City without Orphans – A Plea or Help for a Great Cause

I do not think I have ever done fund-raising on this blog However, I am doing so now.

I am passing on this appeal to my friends as chairman of the CWO board. The work that CWO does is vital to our community and so many young people and families.

Find out about CWO here.

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Dear Community Supporters,

Over the last 13 years of our work we have seen many financial ups and downs, but never to the degree we have experienced over the past 12 months. Our efforts to continue and even expand our drop-in center services are being immediately threatened by the state of our finances in the previous quarter (our 2nd fiscal quarter of the year). Many efforts have been made to reach out to new and veteran donors, businesses, and foundations and we have also applied for countless grants. Despite these efforts, CWO Is currently at a $30,000 deficit in our annual budget projection for 2024. We believe this is due to multiple factors including the state of the economy, the slow months of summer and many competing non-profit organizations seeking funding. This budget deficit has become dire and is going to severely impact our ability to sustain services for youth at The Landing through the summer months. We have much hope and some funding sources projected to come through in the fall months, BUT we will not be able to maintain services from now through the end of August without some serious and immediate help. We will have no choice but to cut or suspend services if we are not able to increase donor contributions within the next two weeks. Please consider helping us obtain a minimum of $15,000 in donations before the 15th of July. Here are some ways you can help us do this:

One-time donations of any size via Aplos, Venmo, or Paypal Giving. We also can take checks and are willing to pick them up from you at any location.

Advocate on our behalf to businesses you have connections to, asking them to donate. We are also happy to reach out personally or set up a meeting or tour with anyone you may know who is interested in partnering with CWO financially.

The needs of the clients at The Landing are only increasing, and we would hate to have to cut back hours or services for these youth. Providing support during the summer months is especially important as many of our clients are without the help they can access at school during the academic year. Many of our clients have nowhere else to go where they can be out of the heat, engaging in prosocial activities and learning opportunities. However, due to our current financial situation, it is a very real possibility that we will be closing our doors for portions of each week this summer. Please help us bridge the gap financially so that we can continue meeting the physical and social/emotional needs of the vulnerable population we serve, now and for years to come.