Safe Passage Children’s Advocacy Center had news to share with the community at its annual spring fundraising luncheon The Thread Throughout on April 17.

As of January, the nonprofit in place to help young victims of abuse or sexual assault through their cases has added in-house mental health services with the addition of two therapists, including Clinical Director Nicole Eckles.

The Iuppa Award, which was presented to UCHealth forensic nursing team Sarah Hagedorn and Andi Greco, carries the name of the late Judge Barney Iuppa, and his family, including widow Char, was present. The beloved jurist helped establish the Children’s Advocacy Center in 1994 as a place outside the judicial building, police department or hospital where child victims could safely be interviewed by law enforcement or examined medically. As cases proceeded, often families and victims had to go from place to place for many interviews, which sometimes changed in the retelling.

In 2020, plans were in place for the center to be larger than a downtown Victorian house for all agencies in a child’s case to be in one location and Safe Passage opened in 2021.

On the city’s west side on Robinson Street, site of the luncheon, Safe Passage is the state’s only co-located center where victims can tell what happened to them in one kid-friendly place. Together are Colorado Springs Police Department Child Crimes Unit, UCHealth, El Paso County Department of Human Services, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Safe Passage and Kidpower.

The luncheon event, hosted by KOAA’s Brie Groves, included videos explaining a center experience and the importance of needed mental health services for victims.

Maureen Basenberg, Safe Passage executive director, and board President Anna de Wit announced that $25,000 raised had a matching donation grant from Russell Grinnell Trust.

After lunch, guests were invited to tour the colorful center and visit with those with offices there.