Adoption and Runaway Prevention On Friday, November 13th, at 5:30 p.m., the nonprofit organization, Advocates for Children, hosted a drive-in movie, presented by Harbin Clinic, at the LakePoint Sports Champion Center. The evening was filled with fun, family, and most importantly, awareness.
November is National Adoption Month and National Runaway Prevention Month. This free event aimed to raise awareness for these two causes while providing families with a safe way to connect with their community.
While parents and children waited for the movie, Instant Family, to begin, Deborah Mosher, owner of Bubbles Over Georgia, entertained families with fantastic and gigantic bubbles. LakePoint Sports also sold concessions to hungry movie-goers. Not only did LakePoint Sports provide the venue, but they donated 15% of concession sales to the organization as well! The Cartersville High School JROTC provided parking assistance, with almost 25 students volunteering for the event.
Additionally, 15 individuals from the community volunteered. When asked about the event, volunteer Natalie Jimenez said, “It was a fun experience! Everyone was friendly and really strived to make the entire event successful. It was all so wonderful, and this organization is really doing their best to make the community better.”
Dr. Katherine Fields, a Harbin Clinic Pediatrician, shared a few words about the community’s health and well-being before the movie began. “It is our goal at Harbin Clinic to care completely for everybody,” says Dr. Fields, “and that includes caring for our community through education, advocacy, and prevention.
Advocates for Children shares those values, so we are proud to partner with an organization like them.” While bringing people together safely has posed its challenges this year, Advocates for Children and Harbin Clinic were thrilled to offer a fun event that incorporated the necessary safety precautions.
By hosting the event outdoors, having socially distanced parking, and requiring masks when utilizing the restrooms and concession stands, event-goers could feel confident that their safety was prioritized. “These days, with COVID, we are restricted in ways to bring people together, but being outside is a great solution,” says Dr. Fields. “I think this is a wonderful and safe way to get families out and let them know what Advocates for Children’s mission is, and what they’re all about.”
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- Rachel Castillo, President, and CEO of Advocates for Children
Rachel Castillo, President, and CEO of Advocates for Children commented, “We are so thankful to all of our community partners, including our sponsors at Harbin Clinic and Glenda Mitchell Law Firm. The success of our organizations depends so greatly on the generosity of others, and there is no way we can thank them enough.”
When asked about the success of the event, Rachel said, “We are quite pleased with the turnout, and we hope that everyone learned a little something about what we do as an organization and how we help children and youth in difficult situations. Hopefully, there will be many more of these drive-in movie events to come!”
“Get Pump’d for Kids” Halloween fundraiser at the end of October, where they raised $1,300 for Advocates in only one month. “Working with Harbin Clinic has been such a blessing,” says Development Director Renee Shields. “They truly care about the community, inside and out. We could not have done this event without them.”
