The public is invited to KIDS Center’s free Healing Hearts event, Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at the Riverhouse Convention Center in Bend. This luncheon and short program offers an inspiring look at how KIDS Center and community partners care for children and families impacted by abuse. At Healing Hearts, guests can help support healing for local families and learn how to better protect children in our community.
To reserve a seat at Healing Hearts—or make a donation—visit https://www.kidscenter.org.
Now in its 18th year, Healing Hearts connects with April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month. Healing Hearts is a key fundraiser for KIDS Center, the region’s Children’s Advocacy Center. Healing Hearts draws 600 community members and raises more than $200k to support critical services for Central Oregon children and families. Thanks to community sponsors, every dollar raised at Healing Hearts helps fund no-cost child abuse evaluations, family advocacy, and therapy for hundreds of local children and families each year.
This year’s program highlights KIDS Center’s family advocacy team and their work supporting families.”KIDS Center is very intentional in offering sustained support to families who have experienced abuse,” says KIDS Center’s Executive Director Gil Levy. “Healing from abuse takes time and requires a measure of stability. Our Family Advocates help families focus on healing by removing stressors and ensuring each family’s basic needs are being met.”
Guests at Healing Hearts will also hear from Detective Seargent Thomas Lilienthal, who leads Deschutes County’s Internet Crimes Against Children taskforce. Last year, U.S. agencies reported an explosion in online child abuse, including enticement, sextortion and a proliferation of explicit AI-generated images. Lilienthal will speak to this growing threat and offer tips for how adults can protect kids online.
Prevention is a central theme of Healing Hearts. “The ultimate goal is to stop abuse before it starts,” notes Rachel Visser, KIDS Center’s Prevention Education Manager. Visser encourages all adults to embrace their role in preventing abuse and sign up for a free training with KIDS Center. “Taking a training is one of the best ways you can protect kids at home and in your community.”
This year’s Healing Hearts is presented by Brooks Resources, Steele Associates Architects, and Tennant Developments and supported by media sponsor NewsChannel 21 and venue sponsor Riverhouse on the Deschutes.
Healing Hearts is sponsored by Bend Police Association, Brown & Brown Insurance, CIES Inc., That Furrow Crew, Hooker Creek, Jack Robinson, Johnson & Nolan Law LLC, Jones & Roth CPAs & Business Advisors, Klein Investment Strategies, Lonza, Pahlisch Homes, Riley Wigle CPAs LLC, Rosendin, Skyline Dental, St. Charles Health System, and Transworld Business Advisors. For a full list of sponsors visit https://www.kidscenter.org/healing-hearts.
About KIDS Center: Built by the community in 1994, KIDS Center is a nationally-certified Children’s Advocacy Center leading our region’s response to child abuse. KIDS Center is where hope and healing begins for children and families who have experienced abuse. KIDS Center provides independent child abuse evaluations, therapy and family advocacy—at no cost to families. KIDS Center serves more than 500 children and families each year.
Information about KIDS Center can be found at: kidscenter.org or by calling, (541) 383-5958. Anyone with a concern about a child’s safety can call the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline at: 1-855-503-SAFE (7233).
