News & Events

First State Bank donates $5,000 to aid victims of child abuse

Jul 31, 2017

St. Clair Shores, MI (July 31, 2017) – As part of its centennial celebration, First State Bank is honored to award a $5,000 donation to Care House, a Macomb County nonprofit that helps children heal from the trauma of sexual and physical abuse.

Care House supports children throughout the investigation of abuse cases and beyond. It also works with non-offending family members to help them cope in the aftermath.

“We try to provide hope and healing to child victims,” says Dorie Vazquez-Nolan, executive director of Care House. “Our goal is to help kids reach a place where they can just be kids again.”

“Care House is a credit to Macomb County,” says Gene Lovell, First State Bank’s president and CEO. “The organization’s commitment to our most vulnerable inspires us all to do more for our community.”

All Care House services are provided free of charge to families. The core service is a coordinated interview of abuse victims.

All professionals involved in the investigation—including a detective, assistant prosecutor and social worker from Children’s Protective Services—gather at Care House to observe via closed circuit television as a trained interviewer meets with the child in another room. This eliminates the need for multiple interviews and spares the child from reliving the trauma of abuse over and over again.

Care House itself is non-threatening and child friendly. The organization operates out of an actual house in a residential neighborhood in Mount Clemens.

“The single interview promotes collaboration and communication among the various professionals involved,” Vazquez-Nolan says. “It expedites the investigation of abuse cases, even as it makes the process less traumatic for victims.”

Care House also offers support and education to child victims and their families. Services include support groups, child safety sessions, family advocacy and referrals to other community organizations.

Since opening in 1996, Care House has provided services to more than 7,800 families and interviewed over 5,800 children, mostly under age 15. In 2016 alone, the organization conducted 510 interviews. The need is so great that Care House plans to open a second location in Warren to ease the caseload in Mount Clemens, as well as transportation problems experienced by some families.

Founded in 1917, First State Bank will observe its 100th anniversary in October. Throughout the year, it has been donating $5,000 to various local nonprofits to celebrate its centennial. Honorees are nominated by bank employees, customers and the public and are evaluated according to community impact.

Care House is First State Bank’s fourth $5,000 recipient, joining the Macomb Charitable Foundation, Friends of Foster Kids and KnowResolve.

“We’re Macomb County’s hometown bank—and have been for a century,” Lovell says. “That longevity comes with a responsibility to support organizations that share our desire to invest in the well-being of our community.”

To donate to Care House, please visit the organization online (mccarehouse.org). All money donated goes toward helping Macomb County families. The Care House website also offers numerous resources for children and families.

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First State Bank is headquartered in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. With 100 years of service and $670 million in assets, First State Bank serves Macomb County with 11 branch offices located in Chesterfield Township, Clinton Township, Eastpointe, Macomb Township, Richmond, St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights, Washington Township, and Loan Centers in Sterling Heights and Farmington Hills. For more information, please visit www.fsb.bank or call 866-372-1275.