At Riverview Center in Dubuque, Iowa, healing begins with safety.
For children who have experienced sexual or domestic violence, walking into an advocacy or counseling appointment can feel overwhelming. Big emotions often come without words. Fear may look like silence. Trauma may show up as restlessness, anger, or withdrawal. That is why Riverview Center’s mission goes beyond providing services - they create environments where children feel seen, heard, and supported exactly as they are.
Serving 14 counties in Northeast Iowa and acting as the only agency providing sexual or domestic violence services, Riverview Center provides free and confidential support to survivors regardless of biological sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, immigration status, English proficiency, race, ethnicity, incarceration status, disability, or background.
Thanks to a Variety Grant, they are strengthening that safe space for the youngest survivors in our community.
Tools That Help Children Heal
Children process trauma differently than adults. Many express their feelings through movement, creativity, and play long before they can articulate them in words. The Variety Grant has funded critically needed program supplies that allow our advocates and therapists to meet children where they are in their healing journey.
With this support, Riverview Center has been able to provide:
- Art supplies and teen journals that help youth express emotions safely
- Therapeutic games that build coping skills and emotional regulation
- Kinetic sand and sensory tools to support children with sensory needs
- Fidget items to aid focus and de-escalation
- Healthy snacks for youth attending appointments during meal times or experiencing food insecurity
- Trauma-informed workbooks designed specifically for teens
These are more than supplies. They are bridges - helping children move from fear toward empowerment. Every child they serve comes from a unique cultural background and lived experience. Having a diverse range of therapeutic tools allows their team to provide culturally responsive, age-appropriate, and trauma-informed care tailored to each individual child. Healing is not one-size-fits-all.
Thanks to their Variety Grant, Riverview Center is equipping additional space to serve more child survivors simultaneously. As their capacity grows, so does the need for therapy, counseling, and advocacy materials tailored to each child’s unique needs. Variety is proud to help ensure that as Riverview Center expands, every child continues to receive personalized, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive care - creating safe spaces where healing can truly begin.
