Grantee submission by: Julianne Cucura, Development Director
How did the funding or non-monetary support you received from the Foundation impact your organization and/or the community?
Funding from the Moses Taylor Foundation helped us increase the number of children served coming out of the pandemic from 50 to over 100 per day. It also gave us the financial ability to give our part-time staff raises (previously were paid minimum wage), hire more part-time staff since more children were being served, and buy more supplies.
Share a quote or anecdotal story from a client or employee of your organization that illustrates the impact of your work.
One of our current employees, Bobby, age 20, started out at the Club as a member. At the age of 14, he became a junior staff member because he enjoyed working with the younger children at the Club. Also, in his teen years he represented our Club as the Youth of the Year and competed against other Pennsylvania Youth of the Year winners in Harrisburg. Through this program he received scholarship funds to use for his higher education. Currently, Bobby is a part-time staff member at the Club mentoring younger children while he is also attending classes at Luzerne County Community College.
What do you most want the community to know about your work and/or what excites you most about the future of your organization?
As far as we know, we are the only organization who solely serves children. We are building-based and staff-driven. We welcome all children ages 6-18. We have an open-door policy and strive to not turn any child away.