Monday November 30, 2009

We Need You -- Now More Than Ever!

While we are glad and proud that most of the programs we have worked so hard championing--public education, preschool, health care and community-based family support services--were significantly protected during the 101-day budget impasse in Harrisburg, the losses were and are serious.

As we were organizing and mobilizing in the region, we were also making sure that a child without insurance got his cast removed and got health insurance, that infants and toddlers secured more protection from lead poisoning, that families knew where to secure vision and behavioral health care for their children, that there were more opportunities for kids to stay in school, more alternative education programs for at-risk kids, more quality child care slots, more parenting supports, more positive school climate and more arts in our children’s lives.

It has been a daunting fall--made all the more challenging by the tough economy which has taken its toll on our own budget. We have made difficult staff cutbacks and face even deeper cuts. Only with additional revenue will we be able to sustain the level of activity that enabled us last year to help 892 children get dental care, more than 1000 children secure health care, and successfully advocate for quality infant care so parenting teens could graduate from high school knowing their children were being well-cared for, that children had more chances to be creative in school and afterschool programs and that we as a community did all we could to keep our kids safe and hopeful.
 

Our reports, our forums, our testimony, our op-eds and letters to the editors, and our e-alerts remind the community and its leaders that each of us has a vital stake in the future of all our children. Advocacy may be more difficult to quantify than direct services, but a recent report of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy found that $1 invested in advocacy yielded a remarkable $138 return in increased services.

Please help PCCY continue to stand strong. If we are able to significantly increase contributions from individuals and businesses this fiscal year, we will be able to avoid more serious cutbacks and ensure that children in the five-county area continue to have a vocal and effective champion for the services they need to become contributing adults. We know it’s a lot to ask but kids and families have a lot of needs that need addressing.

Please respond as generously as you can.  Click here to donate now!

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