Refuge 4 Kids Prepares for Prevent Child Abuse Awareness Month, Offers Support to Local Families

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WOOD RIVER - A local nonprofit is seeking support as they gear up for Prevent Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Refuge 4 Kids works with kids under age 11 who have experienced complex trauma. The organization provides counseling and support for families. On April 30, 2026, they will host their annual dinner banquet at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey to raise money so they can continue their work in Madison County. Executive Director Erin Bickle pointed to their theme — “Hope in Full Bloom” — as an example of their work.

“That's exactly our mindset and our belief for all of the children who are referred to us who are coming from really hard places,” she said. “We want them to know that their future is filled with hope and that this community is behind them 100%.”

Bickle explained that Refuge works with young children to help them overcome difficult situations. They often step in when a child is struggling emotionally or behaviorally in the daycare or classroom setting.

She noted that the brain develops the most rapidly during your first few years of life, which is partly why Refuge focuses specifically on young kids. Currently, about 32% of their clients are under age 5, and they have a waitlist. The organization hopes to intervene early so they can help children rewire their brains and create new, healthier patterns.

“Our mission is really early intervention,” Bickle said. “Imagine, if you’ve got a child living in domestic violence or living in a home with addiction or in a community riddled with crime and gun violence, their brain is being developed in a really disruptive way. They’re hypervigilant. They’re constantly dysregulated. We want to get in because we know now that the brain has plasticity and we can change the brain and we can build new pathways of safety and healing.”

But to continue their work, they need the support of the community. The “Hope in Full Bloom” dinner on April 30 is a great opportunity to help Refuge grow.

They are still looking for event sponsors; for more information about how to sponsor the event or how to buy your tickets, click here. Bickle thanked the many businesses and organizations, including trade unions, who have formed “great partnerships” with Refuge as sponsors.

Refuge will also be present during the Prevent Child Abuse Awareness Month kickoff event at 9 a.m. on April 1, 2026, at Riverbend Family Ministries. This event invites organizations to share more about their missions and reminds the community that we are “the eyes and ears for our children.” This message feels especially important in April, though Bickle noted that, of course, we must advocate for kids at all times.

She thanked the other businesses and organizations in the community for their support, including the North Alton-Godfrey Business Council. Refuge recently joined the NAGBC because Bickle attended a meeting and connected with “so many great businesses and organizations and people and leaders in the community that attend.” She looks forward to continued collaboration through the NAGBC.

For more information about Refuge, including how to support them or how to access services, visit their official website at Refuge4Kids.org. To learn more about the “Hope in Full Bloom” dinner event, click here.

“We just love that this community of businesses and stakeholders really make this event possible,” Bickle added. “The sponsorships take care of the entire dinner and then a lot of the money just directly goes to serving the kids, which is, at the end of the day, what people want to do. They want to provide hope and healing for our future…Connection is really what brings hope and brings change and brings hope in full bloom.”

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