The Alex & Brandon Child Safety Center of Brainerd hosted its Community Fundraiser Challenge and raised more than $30,000 to continue providing services to families in crisis within Region Five and beyond.
With support from businesses, individuals and service clubs, the fundraiser took place May 3 at Dennis Drummond Wine Co. and featured entertainment provided by the Brainerd School District jazz band, raffles and hors d'oeuvres.
Among the donations was a $9,000 check from Brainerd Area Sertoma.
"These funds were from Sertoma Winter Wonderland's success this year," stated club President Karen Munsterteiger in a news release. "Thank you to the community for supporting Winter Wonderland and a huge shout out to this great organization that does so much for people in need. There is a saying that givers gain, which is so true!"
Shannon Wussow, executive director of the Mid-Minnesota Women's Center, which operates the safety center, stated she was amazed by the generosity of guests at the fundraiser, the release stated.
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"The support of all of our sponsors and donors and the dedication of all our staff and volunteers is what made the event such a success," Wussow stated. "We feel fortunate to have been able to celebrate everyone who cares about our organization."
Linnea Ames, program manager at the Alex & Brandon Child Safety Center, stated: "We want to thank all the people who attended and donated to our organization, especially Kevin Thesing of Lakes Printing. We have a team in Brainerd, which supports families in crisis across the region, so this money will really help children receive the vital support and services we provide."
The Alex & Brandon Child Safety Center is a family-friendly place where families in crisis can visit with each other in safety 365 days a year. This includes children and their parents who have been involved in an abusive relationship and/or conflict over visitation. The center also welcome parents who are allowed contact with their children in foster care to arrange to visit them at the center.
The center is named after 4- and 5-year-old brothers who attended the organization's children's support group before their father murdered them during an unsupervised visit.
"Our hope is that having a safe space available for supervised visits will prevent other families from experiencing such a devastating loss," the release stated.
