| Rotary Club helps Children's Center
July, 2006- The Children's Center for Communications and Development received help Tuesday replacing the walls it is currently knocking down, thanks to the Rotary Club of Hattiesburg.
The center, which offers speech, language and physical therapy to infants and toddlers, received a $10,000 donation - the profits from Rotary's only major fundraiser this year.
A photo of the Children's Center entrance.
The center serves about 65 children and their families from across South Mississippi. Housed at the University of Southern Mississippi, it also is a training ground for future speech pathologists.
"We are in the process of knocking walls down, and the Rotary Club of Hattiesburg is helping to construct four furnished therapy rooms that are also observation rooms for university students and families," said Margaret Brinegar, the center's executive director.
"Part of our mission, besides serving the children, is to give our university students a clinical site to gain experience," she explained.
That dual mission was made a little easier with the Rotary's donation, the fruit of the annual fundraiser "Night in Italy" - an Italian dinner with all the trimmings.
Children's Center renovations begin.
"It took on a greater significance because it was our one and only fundraiser this year," Rotary President Susan Light said.
The club usually puts on a charity golf tournament as well, but Hurricane Katrina canceled that fall event.
Nevertheless, Rotary was able to come through with the donation that put a dent in the center's $375,000 fundraising campaign in support of its renovation project.
"These funds are earmarked for renovation of existing space to make it appropriate for young people with special needs," Brinegar said.
"We're going to provide direct services with these renovations - it's not just a matter of getting new carpet," she said. "This is space that will be utilized for many years to come."
Getting the word out about the center hasn't always been easy. Though the center has operated for 32 years, Light admitted that until a few years ago, she did not know it existed.
"We were given the opportunity to tour the center, and it really cemented the relationship," Light said. "We were very, very impressed with the quality of care they give to children."
Originally published by the Hattiesburg American, June 28, 2006