Gorge Fly Shop Blog: SafeSpace Toy Drive 2023!

Gorge Fly Shop donations Delivered to SafeSpace in their Brand new location in Hood River!

A huge "Thank You" to everyone who donated to our Toy Drive this year. We truly appreciate each and every donation.

SafeSpace Children's Advocacy center in Hood River Oregon has just moved into their brand new space at the end of December 2023. I was able to get a tour of their new facilities and really excited for their new space.

Currently SafeSpace serves the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Police and the four tribes they also serve: Umatilla, Warm Springs, Yakima, Nez Perce, in addition to serving Hood River, Wasco, Gilliam, Wheeler and Klickitat Counties.

With your donations and those from our local communities they now have the space they have needed. This new space will allow them to council more than one child at a time and still allow for complete privacy for the child and family. Plus, they now have space for onsite mental health counselors, which is a top priority and important step in healing these children.

SafeSpace CAC new building in Hood River Oregon - Look at all that space!

When children are brought in they undergo interviews by local law enforcement, investigators and others depending on the case. Sometimes a physical exam is also needed to complete the process. This used to be done at Police Stations, Doctors offices, or other official offices. Sometimes it took several days to be completed. The child had to provide the same details over and over again. Now these happen all under the same roof. With the help of modern technology these interviews are completed with the comfort of the child as their top priority. The team can obtain the information they need and the child is as comfortable as can be. It is during this time that your donations of toys, stuffed animals, blankets and the backpacks are given out.

Look our "Terry Bear" is waiting to comfort children in their brand new waiting room!

Imagine being a child that is removed from at home and brought in for evaluation or brought in by family or law enforcement. They often have very little of their own personal belongings. SafeSpace presents these children with the blankets, stuffed animals, games and backpacks that were donated by you!

"The smile on their face when they realize they get to keep what we just gave them is priceless. I wish I could share that experience with you, but just know it means so much to each child."

From a SafeSpace child advocate.

These children don't deserve to go through any of this, this is what drives our passion to do what we can to support SafeSpace. They are giving these children a fighting chance to overcome something they should never have experienced in the first place, they can get the help they need to begin the healing process.

While we call it a "Toy Drive" it's not really set to be specifically gifted to children during the Holiday Season, these gifts are given out and needed for children year round.

We have decided to continue to support SafeSpace not only during the Holiday Season but year round. There will be a spot on our website where you can make donations, and we will present SafeSpace with a check quarterly. They have some exciting fundraising planned for 2024 that we will be part of as well.

All of us at Gorge Fly Shop, and SafeSpace Children's Advocacy Center want to extend our sincere appreciation for your generosity and support.

While we are supporting a local SafeSpace CAC, these Child Advocacy centers are all across the country. This is not something that is talked about, but we owe it to our children to say something if we see something and there are resources out there to help provide support and information.

Please don't be afraid to speak up, our children deserve us to stand up for them!

Make your Donation Here