The Mary Manning Centre
The Mary Manning Centre (MMC) - or as it’s known by its formal title - The Child Abuse Prevention and Counseling Society of Greater Victoria (CAPCS) is the sole nonprofit provider of therapy and victim services for children and youth in Greater Victoria who have experienced sexual abuse.
The MMC’s Executive Director, Fred Ford, summed up the role of the centre. “The centre was created to prevent sexual abuse and assist those to whom it has happened.”
The Society was founded by Mary Manning who, in 1984, began counseling services to assist child survivors of sexual abuse and to deal with the sad and tragic reality of child sexual abuse in our midst – a sensitive issue that most people aren’t comfortable talking about let alone dealing with.
The MMC serves more than 200 children between the ages of 3 to 19 (and their families) annually. It provides therapy and support to children who were abused as well as all non-offending family members affected by the abuse. The MMC staff work with families, schools, police and professionals in family services, child protection and community living services to ensure a coordinated, holistic approach to supporting children and families.
The MMC provides two main programs; the first, therapy and victim assistance with therapy services comprises 70% of the MMC’s activity. The remaining 30% is dedicated to victim assistance. The MMC’s victim assistance program provides courtroom preparation services that involve making the court appearance of sexually abused children less traumatic an experience than it already is. The court preparation is devoted to the emotional and procedural aspects of a courtroom experience and does not involve the legal elements of the case.
The MMC consists of 8 to 9 full-time staff members – the executive director, the clinical coordinator, the receptionist, book keeper, 6 therapists, and 2 victim assistance workers. It was due to a funding crisis resulting in staff lay-offs that prompted donors to respond with a Victoria Foundation grant aimed at keeping the therapists employed and available on a full-time basis.
The Victoria Foundation’s grant had an immediate impact on the MMC. “The donations received from the Victoria Foundation were a huge part of what enabled us to hire back therapists and to communicate that the citizens of Victoria support the right of our children to receive treatment in a timely way,“ added Fred Ford. The Victoria Foundation also played a key role in bringing the MMC’s situation to the attention of donors who wanted to play a direct (albeit anonymous) role in keeping the centre’s essential community service intact.
As a result of the Victoria Foundation’s assistance, Fred Ford had only praise for the Foundation and its CEO, Sandra Richardson. “The Victoria Foundation did exactly what they claim to do in their motto and this really was a case of connecting people who care with causes that matter.”
