Urgent Need!
URGENT! WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE THESE IMPORTANT PROGRAMS!
This past weekend we received the devastating news the federal funding for our reading and math intervention programs for children has been eliminated by the Department of Government Efficiency, effective immediately.
These grant funds, provided through AmeriCorps, represent roughly one-third of our annual operating budget. While the loss of this funding won’t impact the majority of the good work we do in our community, we are deeply committed to serving the children of this region.
The impact of these programs is immeasurable and simply allowing them to be eliminated is not an option. The area we serve in rural Appalachia is traditionally underserved, and few additional resources are available for children with the greatest need.
Our Board of Directors has authorized funding, if needed, to sustain these two programs through the remainder of the school year.
Our preferred approach is to raise the $250,000 needed to sustain these programs through community support. We invite you to join in this effort. Both our Board of Directors and staff activity working on a long-term strategy to deal with this situation and, as in past, we are confident we will come together to solve the problem together.
Thank you for standing with us and the children and families we serve.
Last week, we reached out with urgent news: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) abruptly eliminated federal funding from AmeriCorps, the national service agency that enables our reading and math intervention programs to reach more than 1,000 students in 25 partner public schools. We asked for your help—and you responded with incredible generosity and solidarity.
Thanks to this early outpouring of support, we’re proud to share that we’re well on our way to reaching our $250,000 goal. We’re committed to providing uninterrupted programming for our students through the summer, and we are grateful to have our far-reaching community of supporters as partners in this effort.
While we celebrate the progress made, there is still more to be done. Most importantly, we need to safeguard our programs and prepare for whatever comes next. Beyond the financial support you have already provided and continue to provide, there is more you can do. Here are some quick actions you can take that will make a difference right now:
- Email Congress: Tell them to #SaveAmeriCorps
- Donate below to protect vital programming
- Share this post to amplify our impact
