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Child Advocacy Center Gets $75K Donation

SUNBURY, Pa. – Geisinger Health System’s Child Advocacy Center in Sunbury is a place most people only see from the outside until now. The facility where c...

SUNBURY, Pa. – Geisinger Health System's Child Advocacy Center in Sunbury is a place most people only see from the outside until now. The facility where children come after they suffer abuse held an open house.

"Helping the children, helping the families deal with the process going forward," Dr. Pat Bruno said.

Since the Child Advocacy Center opened in 2004, it's grown from seeing fewer than 100 children a year to more than 600.

"When there's more awareness of what goes on, then I think if there is abuse, then it can be reported," Giant Food Stores Spokesperson Chris Brand said.

Giant Food Stores made a special presentation to the Child Advocacy Center. It gave the organization in Sunbury $75,000.

Dr. Pat Bruno is the center's medical director and says the donation will help kids long-term when it comes to counseling.

"The damage is usually up here, so it's counseling, counseling, counseling. We have a full-time therapist that helps those children going forward," Dr. Bruno said.

The doctor says part of the donation will go to maintaining interview rooms like this, so children won't have to relive their traumas time and time again.

"Our mission is to cut down on the numbers of interviews that children have to go through," Dr. Bruno said.

"We were fortunate to have all our store managers from the area here today to tour the facility. What we noticed is that there's a great amount of love and healing that goes on in the center," Brand said.

The donation is part of a $1 million pledge Giant Food Stores has made to three children's hospitals in Pennsylvania in celebration of its 95th anniversary.

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