On Tuesday, March 4, 2025, we were excited to announce at our 27th annual Pancake Lunch that we've reached a momentous milestone. Our waitlist has been wiped out!
We are grateful for the wonderful media coverage of this big announcement, and how there is still much work to be done! This includes this CTV News Kitchener feature, Rogers TV feature, Waterloo Region Record article, and CambridgeToday article. Our Executive Director, Robin, Heald, was also interviewed on AM 570's Mike Farwell Show and Bounce FM's Mornings with Angie & Sarge.
In August of 2022, for the first time in our over 40-year history, we began a waitlist for kids and their families. The galvanizing #MeToo movement grew the volume of sexual abuse victims coming forward to far beyond our agency’s capacity. Compounding that, the impact of Covid on fundraising caused our agency to downsize through attrition. During the pandemic, the timeframe for the judicial process almost doubled which increased the cost for service for each child and the number of years that they were clients.
A waitlist is devastating, because it has immediate and long-term impact on the wellbeing and life-trajectory of young survivors who don't receive support when it’s needed most.
In response, our agency launched a major campaign in November 2023 called Child Victims Can’t Wait, with the mission of eliminating the waitlist. The goal is to raise $2.5 million over five years to meet the high demand for our services. And the community has stepped up and come together to increase support through this crisis.
Our Executive Director, Robin Heald, explained, “There are so many who have been champions for our cause that have helped us bounce back as an organization. Former and faithful donors and supporters came to the table and helped make it happen. Local MPs and MPPs supported our grant writing by adding their voices to our request. We simply could not have done it alone and we’re so grateful for every moment and dollar that people invested in us.”
Much credit for overcoming the waitlist goes to the hard work and dedication of our frontline staff to push through this time of adversity. One such person is Laura Cook, Caseworker, who was recognized at the Pancake Lunch for her recent 25th anniversary at Child Witness Centre. She has helped hundreds of children, youth, and families in her tenure.
On an ongoing basis, the waitlist may come back if our agency doesn’t reach our campaign goal or if we have an influx of cases – among other possible hurdles. For example, children and their caregivers are more likely to report abuse just before or after a school holiday. Each school holiday sees a corresponding surge in referrals to our programs. The waitlist may be seen again as we strive to grow the skills and revenue to manage these waves, the community’s rapid population growth, and emerging crime trends. Ongoing diligence and fundraising are needed to build a strong and stable service with continuous availability to manage intake.
For those who care to invest time or funds to support our Child Victims Can’t Wait campaign, please contact Linda Mark, Development Manager, at linda.mark@childwitness.com.