Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP form partnership to better the community

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP to donate $150,000 to support services for children, youth and families who are victims of abuse

CALGARY, Feb. 27, 2018 /CNW/ - Today the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre (SKCAC) and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) announced a new partnership that will further the SKCAC's mission to support those experiencing child abuse, stop the cycle of abuse and bring perpetrators to justice.

BLG is committing $150,000 to the SKCAC over three years as well as professionals' time to support the Centre's mandates. This donation will directly support the SKCAC's Child Life Program, which strives to minimize stress for children and families during their time at the Centre.

The Child Life Program is made up of a Child Life Specialist and a team of Child Space Volunteers, which includes PALS dogs. The program focuses on therapeutic play, self-expression activities and medical preparation in order to ensure every child's experience at the SKCAC is safe and comfortable.

"We rely on the partnerships within the Calgary community to help us continue to make the SKCAC a safe-haven for those impacted by child abuse," says Sara Austin, CEO of SKCAC. "We are grateful to BLG for their generosity and support as we continue towards our goal of the day when no child or youth is abused."

As part of the partnership with SKCAC, BLG professionals will be volunteering their efforts to help with Centre activities and the firm will assist with some pro bono legal services. These efforts are alongside the guidance by BLG's Melinda Park who currently serves on SKCAC's Board of Directors and as Chair of the Governance Committee.

"BLG recognizes that protecting our children requires a community response and we are proud to support the SKCAC Child Life Program," says Alan Ross, regional managing partner of BLG. "BLG takes great pride in our tradition of service to the community and supporting organizations that are helping shape a better future."

For more information on the Child Life Program, visit www.sheldonkennedycac.ca/support.

About the Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre

The Sheldon Kennedy Child Advocacy Centre is transforming how the current system responds to child abuse by using a ground-breaking model of integration with six partnering agencies. Together, these agencies provide early-intervention, assessment, investigation and treatment to children, youth and families impacted by the most severe and complex cases of child abuse. The power of the Centre is unleashed through integrated services ? the right support at the right time ? that reduce the long-term impact of trauma and enable children, youth and families to recover to lead healthy, productive lives.

About Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG), a leading full-service, Canadian law firm, is driven to help achieve the best possible results for all our clients. BLG's more than 700 lawyers, intellectual property agents and other legal professionals in five offices provide corporate, litigation and arbitration, as well as intellectual property solutions to a wide range of clients nationally and internationally. As a bilingual English-French firm, BLG excels under both the common and civil law systems in Canada.

SOURCE Borden Ladner Gervais LLP