THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WTXL) — With children, staff, and families caught in the middle, Thomasville neighbors are fighting to save a youth center that’s been serving them for nearly three decades.
- Over 300 children will lose meals, academic help, and summer care due to early program shutdowns.
- The center needs $47,000 every two weeks to continue, covering staff payroll and basic operations.
- A community event and emergency campaign are underway to raise support and prevent further cuts.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Thomasville Community Resource Center is pressing pause on some of its programs including summer care for hundreds of kids because emergency funding hasn't come in.
I'm showing you what this temporary shutdown means, and how the center is racing to raise support before it's forced to cut more.
The center is ending summer programs three weeks early, starting with Grady County.
Thomas County shuts down Friday.
That leaves over 300 kids without daily meals or a safe space to learn and play and parents scrambling for child care.
"To go and to visit a member of the congregation and learn that one of our children is a student there, and with his special gifts and his special needs, he's able to be serviced there, drove the point even closer to home for me. And I nearly got restless. I was like, I've got to do something," said Jeremy Rich, an educator at Thomas County Schools and pastor at Missionary Baptist Church
That's why community members gathered Tuesday at Missionary Baptist Church to talk openly about what happened, what's at stake, and how they can help.
"So here at the Resource Center, we've been reaching out to donors, going after additional funding through grants, meeting with local agencies across the community to rally up support throughout the community, and to really rebuild our financial base with community contributions," said Don Simmons, Interim Executive director at the center.
53 staff members are being sent home losing about two weeks of pay.
TCRC says it needs $47,000 every two weeks. $40,000 for staff, and up to $7,000 to keep the lights on and programs running.
To help secure funding, leaders also launched a campaign called "We Are TCRC Together."
They're asking for help through donations, grants, and community support.
"I think the Thomasville Community Resource Center is a hidden gem. It is not an after-school babysitting service. It is a supplement to the learning environment that enriches the child. It enriches the student and the parent, but it provides quality exposure, cultural and academic opportunities for the student to do the very best to help the child in a safe environment to learn and to achieve their goals," said Rich.
TCRC offers more than tutoring. Kids learn STEM, gardening, and real-life skills all in a safe, family-style setting.
And with 27 years of service, leaders say now's the time to protect what's working.
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