KYE-YAC International donates to Mercy Health Foundation?on behalf of Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Locally based KYE-YAC International Inc., a philanthropic organization established by kids to help kids, has donated $1,000 to the St. Joseph’s Mercy Health Foundation on behalf of the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center.
Kye Masino, 11-year-old founder of KYE-YAC International, and Peyton Rudisill, 12-year-old board member, were on hand for the April 29 presentation of the donation, which also included a Japanese maple tree and some flowers. The donation to the Mercy Health Foundation will be used to help fund ongoing expansion efforts to the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center’s healing garden.
?We chose to raise funds for the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center almost immediately after our site visit,? Masino said. ?We learned in less than an hour the impact this place can have on the lives of those who come here. The wonderful staff painted a clear picture of what kids who come here are going through, and I?m going to be honest, it hurt my heart.?
Rudisill concurred.
?Kye and I talked about how fortunate the two of us are and how nothing really ever goes wrong in our lives,? she said. ?Meanwhile, there are kids out there who are not only not as fortunate as us, but who are getting abused. We just feel like the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center provides a great environment for kids who have been abused to come to, and we really wanted to help out.?
Masino and his mother, Melanie, with the help of fellow Hot Springs philanthropist and ?honorary grandmother? Dorothy Morris, founded KYE-YAC International because he wanted to do more after a children’s hospital fund-raiser ended at his school. The name for the non-profit organization is a combination of his first name and an abbreviation for Youth Advisory Council.
?I am totally amazed by the generosity and giving spirit of Kye and Peyton,? said Tim Johnsen, St. Joseph’s Mercy Health System President-CEO. ?In terms of kindness, goodness and the need for philanthropy to help fund such facilities as the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center, they have the ability to think way beyond their years. People get it when they make a site visit to the Center, but 11 and 12-year-olds don?t normally get it, so I have to say Kye and Peyton are remarkable people at a very young age.”
?They are on the front lines helping us out, and it is nice to here that we at St. Joseph’s Mercy have not been the only beneficiaries of their kindness, generosity and fund-raising efforts.?
St. Joseph’s Mercy founded the state’s only hospital-based child advocacy center in the spring of 2003, after it was learned the 18th Judicial District (Garland County) was among the state’s top three when it came to filings of child maltreatment reports. Surrounding counties also have significant instances of child maltreatment and the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center provides a comprehensive, culturally competent, multi-disciplinary team response to allegations of child abuse.
In a dedicated, child-friendly setting, the team response to allegations of child abuse includes forensic interviews, medical evaluations, victim support/advocacy and case review and tracking. To the maximum extent possible, components of the team response are provided at the Center in order to promote a sense of safety and consistency to the child and family.
?I was very impressed with both Kye and Peyton and the thought process behind their giving,? said Janice McCutcheon, MSW, Director of the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center. ?They wanted to create something that was lasting and had an impact. In an hours time (during their site visit), they both got it and it hurts my heart that it hurt their hearts to realize what many of the children we see here face.”
?It blesses me that they got the big picture and that their hearts were sensitive to the needs of other kids. It is just a beautiful thing and I just can’t say enough about their character and how they have been raised.?
Cara, Peyton, Kye and Chloe meet to discuss fundraising and awareness for Cooper-Anthony Child Advocacy Center.
For information about services provided by the Cooper-Anthony Mercy Child Advocacy Center, please call (501) 622-2531 .
Meanwhile, for information on how to invest in the future of the region’s health care through St. Joseph’s Mercy Health Foundation, please call (501) 623-1123
