Safe Shores — A Sanctuary of Hope, Healing, and Possibility
Champions for Children is proud to spotlight Michele Booth Cole, Executive Director of Safe Shores—The DC Children’s Advocacy Center—one of our 2025 grantee partners and a vital force in protecting and supporting child victims of abuse. This year, Champions for Children awarded Safe Shores a $21,000 grant to support their mental health services, provide essential resources such as therapeutic art supplies for children in crisis, and deliver specialized training for those caring for the city’s most vulnerable population.
A Mission Rooted in Compassion and Courage
Michele’s journey with Safe Shores began before she assumed its leadership. In 2001, she first encountered the organization by donating children’s clothing. Two years later, after a conversation with board chair Clarice Walker, she stepped into the role of executive director. At that time, issues of child sexual abuse and exploitation were still largely taboo, spoken about quietly, if at all.
Today, that mission is more urgent than ever. Safe Shores remains the District’s Child Advocacy Center, bringing together law enforcement, child protection professionals, mental health clinicians, and victim advocates so that children can receive compassionate, coordinated care in one child-centered environment.
Therapy That Heals—and Reveals—What Children Carry Alone
In describing her work with child victims of abuse, Michele shared moments that illuminate how deeply trauma affects both children and their non-offending caregivers. Child abuse rarely impacts only one child or one generation—it often reverberates throughout an entire family.
She recalled a case involving a 12-year-old girl who bravely disclosed abuse. In the safety and trust built through therapy, her sister had the courage to later reveal that she was also being sexually abused by the same family member. Without that therapeutic space, Michele noted, those children might have remained silent, continuing to suffer alone.
This story reflects the transformative power of trauma-informed mental health care, which is central to Safe Shores’ approach. Therapy provides more than coping strategies. It offers children a place where they are believed, where fear loosens its grip, and where disclosure becomes possible. And for caregivers—who often feel guilt, shock, or overwhelming sadness—therapy offers the tools to support their children and themselves.
Meeting Needs, Removing Barriers
Safe Shores ensures that all mental health services are free, because no family should be forced to choose between safety and affordability.
But their support extends well beyond therapy:
Transportation assistance, because families in crisis often lack the ability to travel consistently to appointments.
Snacks and a welcoming environment, because children heal best when they feel comforted and safe.
Support groups for caregivers, who need guidance, community, and reassurance.
New clothing for children, offered without question or stigma.
Michele emphasized how profound something as simple as new clothing can be. Children often arrive in whatever they were wearing at the time of the disclosure—sometimes clothes that are torn, soiled, or associated with a traumatic event. Fresh, new clothing provides dignity, autonomy, and a small but meaningful sense of normalcy.
How Champions for Children’s Grant Strengthens This Lifeline
The $21,000 grant from Champions for Children will directly fund:
1. Trauma-Informed Therapy Sessions
The grant expands access to individual and family therapy, ensuring more children receive long-term, evidence-based mental health support. These services help interrupt cycles of trauma, promote resilience, and restore a sense of safety.
2. New Clothing for Children in Crisis
Grant funds will replenish Safe Shores’ clothing supplies—allowing children to leave their visit with something new, clean, and theirs. It is a simple gesture with enormous emotional impact.
3. Training for Caregivers and Community Partners
This includes training on trauma responses, child development, digital safety, and best practices for supporting victims. As Michele noted, harmful online content is a growing threat, and caregivers need tools to navigate this evolving landscape.
A Ripple Effect Across Generations
When asked how she thinks about influence and results, Michele acknowledged that much of Safe Shores’ impact cannot be easily quantified. Healing is quiet. Disclosure is private. Resilience grows slowly.
But the ripple effects—healthier children, supported caregivers, safer communities—can last for generations.
With partners like Safe Shores, Champions for Children is honored to help carry that hope forward—one child, one family, one restored sense of safety at a time.
On April 21, 2026, Safe Shores will commemorate its 30th anniversary with The Power of Play! An evening of purposeful fun for grown-ups, designed to spark joy, inspire action, and invest in the childhood every child deserves. Every ticket and sponsorship helps provide trauma-responsive services for children and families, and prevention programs throughout DC.
Learn more about the event and purchase tickets here.