From the Deputy Director's Desk:
Fall is upon us and we’re heading into a typically busier time of year for us here at the Amani Center. As kids return to school and interact with a broader range of trusted adults and mandatory reporters, there tends to be an upward trend of child abuse reports to the statewide hotline (and locally). While no one celebrates our community’s children suffering from any form of child maltreatment or victimization, we ARE happy to have kids and families receiving services that help create safe and stable environments where they can thrive. We are always looking for ways to best serve the kids who need us.
As you may have heard, the Amani Center is working towards building a new permanent home where our agency can continue to serve children and families with our existing services and resources, as well as expand into internal therapy services, prevention and education endeavors, and a more robust collaboration with community partners in addressing child abuse, neglect, and trafficking of Columbia County’s children. A piece of property has been donated and received, the building plans have been completed, initial pre-planning investment and commitments have been made by dedicated donors, and we recently learned that our Community Initiative Project grant through the federal appropriations process has been approved through federal subcommittee and been included in the 2025 federal budget, awaiting passage in Congress.
We’re celebrating this accomplishment and big step towards funding the new space we desperately require to meet our community’s needs and growth. And while this award is merely a portion of what is needed to fully fund the project (20% of the $5.2M overall project that includes pre-construction, construction, furnishings & fixtures, and program expansion expenses), it is a great testament to the commitment of our legislators and their desire to invest in our rural Oregon community. This indication of funding allows us to move forward with additional grant applications and fundraising endeavors to get us closer to our financial goal and the reality of a new building where children and families can receive expanded services, and where we can continue to grow our impact in combating child abuse in our community.
We look forward to updating you further about this project. If you plan to attend the Hullabaloo fundraiser on Saturday, September 14th, we will also have a display table sharing the floor plans, site location, and project goals. Stop by to check it out in person. If you have questions about this project, please contact me directly at bpulito@amanicenter.org. I’d be happy to share more!
Warmly,
Beth Pulito, Deputy Director
What's New?
We are excited to share that the Amani Center has added new members to our growing team! In the last several weeks, we have filled six positions, all of which are direct service roles that provide services to children and families in our community. These positions also support our community partners in developing a coordinated response to child abuse and domestic trafficking.
Our new team members:
Alicia – Victim Advocate
Carissa – Domestic Trafficking Victim Coordinator
Fawn – Victim Advocate
Jennifer – Assessment Program Manager
Katelyn – Forensic Interviewer
Natasha – Victim Advocate
The Domestic Trafficking Victim Coordinator is a new title at the Amani Center. This limited duration grant-funded position, funded by the National Children’s Alliance, is set up to help establish a response to domestic trafficking in our community, and to also develop training and education for our Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) partners to implement a planned response.
As our team grows, the plans for our Capital Campaign remain at the forefront of our minds. A new Amani Center building would allow us to expand our services and staff, providing necessary accommodation to meet the needs of our community. You can help to make these plans a reality by joining the Amani Center Circle of Friends to become a financial supporter of child abuse victims.
September Spotlight:
With our annual Hullabaloo Dinner fundraiser coming up this month, this is the perfect time to focus on one of the key supporters of the Hullabaloo, Clairissa Davison. We asked Clairissa to share a bit about herself and her personal history with the Amani Center, and this is what she had to say:
“My connection with the Amani Center started way back when I was a college student. I was lucky enough to be an intern and to learn about “family support”. After graduation I accepted the position as Intake Specialist and was trained to be a forensic interviewer as well. Now, I am a stay-at-home mom to my three kiddos and I am so thankful to be connected to the Amani Center via their biggest fundraiser, the Hullabaloo. For the last several years I have organized the “dessert dash”, collecting baked goods from donors throughout the county. The Amani Center is such a needed organization and so, so dear to my heart.”
The Amani Center is truly grateful for compassionate and committed volunteers like Clairissa, who give of their time, effort and resources to support child abuse victims. Thank you, Clairissa!
We are also appreciative of each volunteer, supporter and advocate of the Center, who works to defend and protect our community’s children. Many of those supporters may be reading this now, and we want you to know that the work that we do would not be possible without your caring heart for kids, and your dedication to giving child abuse victims a voice.
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, September 5th – Pints for Nonprofits
Join us on Thursday, September 5th at the Crooked Creek Brewery in St. Helens for a “Pints for Nonprofits” fundraiser from 2:00 – 10:00 p.m. Crooked Creek will donate $2.00 to the Amani Center for every beer sold all day, including pints, to-go crowlers and “buy a friend a beer” cards. Bring the whole family to this kid-friendly (until 9:00 p.m.), dog-friendly event for a great cause and enjoy some delicious food, refreshing beers, nonalcoholic offerings and beautiful scenery on the St. Helens Riverfront.
Friday, September 6th – Bingo
The weekly Friday night Bingo fundraiser meets next on September 6th at 6:00 p.m. at the Ol’ Pastime Tavern in Rainer. Bring a friend and enjoy a night out with delicious food, beverages and your chance to win big while supporting the Amani Center. Bingo dabbers are provided, or you may bring your own. There’s also a progressive bingo growing each week until someone wins it! See you there!
Saturday, September 14th – Hullabaloo Car Show & Dinner Fundraiser
We invite you to a day of family fun at the Hullabaloo Car Show fundraiser! Join us at the Columbia County Fairgrounds on Saturday, September 14th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Attendance is free to spectators, and there will be food trucks on site. The cost to enter a car in the show is $20.00 per vehicle. Contact Fundraising and Event Coordinator Monica Rush to enter your car.
Later that day, the annual Hullabaloo Dinner will also take place onsite at the Fairgrounds. Secure your tickets now for the dinner, with the event program kicking off at 5:00 p.m. Come for an evening of delicious food, exceptional entertainment, auctions, raffles and more! Tables are available now to buy with a variety of sponsorship options, as well. Visit the Amani Center website to reserve your table. Also, we send a big “thank you” to our Elite Champion Sponsor of the Hullabaloo, InRoads Credit Union.
Monday, September 16th – Bunco
Don’t miss our monthly Bunco fundraiser night coming up on Monday, September 16th at 6:00 p.m. at the Ol’ Pastime Tavern in Rainer. The cost is $15.00, so roll the dice and have some fun with a chance to win prizes, all while showing your support for the Amani Center. This event is sponsored by RE/MAX Power Pros Agent Dennis O’Brien.