Child Protection Center gets new building

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - We need more space. That’s what leaders of an area child advocacy center have been expressing after spending the last 15 years serving youth in and around Kansas City. The center’s new building will allow for some much-needed expansion as demand is increasing.

Building demolition is underway. It’s out with the old, and in with the new at the Child Protection Center.

“The new space is 14,000 square feet that we can use to expand our services and our footprint to better serve the entire community,” said Child Protection Center president/CEO Lisa Mizell.

CPC serves Jackson, Cass, and Lafayette Counties. Last year, they saw close to 900 children for forensic interviews and therapy sessions.

“All of the children we serve have been physically or sexually abused or have witnessed violence,” Mizell said. “Being able to help them process that trauma with therapy is important. It’s vital for them to be able to tell their story in their own words through the forensic interview. Our advocacy provides wrap-around services to the families to make sure that the whole family is healing and moving forward in a way that is healthy.”

The new facility will allow the center to expand its forensic interview, advocacy, and therapy programs. Soon, it’ll debut prevention and training programs.

“We’ve outgrown the space that we’re in,” Mizell added. “We serve all those children, and all our operations and all our staff in about a 4,500 square-foot space. So, being able to move gives us the opportunity to be able to offer more and better services.”

It’s a $4.3 million project. The Child Protection Center is still looking for donors to pitch in to foot the bill.

“The kids who we serve have experienced overwhelming trauma,” said Mizell. “To be able to give them the opportunity to heal is something you can’t put a price tag on.”

If you would like to support CPC and help them reach their goal, you can visit CPCKC.org to donate. The child advocacy center hopes to be completed with the initial phase by mid-summer.

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