Newks Contributions to USMs Childrens Center Reach $25K

Those who frequent Newk's Eatery in Hattiesburg already know about the restaurant's top-notch menu, but what might be less obvious to the Newk's patron is the local business' impact on the community. Well beyond filling hungry bellies.

Since 2011, Newk's has been partnering with The Children's Center for Communication and Development at USM for “Third Thursdays.” On the third Thursday of every month, Newk's donates 10 percent of its profits between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to The Children's Center.

“We are beyond grateful for our ongoing partnership with Newk's Eatery in Hattiesburg,” said Sarah Case-Price, Director at The Children's Center. “We cannot overstate the value of their contributions to The Center. As a non-profit organization, The Children's Center relies heavily on the support and generosity of our local businesses, and Newk's is a shining example of this generous spirit.”

And thanks to generous spirit, Newk's Eatery's contributions to The Children's Center recently hit a whopping $25,000 since the inception of “Third Thursdays” in 2011.

“It's hard to quantify just how far a contribution like this can go at The Children's Center, but to give you some frame of reference, Third Thursdays' donations alone could fund a child's therapies for 2 full school years, with enough left over to pay for one month of mileage for all of our travelling therapists,” said Case-Price.

But what exactly does this year of therapy at The Children's Center entail? This includes speech and language services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, special education, behavioral therapy, teaching assistance, and assistive technology provided by the highly qualified, committed specialists at The Children's Center, which provides cost-free services to infants and children with complex disabilities in Southern Mississippi.

So the next time you have lunch at Newk's Eatery on a third Thursday of the month, you can feel especially satisfied knowing that your delicious meal is helping fund the life-changing work of The Children's Center for Communication and Development at Southern Miss.    

About The Children's Center for Communication and Development

The Children's Center for Communication and Development at The University of Southern Mississippi provides communicative and developmental transdisciplinary services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers while educating, training and supporting families, university students and professionals. For more information, visit www.usm.edu/childrenscenter.