“I want to do my part to make sure at least one more child doesn’t grow up feeling bad about themselves." - Brooklynite Keith L. Forest, member of our grassroots fundraising program Team Horizon.
Executive Director of BedStuy BID Michael Lambert, Senior Director of Jane Barker Brooklyn CAC Gena Diacomanolis, Author Pearson Lee, Founder of Brooklyn’s Best Honors Keith Forest, Safe Horizon Donor Relations Associate Andrea Durojaiye. Photo by Qlick Photography
By Dana Rosenwasser
July 30, 2015
Team Horizon is Safe Horizon’s grassroots fundraising program, empowering ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things in their communities by supporting our services for victims of violence. Brooklynite Keith L. Forest is devoted to raising money for Safe Horizon’s Jane Barker Brooklyn Child Advocacy Center (CAC). This is one of five Safe Horizon CACs dedicated to helping children who have endured sexual or severe physical abuse. Since November 2014, Keith has donated over $2, 400 in cash and another $1, 000 in clothing to support this invaluable resource for child victims of abuse.
Keith grew up instilled with a strong sense of philanthropy. “My mother inspired us to be the change we wanted to see, ” Keith explains. He became interested in helping child victims of abuse after someone close confided to him about struggling with the trauma of being sexually abused as a child. While researching organizations that help child victims of abuse, Keith found Safe Horizon and learned about how our CACs help reduce the traumatic effects of being abused as a child.
“I want to do my part to make sure at least one more child doesn’t grow up feeling bad about themselves, ” Keith explains.
How Keith Helps
Through his media production company, Urban ID Media, Keith holds the Brooklyn’s Best Honors event that honors local community members and business owners in Brooklyn and also raises funds to benefit the Jane Barker Brooklyn CAC. The events also present opportunities to share Safe Horizon’s mission with attendees and inspire them to join Keith in working to help child victims of abuse.
Keith Forest, Pearson Lee and two volunteers tour the Jane Barker Brooklyn CAC. Photo by Qlick Photography
Recently Keith took a group of these supporters on a tour of the Jane Barker Brooklyn CAC with the Center’s Senior Director Gena Diacomanolis. Gena shared more information about how every one of our CACs is staffed with a team of experts who work side-by-side to provide victims of child abuse with medical, legal, mental health services, and more.
This comprehensive approach enables the Jane Barker Brooklyn CAC to help more than 2, 000 child victims each year. Keith’s ongoing support and advocacy continues to inspire the growth of the CAC not only financially, but also through community awareness. Keith along with other members of Team Horizon can help us reduce the harm of child abuse for kids in Brooklyn and throughout all of New York City.