Suffolk County District Attorney's Office > Press Office > Press Releases > Press Releases 2014 > Runners Raise $55k in Charity Climb for Abused Kids
Runners Raise $55k in Charity Climb for Abused Kids

BOSTON, March 31, 2014—More than 200 participants raised more than $55,000 for abused, neglected, and exploited kids this weekend by climbing the stairs of Boston’s tallest building, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said.

A total of 220 entrants blew far past their goal of raising $40,000 in pledges to support the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County at The Ginormous Climb, a vertical charity run up the 61-flight stairwell of the John Hancock Tower.

Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley hits the 25th floor of the John Hancock building in Boston during The Ginormous Climb, a 61-flight vertical charity run to support the victims of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Climbers raised more than $55,000 for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, which provides multidisciplinary services to kids and teens in Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. (Photo courtesy of Boston Police Department.)

Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley hits the 25th floor of the John Hancock building in Boston during The Ginormous Climb, a 61-flight vertical charity run to support the victims of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Climbers raised more than $55,000 for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, which provides multidisciplinary services to kids and teens in Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. (Photo courtesy of Boston Police Department.)

“Protecting kids isn’t an uphill battle when we have partners like these,” Conley said of about 35 Suffolk prosecutors and victim-witness advocates, Boston Police Commissioner William Evans and about two dozen BPD officers and detectives, and scores of civilians at every level of athletic ability.

The Children’s Advocacy Center is a “one-stop shop” for children in Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop who have been abused, neglected, or exploited – oftentimes by the very adults entrusted to care for them.

The CAC acts as the hub connecting children and non-offending caregivers with police, prosecutors, medical and mental health clinicians, social service providers, and others, reducing the number of times a victim must disclose the abuse and limiting the number of agencies he or she must visit for services. The CAC’s coordinated, multidisciplinary approach reduces the stress on victims and improves the outcomes of their cases in more than 1,000 referrals each year.

“Climbing 61 flights of stairs is tough, but it can be even tougher for children and teens to disclose abuse at the hands of a caretaker,” Conley said. “I want to thank everyone who turned out to show their support for those brave, young kids.”

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