Midland Child Advocacy Center to Welcome Facility Dog to Support Child Victims of Abuse
Midland Child Advocacy Center (Midland CAC), formerly known as Safe and Sound Child Advocacy Center, is excited to announce a heartwarming addition to its four-person team: a professionally trained facility dog who will work directly with child victims of abuse.
The facility dog will provide comfort and familiarity to children and teens during their visit to Midland CAC for forensic interviews. Greeting children with a gently wagging tail and calmly sitting beside them, the dog will help reduce feelings of anxiety and nervousness, enhancing the overall support and care children receive during a difficult time. Cailey Brown, Forensic Interviewer with MCAC shared, “we work hard to make everyone who comes to our center feel comfortable, safe, and cared for, and this addition to our team will only strengthen those efforts. Canine advocates provide judgement-free comfort and love and can act as a stable and grounding presence during an oftentimes stressful process.” Brown added, “I can’t wait to see the positive impact this our new team member will have on the children and families we serve!”
Midland CAC expresses deep gratitude to the Exchange Club of Midland and Service Club Alliance—which includes the Midland Kiwanis Foundation, Midland Rotary Noon Club Community Needs Committee, and Midland Rotary Foundation—for their generous financial support covering start-up costs and a required $5,000 emergency fund set by Canine Advocates.
In addition to monetary support, ongoing care for the facility dog will be sustained through local partnerships:
M-20 Animal Hospital for medical care
Wysong for high-quality food
ReFURbish for grooming needs
Midland CAC would also like to thank Barker Beds, Consumers Energy, Earthbath, Kurgo, and Nylabone for donating pet and cleaning supplies to help the dog transition comfortably into its new role.
A special acknowledgment goes to Paige Mikolaiczik, former SVSU social work intern, for her dedication and vision. Paige spent countless hours developing and presenting her “Facility Dog Pitch” to Midland CAC’s board of directors, who unanimously approved the implementation of her project.
“This is an example of how a strong community can come together to make a collective impact. Without the support of our local service clubs, we wouldn’t have had the funds for startup costs or the emergency fund, and without agreements for ongoing medical care, grooming needs, and quality food, we would be struggling to sustain the dog’s basic needs,” said Morgan Rooy, Family Advocate with Midland CAC. “From Paige’s pitch to the board of directors to pet companies donating supplies, this has been one of the most heartwarming journeys of my career. Now we’re just waiting for the call to say our dog is ready – we can’t wait to see the difference the dog will make in the lives of the children we serve.”
Supplies are still required before the facility dog arrives. A wish list can be found on Midland CAC’s website, and monetary donations can be directed to support the facility dog at www.midlandcac.com/donate. For questions related to the facility dog, please email info@midlandcac.org or call 989-835-9922.
To learn more about the Service Club Alliance, and to review the application process, please visit: https://www.midlandfoundation.org/initiative/sca/. For more information on the Exchange Club of Midland, visit: https://www.facebook.com/exchangeclubofmidlandMI/.
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