Deacons Help Child Advocates

HOUSTON (April 6) -- For the third straight year, the Deacons of Deadwood Motorcycle Club made a large cash donation in support of Child Advocates and its ongoing campaign to battle child abuse and neglect. A handful of Deacons presented Child Advocates CEO Sonya Galvan a check in the amount of $15,000 at the group's annual Spring Luncheon Friday at Cherie Flores Garden Pavilion in Hermann Park."When you hear the stories and see the work the advocate volunteers do to protect these children in our community, you can't help but to be moved and motivated to help," said Deacons of Deadwood Charity Committee Liaison Steve Abney. "It is an honor to have Child Advocates on the roster of Houston-area charities we help fund."Deacons of Deadwood is a local motorcycle club with a diverse membership consisting of top corporate executives and blue-collar workers bonded by a love of motorcycles and donating their time and talents to bettering their community. Deacons of Deadwood is a registered 501(c)(3) charity that has distributed millions of dollars to Houston-area charities since its inception in 2001."Child Advocates is honored to be selected as a charity of choice by the Deacons of Deadwood," said Galvan. "Because of their generosity, we are able to provide more abused and neglected children in Harris County with advocates. This partnership has truly been wonderful, and I am so thrilled to see it continue to grow."Aside from its members' personal contributions, the Deacons of Deadwood M/C has two fundraisers each year to raise the money it distributes to several approved local charities.The annual Deacons Ball is the group's biggest benefit, followed by the newly created Deacons Golf Tournament at the Golf Club of Houston. This year's Deacon's Ball will take place Sept. 24 at the Bayou City Event Center with the legendary voice of Vince Neil providing the entertainment. The inaugural golf tournament took place in March just before the Shell Houston Open."Some of the advocates told some very poignant stories during the luncheon and it reminded us how vitally important the work they do is for our community," said Deacon Board Member Mark Graber. "It's shocking to hear some of the cases, but it's important to be realistic and realize these terrible things do happen and that we should all work together to end these cycles of abuse and neglect. We're glad to help."Last year, Child Advocates mobilized 711 court-appointed advocates to speak up for 2,148 of Houston's abused and neglected children. Child Advocates volunteers gave 53,475 hours of their time on 1,200 cases. They also trained 221 new volunteers. A shocking 6,360 children were victims of abuse and neglect in Harris County alone.