Bartonville resident Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of Exxon Mobil Corporation, and his wife Renda, presented the Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County (CACDC) with a $50,000 grant Tuesday.
The gift will support CACDC’s work serving Denton County and area residents with counseling for victims of abuse, child abuse prevention programs and interagency collaboration to keep communities safe by holding offenders accountable for their crimes against children. CACDC is the fifth nonprofit organization to receive ExxonMobil’s annual Chairman’s Gift.
“It is an honor to present the Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County with the Chairman’s Gift this year,” Tillerson said today at a ceremony at the agency. “We look forward to seeing the impact this gift will have on the organization and, in turn, the children who will be given a voice and safe haven because of the services it will provide.”
CACDC is a nonprofit agency that strives to minimize the trauma of child abuse through a team approach to the investigation, prosecution and treatment of serious child abuse cases. This approach consolidates law enforcement, Child Protective Services, prosecutors, therapists, medial professionals and volunteers in one location.
In the past 10 years, the number of clients served increased by nearly 40 percent and the conviction rate for those who committed a crime against a child in Denton County went from 20 percent to nearly 77 percent. In 1996, the year before the agency was established, the conviction rate was eight percent.
The Tillersons toured the facilities with Dan Leal, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County. The center includes therapy, interview and medical rooms, the walls are decorated with colorful murals and the rooms filled with stuffed animals for children to choose from when they are finished interviewing.
“We are so grateful to Mr. Tillerson and ExxonMobil for this generous donation,” said Leal. “Every year the number of cases we see increases, and with that increase comes rising costs. This grant will allow us to keep up with those expenses while providing justice and healing to every child in need.”
Tillerson established the Chairman’s Gift in 2006 to provide a local nonprofit organization with a donation during the holiday season. Since the gift’s inception, Tillerson has selected St. Philip’s School and Community Center, Lena Pope Home, Vogel Alcove, Irving Cares and the Children’s Advocacy Center for Denton County as recipients.
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