Donations to nonprofits a tribute to quality of life
Lynchburg News and Advance
Sunday, December 8, 2005The Free Clinic of Central Virginia is no different from Daily Bread, Miriam’s House, the Salvation Army or dozens of other nonprofits in Central Virginia that provide services to make life a little more comfortable for those unable to provide for themselves. The common bond for all the agencies is their dependence on financial gifts from the public to keep their operations afloat. Bob Barlow, executive director of the Free Clinic of Central Virginia, recently described a gift of $10,000 as something out of the blue. As reported on Sunday by Shannon Brennan of The News & Advance, Barlow called the anonymous donor to find out what had prompted her to send the gift. In the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami nearly a year ago, the woman said she wanted to help closer to home.
“She said she had decided to make an investment in her community,” he added. That investment will go toward providing health and dental care for uninsured families who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
Barlow also talked about the volunteers who are so essential to the Lynchburg clinic’s successful operation - the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who donate as much as $1.5 million in free labor each year.
He struck the right note when he said of the clinic’s volunteers and those at other nonprofit agencies, “It’s a tribute to the quality of life in Central Virginia. It’s a miraculous gift.”
Other nonprofits have stories that are just as heartwarming about gifts that help them meet the needs of those who have turned to them. Major David Cope of the Salvation Army told about a local businessman who was giving turkeys to his employees and decided to do more than that. “He decided to pick up an extra 20 or 25 for the Salvation Army,” said Cope, who distributed the turkeys to needy families for Thanksgiving.
The Salvation Army’s annual kettle drive depends on the kindness of shoppers who stuff coins and dollars into the familiar red kettles attended by Christmas bell ringers and well wishers.
With the onset of winter weather, donations become more important than ever for the Daily Bread, a daytime shelter that feeds the homeless and anyone in need of a hot meal. Lolita Warwick, executive director of the seven-day-a-week operation, said the organization is facing a $40,000 deficit. A change in the formula for a state grant meant the loss of a major source of income, she said. It means the agency will have to cut back hours and staff time after Jan. 1.
In the meantime, a church group has adopted a group of families who are regular customers of the Daily Bread as a Christmas project.
At Miriam’s House, a long-term shelter for homeless women and children, officials depend more on an annual fund drive. Rhonda Ford, the executive director, was pleasantly surprised recently when she received a $1,000 check from a source she had never heard of before.
Other gifts come in the form of items the shelter needs. For example, a group of local employees heard that one of the home’s stoves had gone out and they pitched in to buy a new one. A local optician is also offering free eye exams to Miriam’s House residents.
As Brennan reported on Sunday, the Daily Bread’s Lolita Warwick said she knows a lot of organizations are stretched thin right now because of Hurricane Katrina and other disaster relief. But she hopes people will remember their neighbors in need.
“We rely strictly on the community to keep going,” she said.
And there are dozens of other nonprofits in Lynchburg and the surrounding counties in the same situation. Their need is just as pressing and the services they provide make life a little better for those assisted by them. Remember that at this time of holiday giving and caring.
For a list of nonprofits and their specific needs, please go to the The News & Advance Web site (newsadvance.com) and click on Meet the Need 2005 under Web Extras. The list also includes phone numbers readers can call to get more information about the nonprofits’ mission and needs.
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