REDDING, Calif., June 13, 2025 – Arch Collaborative honored Melvin and Bennett Riffel, two beloved brothers from Redding who tragically lost their lives in a 2019 international plane crash. Their story, marked by extraordinary loss and unwavering love, continues to shape a place of healing for hundreds of children and families across the North State.
The Riffel family’s memorial gift of $297,000, made in the wake of unimaginable grief, arrived at what Arch’s CEO later described as “the most vulnerable moment in our history.” That act of generosity helped complete the Children’s Advocacy Center’s buildout and paved the way for over $10 million in additional public investment in trauma response and recovery services.
To date, the program has served more than 800 children and youth impacted by violence, abuse, and exploitation.
“This gift embodied the core of our work by showing what is possible when heartbreak is met with courage,” said Kimberly Johnson, CEO of Arch Collaborative. “The Riffels’ generosity didn’t just help us complete our Children’s Advocacy Center building, it created a space of refuge. It gave our community’s most vulnerable children and youth a place to safely share their story, to be seen and protected, and to know their lives will not be defined by the worst thing that has ever happened to them.”
Just yesterday, news broke of another tragic international plane crash. Despite the heartbreak this news stirred, especially for those who have lived through similar loss, the Riffel family chose to move forward with the dedication. In doing so, they honored Melvin and Bennett not only through remembrance but through a powerful act of solidarity with families across the world who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.
As part of this meaningful moment, Melvin’s widow, Brittney Riffel, shared the heart behind their decision to keep going:
“We’re holding the families in India close in our hearts today. Sadly, this isn’t the first time we’ve woken up to news like this and I fear it will not be the last. It’s a reminder that the systems meant to protect us are still not where they need to be. That’s why honoring Mel and Bennett today means so much to us. Arch Collaborative’s Children’s Advocacy Center invests in a different kind of system, one built to protect children, support families, and bring healing where there’s been harm."
The event included remarks from local leaders in law enforcement and reflections from Riffel family friend and news anchor Mike Mangas. A commemorative painting was unveiled by Melvin’s six year old daughter, Emma, who was born after his passing. His legacy lives on in her, and now, within the walls of a space that brings light into the darkest moments of children and families in Shasta County and beyond.
ABOUT ARCH COLLABORATIVE
Arch Collaborative is a DBA of Children’s Legacy Center, a 501(c)3 organization working to ensure that victims of violence, abuse, and trauma in Shasta County have access to trauma-informed, community-based care. Born from the visionary work of Children’s Legacy Center, the organization rebranded as Arch Collaborative following the assumption of operational leadership at One SAFE Place. While the two entities remain distinct due to critical grant structures, their unified mission has expanded Arch’s role as both a direct service provider and a driving force for multi-agency systems change across rural Northern California.
Parallel to their direct service work, Arch has a focus on broader rural systems solutions. Arch designs and builds collaborative networks that address complex social issues at their root. From piloting and researching placement models for trafficked youth on behalf of the State of California to leading large-scale regional initiatives like the Prop 1 Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Plan proposal, Arch works to ensure that the systems designed to protect vulnerable populations are not only responsive, but informed by the work on the frontlines of their own staff and their allied agency partners, ultimately aimed at strategic funding alignment to bring state and federal resources into the rural north state.
