The other day I received an email from the Philadelphia Children’s Alliance (PCA). For those who don’t know, the PCA is a not-for-profit agency whose sole mission is child advocacy and achieves that mission through a collaborative effort with various Philadelphia governmental agencies (the Philadelphia Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office, Youth & Family Services, etc.) and medical professionals (especially mental health and counseling professionals). In a past life, my former employer had adopted the PCA as our local charity not long after the PCA was formed. Now, some 20 years later, the PCA has evolved into an organization that has the capacity to provide services to over 2,000 children and their families, annually.

As a not-for-profit, the PCA relies on the fine people of the Delaware Valley to provide additional funding to enable the PCA to work to achieve their mission. As part of their fund-raising efforts, they have coordinated with several establishments to spread the word in the lead up to their signature fundraising event, the Bear Affair. As April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, I ask that you patronize these establishments and consider the PCA as a not-for-profit that is certainly worthy of both your time and attention.

Below is the email from Chris Kirchner, PCA Executive Director, that I mentioned at the beginning of this post which outlines all of the goings-on in the lead up to the Bear Affair…

Happy Spring, Friends!

As front-line responders to the more than 3,000 reports of child sexual abuse in Philadelphia every year, PCA is shining a light on April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. We’ve partnered with some really generous and civic-minded establishments in the Greater Philadelphia Area to increase awareness around this important issue and to raise funds to support our work.

Take Roy-Pitz Barrel House on 9th and Spring Garden Streets. They’ve just tapped a new beer called Castle Lager, and for every glass sold during the month they’re donating a portion of those proceeds to PCA.

Then there’s Root Down Brewing Company in Phoenixville, PA and Veda Restaurant at 19th and Chestnut Streets. Both restaurants are asking their patrons to add a dollar or more to their bill’s total. They’re calling it “Buck Up to End Child Sexual Abuse.”

Next is Artisan Homebrew in Downingtown, PA. Artisan Homebrew is the collection point for home brewers and breweries, and they are asking their patrons to donate bottles of beer to create a huge basket to be auctioned off at our biggest fundraiser, the Bear Affair, on Thursday, May 2.

Town Tap in Havertown, PA is taking a different approach. On Tuesday, April 16, they’re hosting a happy hour for PCA and 20% of that evening’s proceeds will also go to our place.

In fact, all of these places of business have donated special items to be auctioned off at the Bear Affair . Yet one more reason you won’t want to miss this spectacular event.

So join us throughout the month of April for good food, good drink, and a great cause. We’ll be posting details throughout the month on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If you haven’t already, click the links below to follow us!

Visit these fine establishments, tell your friends and families about these events, and help us to bring attention to this issue that is worth all of our attention.

Cheers,

Chris Kirchner

Executive Director