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Bella Butterflies is a non-profit Foundation concentrating on aiding children ages 1 through 17 who have been affected by incest, molestation, sexual abuse physical abuse, and pregnancy due to these factors. We are located in Summerville, SC serving Charleston, and Dorchester Counties. We will be providing assistance to children in need after experiencing the above-mentioned acts. Bella Butterflies will provide clothing, transportation to court appointments, Sheriff’s Department reporting, Police reporting, hospital intake for medical evaluations, lawyer appointments, medical treatment, counseling sessions, therapy sessions, and Advocate Assistance appointments. We will assist the client in filling out the many forms to help the client with their court case or other paperwork.

 

Assisting the child

We want to help the client obtain therapy or whatever is needed to aid in the healing process. We offer support and compassion to help the client feel as safe as needed. Our organization will contact other organizations to assist in supplying emergency shelter for the client and his/her family during the initial intake process in an undisclosed, safe place where the perpetrator will not have contact with or find the child.   We will have a clothes bank for the client and family as most of our clients will be coming to us with just the clothes they are wearing. We will supply personal hygiene products for the client and family. Our organization has many referrals to help the family in transition. Volunteers (Interns from Trident Technical College majoring in Human Services) will accompany our clients to their appointments. A volunteer will be assigned to each case so the clients will have stability, and build a rapport with the volunteer. The idea of this is that the client will feel comfortable with the volunteer and not have to relive the experience with each visit. We hope that the client opens up to the volunteer and gives as much detail as to what happened to them so we have a thorough idea as to how we can aid the authorities in the apprehension of the perpetrator. Bella Butterflies will also support the parents of the client with support groups, educational classes, sexual abuse classes (D2L curriculum), and what to look for, referrals for Lawyers, counselors, therapists, churches and many other community referrals that the family might need. We will have someone on call 24 hours a day so someone will always be available for our clients and their families. We also have volunteers that will stay with the families for a few days until the child feels safe again if needed.

 

Educational classes

Once a month, Bella Butterflies will teach the “Stewards of Children.” This is by the Darkness to Light Foundation. I personally have taken all the classes and am now an authorized Facilitator to teach this class. All of our volunteers will have taken the class also. This class is an effort to prevent sexual child abuse and to make parents aware of the signs and what to look for. This is a great program and I will teach this class more than once a month if necessary. I am also a Certified Doula and will teach childbirth education classes when needed. Also, once a month we will have different guest speakers from the sheriff’s department, therapists, etc. to come and speak to parents and address their thoughts and concerns pertaining to child sexual abuse.

 

Informal legal and other advocate assistance

Our list of referrals is plentiful. I have received overwhelming support from the community for this project, many of whom will volunteer to work with our clients offering Pro Bono work. We will assist our clients in getting the best care available to help aid in their recovery. We will connect our clients and their families with legal, financial, and medical programs along with counseling and therapy. If the family requests the volunteer caseworker to accompany them to procedures and appointments the volunteer will be happy to attend.

 

Other activities

We will conduct group therapy sessions with and without their parents. We will listen to the client’s thoughts and concerns about what had happened to them. We will stress that what happened to them was not their fault.

Each of our clients or their family will be given a packet containing our policies, a monthly calendar of events, a list of helpful referrals, a book list, and other helpful information. We will invite everyone to participate.

 

Aid to persons in need

We will have a limited food bank and clothing bank to provide assistance to clients who are in need of these things. If the family needs to relocate due to the perpetrator we will assist with home furnishings also.

 

Music and Dance Therapy

 

We will have dance classes each week, and form a choir so the children have something to look forward to each week. This will also give them something to look forward to participating in and also to get their minds off of what is going on around them.

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We need your help with funding our foundation, to donate please go to our donation website:

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Any donation amount would be greatly appreciated.

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