By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — An anonymous donor has come to the temporary rescue of Visitation Station, just as the program was preparing for its last weekend.
Jeannie Sherrill, executive director of Families First, said Thursday the donor has given $15,600. That will allow Visitation Station to continue for three more months.
Meanwhile, Sherrill’s office will continue “to explore fundraisers and grant opportunities.”
Monetary contributions from Rowan County’s legal community had allowed the station to operate during July.
For the past six years, grant-funded Visitation Station has provided a safe, supervised place on Saturdays and Sundays for non-custodial parents to spend time with their children.
On Friday and Sunday evenings, it also serves as a pick-up and return location for children who are allowed to visit unsupervised with their non-custodial parents on weekends.
St. John’s Lutheran Church’s Child Development Center on West Innes Street has served as a site for Visitation Station, a program operated by Families First.
In mid-April, Families First learned that the Governor’s Crime Commission had eliminated the grant that paid for Visitation Station, which worked on a $116,000 budget in the 2011-12 fiscal year. Sherrill already had submitted a $113,000 budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
To keep the program going, attorneys who believe strongly in the program put up the July funding.
“Just as we were scheduled to provide our last weekend this week,” Sherrill said, “we had two community angels approach us.”
One of those angels was the anonymous donor. The other was the owner of Rock Bottom Saloon, James Logan, she said. Logan “approached us this week to put a fundraiser together in partnership with High Rock Boat and Ski Club, with proceeds going to Families First,” Sherrill said.
“This community rallied at the 11th hour so that our Visitation Station children will not miss a weekend visiting with their non-custodial parent,” Sherrill said. “While we still need to find sustainable funding, we are encouraged by the generosity and compassion of our community.”
Families First — N.C. Inc. is the new name for the Adolescent & Family Enrichment Council.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.