Make a Family Legacy Gift and Keep Every Child Safe, Healthy, and Happy!

In the 1980s, amid rising concerns for the well-being of children in La Porte County, a group of dedicated professionals from healthcare, law enforcement, the Prosecutor's Office, and social services, along with community stakeholders, united with a common goal—to be the voice for those in our community who didn't have one. This marked the birth of Dunebrook, a grassroots effort with a vision to raise awareness about the prevalence of child abuse and neglect.

Through the years, Dunebrook has flourished, thanks to the generosity of grant makers, families in our community, and the unwavering dedication of our staff and volunteers. In 2022 alone, Dunebrook served nearly 40,000 individuals through parenting classes, home visitation, child sexual abuse prevention education, forensic interviewing, and family advocacy—all provided free of charge.

As we approach October 2024, Dunebrook will proudly celebrate 35 years of service to the vision that all children in our community can be safe, healthy, and happy. To mark this milestone, I'd like to share a poignant story from Mrs. Cristina Jones, a valued member of the Dunebrook Healthy Families Home Visiting Staff for over 13 years:

"Dunebrook helped me when I was a mom of two young children, from a different country, and feeling socially isolated. I learned so much from the Healthy Families Home Visitation Program. In 2010, I decided it was time for me to help other moms that perhaps were in a similar situation. My dream for Dunebrook is that our programs and services will continue for years to come, making a difference in the community and in people's lives through education, resources, and the prevention of child abuse and neglect."

– Mrs. Cristina Jones, Healthy Families Family Support Specialist

Cristina’s story is just one of many examples of the profound impact and legacy of Dunebrook programs and services over the past 34 years. Our ability to offer these services free of charge is made possible by the exceptional generosity of our grant makers and donors.

One of these donors is the Robert Nielsen family. Keeping children safe from abuse is the Nielsen family’s passion. Their hope is to motivate other donors and community members with the ability to give to help Dunebrook secure the resources needed to meet the growing demand for family support and child advocacy services. The Nielsen's have generously gifted $20,000 to Dunebrook and their wish is to use this gift to inspire other gifts to raise a total $40,000 for our programs by December 31, 2023.

You may have heard the exciting news that Dunebrook recently received a grant awarded from Lilly Endowment Inc. This three-year grant will enable us to expand mental health services for children interviewed at Dunebrook’s Child Advocacy Center and allow us to expand our Body Safety Program to new schools in counties surrounding La Porte County. We attribute this grant to the partnerships and trust we have been able to build over the last 35 years in our community.

This holiday season, we invite you to join us in making a difference. Your donation to Dunebrook is more than a financial contribution—it is a pledge to stand against child abuse and a commitment to building a community where the well-being of every child is a shared responsibility. Regardless of the amount, every gift is appreciated and will help us reach our goal of $40,000 as we embark on the next 35 years of the Dunebrook story, promising more growth and expansion to meet the pressing needs of the families in our community.

To ensure your donation is matched and doubles the impact for families, we kindly request that we receive it by December 31, 2023.

Thank you for considering how you can support local families and make a positive impact on their family stories. To learn about the impact we had in 2022, please see 'Dunebrook At A Glance - Our Impact in 2022'. Thank you for your generosity it fuels our mission and helps build a brighter future for the children in our community.

DUNEBROOK AT A GLANCE - OUR IMPACT IN 2022

Dunebrook Supporting Families For Over 34 Years - When Dunebrook’s founders created Dunebrook 34 years ago, child abuse prevention was still a novel idea. We are now reaching more than 36,000 people every year.

Dunebrook’s mission is to advocate for children and provide positive family support and education:

Child Advocacy Center (CAC) - The CAC conducts forensic interviews of children who have reported abuse or have witnessed a crime. The purpose of the interview is to obtain information from a child about abuse allegations that will support accurate and fair decision making by the multidisciplinary team, which is comprised of professionals from law enforcement, child protective services, prosecution, medical, mental health, and the CAC. The CACs Family Advocate supports families to reduce trauma, give up to date information, and ongoing access to comprehensive service which is critical to a child and family's comfort and ability to participate in an ongoing investigation, possible prosecution, and intervention and treatment.

In 2022:

• 398 forensic interviews were conducted and the Family Advocate served 318 people
• The CAC served individuals in LaPorte, Porter, Starke and Pulaski counties.

Healthy Families LaPorte Co. - Home visitation services for expectant parents and families with children to age 5 who reside in LaPorte Co. and are enrolled within 90 days of birth. Parenting and child development education, goal-setting, developmental screening and linkages to community resources are just a few of the many benefits of this nationally accredited program.