Cordele advocacy center needs your help in celebrating 20 years of serving South Georgia

CORDELE, Ga. – The Gateway Center Inc. in Cordele is a non-profit dedicated to providing services for children in suspected child abuse and for all the victims of sexual assault. And right now, the organization is celebrating 20 years of serving the communities of Crisp, Dooly, Wilcox, Ben Hill counties, and South Georgia with services aimed towards these vulnerable victims.

Malcolm King (left) and Katie Rumsey (Right)

“And through those services we’re really able to provide skill sets for them to become survivors,” says SANE coordinator Katie Rumsey.

The Gateway Center served over 300 victims and provided over 1,000 therapy sessions to victims and their families this past year. And victims never pay for any services.

For their 20th anniversary, the center is requesting donations through their 20 for 20 campaign to go towards those services and supplies.

“It’s to provide care packages for these victims, often times a sexual assault victim comes in and we have to take their clothes and turn those over to law enforcement as evidence so they’re literally left with nothing and often times they want to shower and bathe and so we provide a place to do that as well. So we would use that money to provide services to our victims.”

Throughout the pandemic, the center has experienced a lull in incoming victims but they expect to be as busy as ever with schools reopening.

“Sexual assault doesn’t stop during a pandemic, domestic violence does not stop during a pandemic and actually studies show that it’s gotten worse. Often times these victims are at home with their perpetrators and so when schools reopen and when life reopens 100% we expect to see a huge influx of patients and so we ask that you remember that and consider donating to us.”

There are a number of ways to donate at this time and doing so would help ensure that the center remains a beacon for the community.

Malcolm King, outreach coordinator, says “Anything we can do to help someone become a survivor is what we want to do.”