The Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County (CAC) held an open house event, "Bicycles, Blues and BBQ," to celebrate their new Counseling addition.
Emily Rappe, the center's director of development, said the new space was urgent.
"Our kids were being put on a wait list and outsourced to other locations because we just didn't have the capacity to fill the needs for new counseling and play therapy," Rappe said.
The open house was from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.Sunday at the center located at 2113 Little Flock Drive, Rogers.
There was free barbecue, a bike raffle for kids and live entertainment by Bentonville High School student and musician Nathan A and his band.
Donors John and Kathleen Farrell gave the center $30,000 and a contractor to expand the counseling and therapy wing.
"They do wonderful work, I'm very proud of them," Kathy Farrell said. "There more and more children that they help every single year."
John Farrell said, "we just wanted to do a little bit to help support them."
During the event, they offered the community the rare chance to tour the center.
"But also it gives the community a change to come out and visit the CAC and walk through our center and see firsthand what we do," Rappe said.
From January through August this year, the center saw between a 20 to 30 percent in open cases, in counseling hours and in medical exams.
"As of today, I think we've already seen as many children here case wise as we saw all of last year," Beverly Engle, CAC director, said.
Last year, the average monthly case load was 52, while this year it is 71 and the numbers keep rising.
The center serves child abuse victims and their families, giving them access to advocates, counselors, therapists, medical personnel, child protective service workers, investigators and prosecutors, all in a single location.
"We've had law enforcement officers that called us the one-stop shop and I see that as a compliment," Engle said.
Sunday's open house is giving the public a chance to tour the Children's Advocacy Center and learn what it has to offer.