Proudly serving Haywood County's children and families for more than 25 years

KARE, Inc (Kids Advocacy Resource Effort) is dedicated to preventing child abuse and advocating for children who have been physically or sexually abused.  KARE is a nationally accredited Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in good standing with the National Children’s Alliance and is a Prevent Child Abuse affiliate. 

KARE is a unique agency. Our primary job is to advocate for victims, but we also believe that proper education will lead to abuse prevention.  Annually, KARE serves approximately 200 children through the Victim Advocacy program. We also serve approximately 30 families through the Positive Parenting program. Additionally, with the help of our dedicated and wonderful volunteers, we reach every elementary school student in Haywood County through our School Safety Program by teaching students about personal safety.

Founded in 1991, KARE was formed in response to Haywood County being ranked highest in the state of North Carolina for the incidence of child maltreatment.  KARE originally developed from a volunteer organization of collaborating professionals and community stakeholders seeking to enact a systematic approach to working with and for child victims of abuse.