Black Mountain Home raises awareness for child abuse despite financial cuts

The Black Mountain Home for Children will hold a fundraising dinner in April to raise awareness for child abuse and shore up dwindling government funding.

According to the federal Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, states are now encouraged to allocate funding to preventative services rather than cottage care programs, such as the Black Mountain Home. The organization’s staff say they anticipate replacing more than $1 million annually, but first it hopes to raise $100,000 through the fundraiser.

“We want to be independent of government funding because government funding is getting less and less but there’s still more kids coming into the system,” said Jill Dasher,  a member of the Black Mountain Home’s board and the chair of the development committee.

April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and it is only fitting that the organization’s first fundraising event since the pandemic, the Hope for Children Dinner, is set for April 28. Tickets for the dinner sold out immediately, according to Loretta Shelton, director of development and community relations. Tickets for the dinner cost $150. Local organizations also contribute money through sponsorships of the event….. read more.