the home, calls to the child abuse hotline have greatly decreased, and the cases that have come through are much greater in severity. We are bracing for a child abuse crisis as Oklahoma reopens and children who have been trapped in an unsafe home are visible again.
The support of our donors means so much to us right now as we know there are any number of critical causes worth your time and attention, which makes this gift even more generous. Now through Aug. 1 any gift made through the IREM Foundation’s giving page will be matched up to $1,000 by the IREM Foundation and up to $15,000 by Leinbach Companies! That’s a potential donation of $32,000 for CAN!
Please consider what you can give to help “stop the hurt and start the healing.”
