Augusta and Child Enrichment, Inc. – Making Groundbreaking Impact

You don’t have to look far to spot heroes in Augusta. Whether sponsoring charitable 5K races, delivering gift packages to kids in the burn center at Doctor’s Hospital, or lending a strong voice to champion child advocacy, team members in Augusta show up to lend a helping hand and embody the spirit of ACU’s 3rd pillar, our community.

The Augusta team knows that a small group of dedicated individuals can make a powerful impact in their community. They understand that big results happen when there is a year-round commitment to creating positive change.

That’s why this past March, the Augusta team sponsored and attended the first-ever Run the Runway 5K, at the Augusta Regional Airport and helped raise $25,000 to support the mission of Forces United, a nonprofit organization working to increase the wellbeing of veterans and their families. 

This commitment also explains why, during last year’s United Way campaign, 100% of the Augusta team contributed to the overall fundraising goal, pledging more than $2,600 to further the life-saving work done through this important agency.

One selfless act at a time, employees in Augusta identify problems and deliver solutions. They plant seeds of hope and bring smiles to the smallest of faces. When help is needed, team members rally to create brighter days for individuals facing dark times and unthinkable tragedies.

The Augusta team generously gives their time and energy to assist organizations that strive to create healthier communities by protecting and caring for the most vulnerable, particularly young children. 
With one of the highest trafficking rates in Georgia, Richmond County likely sees more child abuse than most counties, ranking just below Dekalb and Fulton. The statistics are startling, but you become a change agent in this dire situation when you support the ACU Foundation.  

During a recent Child Enrichment Inc. tour, Kari Viola-Brooke, the Executive Director, humbly shared how CEI in Augusta creates safe places for children “to tell.” She showed the team a small interview area where young victims often wait days after an incident has been reported before speaking with a caseworker due to a lack of available interview rooms.

Hearts dropped as Ms. Viola-Brooke took the team to the tidy, carefully monitored waiting area, where offenders and victims often risk seeing each other due to limited space and cramped conditions. What a terrifying scenario for a child. 

In 2021, CEI served more than 1,000 children in need of help, and so far this year, the staff has seen an unprecedented 70% increase in cases of abuse, abandonment, neglect, and trafficking of children. Someone must stand in the gap for these innocent children. Someone must be their advocate. 
In March, the Augusta team presented a check for $15,000 to CEI, on behalf of the ACU Foundation, to help mitigate the harm being done to our community’s children and contribute to construction costs of the new $6.5 million Child Enrichment Headquarters.   
The larger, state-of-the-art facility will have multiple interview rooms, a therapy room, an onsite medical room, and a training room, allowing CEI staff to conduct forensic interviews quicker, confidentially, and more efficiently.

On April 20th, ACU team members attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility and witnessed vision turn into reality.
Thank you, ACU family, for talking the talk and walking the walk. With your support, our Foundation partners see their biggest dreams come true. 

Because you care enough to support the foundation, lives are changed forever, and each day, through your service and philanthropy, you prove that love is a superpower. 

DONATE TO THE ACU FOUNDATION