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By rdnewsNOW staff

Year of Transformation

Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre celebrates provincial recognition

Dec 20, 2025 | 8:00 AM

The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre (CACAC) has been named the recipient of the 2025 ASBA Zone 4 Friends of Education Award.

The organization was nominated by the Red Deer Public School Board of Trustees.

Officials say this recognition comes at a meaningful moment for the Centre, as it also commemorates the first anniversary of a groundbreaking initiative—the Truant Family Medical Suite, located within the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence.

CACAC officials say the ASBA Friends of Education Award celebrates individuals and organizations that demonstrate a deep commitment to enhancing education in their communities. For years, the CACAC notes it has worked in close collaboration with educators, administrators, and school divisions across central Alberta, building shared pathways that support the safety, mental health, and well-being of students.

In May, the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre was named the Zone 4 recipient during an announcement meeting held in Innisfail, marking an early milestone in the award journey. Officials say that recognition was formally celebrated on Nov. 16, at the Alberta School Boards Association’s annual awards ceremony, where winners from across the province were honoured.

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On Dec. 11, officials point out that members of the CACAC education team came together once more with the Red Deer Public School Board of Trustees—not to accept an award, but to reflect on the strong partnership that inspired the nomination and a shared commitment to ensuring children and youth have every opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

“We are extremely honoured to accept this Friends of Education award from ASBA,” said Mark Jones, CEO of the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre, in a press release. “We know that in order to make a lasting impact for children, youth health and safety, and resilience, we must be good friends—and even better partners—to the school administrators and educators across our region. It is our promise to continue working side by side with our education partners to bring the issues of child abuse, trauma, and mental health to the forefront, because our kids deserve a healthy future.”

Board Chair Nicole Buchanan of the Red Deer Public School Board of Trustees echoed the sentiment: “Winning the ASBA Friends of Education Award for Zone 4 is not just an acknowledgement of the Centre’s work — it is an acknowledgement of their heart. Their commitment to children. Their deep respect for families. And their powerful belief that every young person deserves safety, dignity, and a chance to thrive.”

“As a school division, we are grateful,” adds Buchanan. “As a community, we are strengthened. And as partners in the well-being of children, we are inspired every day by the work of the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre.”

According to the CACAC, this spirit of partnership and innovation is equally reflected in the Centre’s clinical work. Officials say December also marks one year since the opening of the Truant Family Medical Suite, a first-of-its-kind space in Canada that provides trauma-informed medical care in a calm, private, and dignified environment. Created in collaboration with Alberta Health Services, officials say the suite was envisioned and championed by Ronnie Biletsky, BScN RN SANE-A CASART & SANE Clinic Specialist, whose leadership helped transform a long-identified need into a reality.

On Dec. 2, staff from the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence and Alberta Health Services gathered to celebrate the suite’s first year of operation—a year that officials say has reshaped the experience of care for survivors in central Alberta. Since its opening, the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Response Team (CASART) has supported 175 cases, with 63 individuals receiving care directly within the Truant Family Medical Suite, officials point out.

“The Truant Family Medical Suite is the first of its kind in Canada: a sexual assault response that places survivors at the very center of care,” said Ronnie Biletsky. “It is not just a medical suite—it is a promise. A promise that survivors will be met with dignity, respect, and understanding.”

As the CACAC reflects on a year of milestones, however, from provincial recognition in education to transformative growth in clinical care—officials say its commitment remains the same: to work courageously alongside partners across sectors so that every child, youth, and family in central Alberta can find hope, healing, and a path forward.