This month, the Marion County Hospital District (MCHD) is proud to recognize Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection, Marion County’s dedicated Children’s Advocacy Center. Since 1999, Kimberly’s Center has provided child victims of abuse and neglect a safe and comforting environment where they can begin their journey of healing, serving more than 1,300 children in 2025 alone.
Supporting Children Through Crisis: Trauma Intervention & Advocacy
When a child in Marion County enters the foster care system, the transition can be one of the most frightening moments of their young life. The Trauma Intervention & Advocacy program, made possible through the foundational support of the Marion County Hospital District, ensures no child faces that moment alone.
“The Trauma and Intervention & Advocacy program only came into being because of the support of the Marion County Hospital District,” says Kimberly’s Center Executive Director Dawn Westgate. “They helped us found that program, and have continued to support it to make sure that hundreds of children in Marion County have their physical and emotional needs met while they’re waiting for a foster care bed.”
Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Kimberly’s Center’s Child Advocates work directly alongside the Department of Children and Families to provide comfort, stability, and essential resources to children during this uncertain time. Last year, the program supported 76 children through the foster care transition process.
The impact of this work is best understood through the stories it creates. Westgate recalls a sibling group of teenage girls who came to Kimberly’s Center after being removed from their home. While staff cared for them during the transition, they arranged a trip to a nearby store to get the girls new clothing. “We overheard a conversation they were having about how they’d never had new clothes in their entire life,” Westgate shares.
“For those kids, they are going to remember that kindness and that compassion while they were scared and didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Building Safer Childhoods: The Prevention Project
When Kimberly’s Center was ready to expand its reach into prevention — keeping children from needing intervention services in the first place — the Marion County Hospital District was among the first to step in.
“MCHD was one of the first to support our ability to be in classrooms throughout Marion County, teaching kids basic body safety, online safety, and bullying prevention,” says Westgate. “We’re really only able to do those programs because of the support of the hospital district.”
Through the Prevention Project, Kimberly’s Center brings the Monique Burr Foundation’s evidence-based Child Safety Matters curriculum to children and teens in every public school in Marion County, reaching 32,621 students in the 2024-2025 school year. This comprehensive, age-appropriate program equips children and adults with universal Safety Rules covering body safety, bullying, cyberbullying, and digital dangers. The Teen Safety Matters curriculum further addresses suicide prevention and boundary safety, empowering the next generation to recognize unsafe situations and speak up when it matters most.
A Partnership That Produces Lasting Impact
“The impact of these grants goes far beyond what we’re able to put on paper,” says Westgate.
“We know that the long-term impacts of childhood trauma are significant, not just for mental health, but also for physical health. The more we are able to intervene with kids while they’re going through active trauma, or prevent it in the first place, the better their outcomes are going to look on so many different scales.”
The Marion County Hospital District is proud to partner with Kimberly’s Center for Child Protection in support of these vital programs.
To learn more about Kimberly’s Center and how you can get involved, visit kimberlyscenter.org.
