At any given time in Houston, there are over 5,000 kids in the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS), having been taken from their homes based on suspected severe abuse or neglect. Just try to picture what a group of 5,000 kids would look like. Child Advocates is a charity dedicated to helping those kids.
{Note: The kids in these pictures are NOT kids in CPS custody — these are just cute Houston kids whose parents brought them to participate in a fundraiser that benefits abused kids! For obvious reasons, pictures of the kids being served by Child Advocates are not made public.}
Saturday morning, hundreds of runners — many dressed like their favorite comic book superhero — came out to CityCentre to raise money for Child Advocates of Houston. I was proud and honored to be the chairman of the first (hopefully annual) Child Advocates Superheroes Run, presented by MRE Consulting.
Child Advocates recruits, trains and supports a small army of about 750 volunteer Advocates, each one generally assigned to one or two kids in CPS custody. The Advocates’ primary role is to roll up their sleeves, talk to and work with the kids, parents, relatives, neighbors, and counselors, and to help CPS and the Courts to figure out how to resolve each child’s unique situation and get them — somehow — safely out of CPS custody. The mission is to break the “cycle” of child abuse — whereby abused kids too often grow up to be abusive parents. Child Advocates is almost thirty years old, so there are now many thousands of heartwarming stories of how Advocates have changed (and even saved) lives.
My being “chairman” of an event means that other dedicated, smart, and generous people do tons of work and give lots of money to make the event successful, and then at the end, I’m the guy who gets a plaque. For my friends, it meant they got their arms twisted to sponsor, donate, volunteer and/or run in the event — so THANKS to all those who did (including especially my buddies at MRE — the title sponsor). I spent most of the morning glamorously hauling food and fence panels, setting up tents, taking people’s money, handing out T-shirts and bossing around other (wonderful!) volunteers. But of course I brought my camera along — and shooting cute pictures at such an event is like shooting fish in a barrel. Lots of cute kids in cute, colorful costumes. Thanks to everyone who was a part of it.
I was lucky enough to have the absolute best and perfect parents, and have enjoyed the benefits of that my entire life. It’s hard for me to even comprehend the lives of some of those abused or neglected kids, and maybe that’s why Child Advocates is the charity I most support. Disease charities (like cancer and MS) are true lifesavers, but they get tons of support from wealthy folks whose families have personal risks and experiences with the disease. Cultural charities (like the symphony) almost by definition have an affluent base of donor/patrons who like to attend. And churches or colleges always have a built-in base of members and alumni to sustain them. Abused kids don’t have much of a constituency, which is why Child Advocates exists, and why Child Advocates needs financial support. A relatively-small expenditure at such critical points in those kids’ lives can truly change everything for them. It’s a great cause.
Saturday’s Superheroes Run was a huge success — especially for a first-year event. We netted about $70,000, which should allow Child Advocates to help an extra 40 or so kids this year. If you were there (as sponsor, runner or volunteer): Thanks!! If not, we’ll see you next year. Or go here to see how you can help Child Advocates now.
The last photo in the grid above is the group of Katy School Runners, who together were a huge part of the event’s success. The man in blue crossing the finish line just above is Dru Neikirk — one of the three partners in MRE Consulting, the title sponsor of the event (the “Child Advocates Superheroes Run – Powered by MRE Consulting”). Regular visitors to jeffcotner.com already know the other two founder/partners of MRE: Shane Merz and Mike Short.
