FRESH AIR/FULL CARE CAMPAIGN

WHAT IS THE NEED?
Almost 450 children from 275 qualifying working families in Loudoun County need your help. These children and their families qualify for daycare and summer camp assistance but there is no money available from the state or county to make this happen.

In 2003 the Loudoun County Board of Social Services partnered with Piedmont Community Foundation, a 501(c) 3 organization, to create the Fresh Air/Full Care Fund. The fund raises money to supplement public funds to provide registered daycare and appropriate summer camp placement for children whose families meet the state and federal guidelines.

In our first year the fund raised almost $150,000, enough money to send 78 children to summer camp for four weeks and to enable 24 children to attend a full year of daycare.

Loudoun does a better job than any other county in Virginia in moving people from welfare to work. Nearly 70 percent of those who have been on welfare are now working but their average income is less than half of what is necessary to move them out of poverty. Without help, these parents face the difficult choice of continuing to work knowing their children do not have safe, secure, and nurturing care or quitting work and returning to welfare.


WHO BENEFITS?
The Families are able to remain in the workforce as more reliable and productive employees with more control over their situation through the selection of daycare providers and through their role in paying a portion of these costs.

The Children are in more secure and nurturing environments where they are part of the larger community and less likely to be at risk.

The Local Economy: parents whose children are in supportive daycare settings are more reliable and productive employees. Local daycare providers (mostly home based businesses) benefit from the increased number of families they support, and they earn more, and pay more taxes.

The Community: Children who are cared for responsibly by mature adults in a healthy environment will contribute to our community in positive ways as they mature. Left on their own without a structure, some children will become vulnerable targets for destructive influences such as gang recruitment (which has been identified as the number one safety problem in Northern Virginia by Congressman Frank Wolf and others). Help us keep our community healthy, safe, secure and prosperous by supporting Fresh Air/Full Care.


WHAT IS THE ROLE OF FRESH AIR/FULL CARE?
Because the need has not gone away and the state, county, and federal governments have even tighter budgets than they did in 2003 the decision was made to make Fresh Air/Full Care (FAFC) an ongoing fund with the Piedmont Community Foundation with the mission to ensure that by 2008 no qualified child in Loudoun County will lack appropriate daycare due to lack of funds.

Leaders across a wide spectrum of the Loudoun community have agreed to serve on the FAFC Advisory Board to provide guidance, advice and action to increase the awareness and effectiveness of the fund.

Community Captains are being recruited to represent FAFC in churches, service organizations, professional organizations, town governments, PTA’s and homeowners associations.


WHAT DOES IT COST?
$100 a week for one school-age child for after school care
$150 a week for one child for summer camp
$175 a week for one child for full-time daycare


NOW IT IS UP TO US
We will only succeed in helping these children, their families and our community if caring individuals step forward and meet the challenge. This is an opportunity to have enormous impact with a single contribution. We encourage you to raise your hand and join us with a contribution of your money and / or your time. Please do so today by calling us at FA/FC at (540) 687-5223. You can also e-mail us at kkrei@verizon.net. When contacting us please be ready to share with us the following information:

Your name, your address, your phone number, your email, if you want to be included in our email updates, how much you are contributing, if you would be willing to host a fundraiser, and if you would be willing to volunteer. Thank you.

CONTACT US TODAY
For one child it costs about $175 a week for full-time day care; about $100 a week for after-school care and $150 for one week of summer camp. The goal of the Fresh Air/Full Care Campaign is to raise sufficient funds so that as many children as possible will have year-round care by registered providers enabling their parents to continue in their careers that will help them be self-sufficient citizens.

Checks or money orders should be made out to PCF-Fresh Air/Full Care Fund and sent to Piedmont Community Foundation, P.O. Box 402, Middleburg , VA 20118-0402

For more information: Call Karen Krei, Development Director at (540)-687-5223 or email her at: kkrei@verizon.net

 

Back to Piedmont Community Foundation website.