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Our Mission | Our Vision | Our History
The mission of The Children’s Healing Institute is to provide Help, Understanding, Guidance and Support to all children including those with chronic and/or terminal illnesses in an effort to promote health, prevent child abuse/neglect and protect our future by strengthening families and protecting children.
The vision of The Children’s Healing Institute is to establish programs that are holistic in nature taking into account the child’s physical, cultural, economic, and spiritual environment in which they live.
After establishing a child abuse prevention center in Fort Pierce, Mr. Dick Webber, a long time member of the Exchange Club, saw a need in his community for a place where parents could turn to for help.
Mr. Webber passed away before he saw his dream come true, but his fellow Exchange Club members continued his work, and in 1987, the Dick Webber Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse for the Gold Coast, Inc. was incorporated. The Center began serving children and families in Palm Beach County in December 1988 out of donated space in the Boynton Beach City Hall. In April 1995, the agency opened its first satellite office to serve northern Broward County. Then in February 2000, the agency was asked to take over the Riviera Beach Healthy Families program.
In March of 2003, through a collaborative effort between the Board and staff, a new name and logo was created. The center reopened its doors as HUGS for Kids. (Help Understanding Guidance Support) By 2006, the administrative office moved back home to Boynton Beach.
HUGS for Kids has grown from serving 42 families with two staff members in 1989-90 to serving over 4,000 families per year with a staff of 65 employees! In 2004, the inaugural “Turn on the Light” Child Abuse & Neglect Conference was held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. This regional conference is a collaboration initiated by HUGS for Kids and represents our expanding role in advocacy for children in our community and is now a successful annual event.
In January of 2009, HUGS for Kids became the Children’s Healing Institute and expanded its vision to better meet the needs of the community. We currently have three branches HUGS Prevention Center, the Pediatric Holistic Center and the Outreach Center.
