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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center reached 10 years serving the children and families of Chilton, Autauga and Elmore who encountered hardships. In 2021-2022, the nonprofit took leaps and bounds to maintain their high quality of service and care according to the new 2021-2022 impact report.

“We have seen unprecedented growth of the organization’s programs, facilities, staff and revenue,” Jana Zuelzke, executive director of Butterfly Bridge, said in the report. “We have been fortified by remarkable levels of community support and recognition for the importance of our role in the investigation of child abuse cases, family advocacy support services and our mental health programming. We are so grateful to all of you for your commitment to creating a safer world for children.”

304 children came to Butterfly Bridge last year seeking their help and they reached 5,218 people in the communities they serve through prevention education programs.

Butterfly Bridge’s financials as of Sept. 30 of last year reflect the good work they have put in. The nonprofit has $825,698.20 in total current assets and another $325,543.66 in property and equipment bringing their total income to $1,151,341.86. That is up from the $441,379.50 in total income they saw in 2020-2021. Forty-five percent of that income came from governmental affiliated funds. However, 30% came from public support and contributions, and the other 25% from special events held by them such as Flutter.

“Our reach has grown astronomically as we have fully embraced our mission to intervene and prevent child abuse,” Zuelzke said in the report. “This is truly a testament to our exceptional staff and partners, made possible by the support of a generous and compassionate community.”

Butterfly Bridge provided 6,110 services in 2021-2022 including 315 forensic interviews, 2,487 advocacy cases, 2,016 therapy sessions and reviewed 1,256 cases. The services provided to children and families were down from the 6,840 in 2020-2021, but that is good news.

The biggest reason for referral to Butterfly Bridge according to the report was for sexual abuse, followed by physical abuse and being a witness to domestic violence. The relationship to the offender they saw most in its victims was another family member outside of their immediate family.

Butterfly Bridge’s outreach in the digital world took a drastic step forward as well, reaching over 92,00 people through social media and their website. They trained 1,193 community professionals on how to address and spot abuse, informed 904 community members about child abuse and equipped 3,121 children with prevention information.

That number is up from the 32,851 people reached in 2020-2021.

“We have made significant strides in all five areas of our strategic priorities, and as a result we believe the children of Chilton, Autauga, and Elmore Counties are safer and better informed about interpersonal dangers to themselves and their peers,” Zuelzke said. “Thank you for helping us achieve these goals and thank you for allowing us to do this very meaningful work. I look forward to the next chapter of organizational growth for Butter­y Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center.”

Butterfly Bridge is gearing up for their Clay For Kids fundraiser on Aug. 18 at the Lower Wetumpka Shotgun Club, their next big event to help raise funds to serve the children of Chilton, Autauga and Elmore counties.