The Freedom Center, one of Huntington's oldest Child Care Facilities, is in need of your help. Since our founding 43 years ago the Freedom Center has served Huntington's low-income working families by providing professional childcare in a home-like setting . Our program lets parents hold a job while their child is learning, fed two good meals a day, and loved; at a price they can afford. We also provide them with family support services and education.

Now we need your help. Because of changing guidelines in government funding and increased pressure on our client families and the community agencies that contribute to our funding, we are facing a financial crisis. Our elected officials are all working with us to help us through this difficult time, but their funding takes time. We need to reach out into the community and ask for your help now to ensure that we survive. We have weathered a lot of storms, but this is one of the scariest. The financial problems we are facing come from many directions, problems shared by other not-for-profit organizations: 9/11, Tsunami, Katrina and Rita have taken people's giving in new directions. The Townwide Fund, The Chamber Foundation, local religious organizations and the United Way have had to reduce their funding to us accordingly. At the same time, costs for insurance and utilities have skyrocketed. The Department of Social Services has had to tighten the standards for public support of tuition, so fewer of our families can qualify for support from them.

PLEASE SPONSOR A CHILD:

Sponsor a Child for A Day $20 supports one child for one day

Sponsor a Child for A Week $100 supports one child for a week

Sponsor a Child for A Month $400 supports one child for a month

Sponsor a Child for A Year $5,000 supports one child for a year

The parents pay more than half of the tuition. Your contribution makes up the rest. It's the best tax-deductible investment you can make in our community's future - support a child who needs a positive life-style model at a time in life when it counts the most.

Please mark your contribution "Sponsor a Child" and send to the Center at the above address.