"Giving Abused Children a Voice"

HOUSTON-(September 25, 2003)-Allen Frieze's job is to help guide people to the homes of their dreams. His passion is to guide child victims of abuse into safe homes where they can thrive.

Aside from being a successful realtor, Frieze has spent the last year working to make a difference in the life of "Amy"*, a 4-month-old girl who was taken into CPS custody after her mother, who was in jail for burglary had given birth to her.

"Two years ago, I was unaware of Child Advocates and the work that they do for children in need of help," Frieze said. "Therefore, I would have never imagined that I would be doing this [volunteering], but now it gives me such a wonderful feeling to know that I am helping a child who at such a young age is virtually helpless."

This is Frieze's first case as a Child Advocates, Inc. volunteer, and in the time he has worked on behalf of Amy, he has helped research the backgrounds of the Amy's parents and other potential family members who could possibly care for her, testified in court to ensure her best interests are taken into account and he is currently working on ensuring that Amy has a memorable and fruitful Christmas by getting her signed up to benefit from Child Advocates' Santa's Wish List Program.

Frieze is one of more than 500 individuals who are on the front lines everyday fighting for the rights of children who are in protective custody because of life-threatening, soul-threatening abuse. On any given day, more than 4,100 abused and neglected children in Houston linger in foster care, waiting for a safe place to call home. With Child Advocates' current volunteer, staff and financial resources, they are only able to help fewer than half of the children who need them. The need for bilingual English/Spanish-speaking volunteers is particularly critical. Frieze is one of only a handful of bilingual volunteers whose ability to speak both English and Spanish enable him to work with children who live in Spanish-speaking only families. In this capacity, he provides a voice and helps break the language barrier that sometimes proves even more challenging for children who are in children's protective custody. One of the things that lead Frieze to becoming a Child Advocates volunteer was learning about the lack of enough bilingual volunteers to help children who live in Spanish-speaking families.

"My friend who is also a volunteer told me about the need for bilingual volunteers," Frieze recalled. "I decided that this would be a perfect opportunity for me to give back to the community and help children in need. As a volunteer, I give Amy a voice."

Child Advocates, Inc. has helped child victims of abuse and neglect for nearly 20 years. Since its inception in 1984, Child Advocates has provided critical advocacy for more than 11,000 children. The organization's vision is to provide a volunteer for every child who needs a volunteer, but they can only do it with the continued financial and volunteer support of the community. If you would like to help make an impact in the life of an abused child or would like to help

Child Advocates provide more volunteers by making a financial contribution, please contact Child Advocates, Inc. at 713-529-1396 or visit: www.childadvocates.org .

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*name changed to protect identity