By Paige Havens
DULUTH, Ga. | An announcement came on Nov. 11, 2022 that Peachtree Christian Health (PCH) would permanently close its adult day center at the end of the year because of insurmountable financial hardships caused to their business in the wake of the pandemic.
Havens
PCH families rallied and appealed to the staff and board to give them the opportunity to help raise funds and recruit new participants to save the center. Their wish was granted and the “Save Our Center” campaign launched with the charge to raise $500,000 and enlist 50 new participant days per week by Thanksgiving to fill in the financial gap necessary for sustainability.
In just 15 days, PCH families, staff, board members, and other community stakeholders have managed to rally and raise $362,303 as of 4 p.m. Monday.
After seeing the passion and results from the “Save Our Center” campaign, the PCH Board has agreed to extend the “Save Our Center” campaign through Tuesday, November 29. Those five extra days are giving stakeholders the opportunity to appeal to family and friends through the holiday weekend, encourage others to explore enrollment, and to make one final fundraising appeal on Giving Tuesday.
The PCH Board of Directors will meet for a special meeting on November 30 where a final decision will be made. An official announcement will be released on December 1. Board Chair Bob Dutlinger says, “We owe it to our amazing staff and those we serve to decide quickly so they can plan for the new year. We are simply blown away by the response we’ve received from the community and have hope that PCH has a future. The services we provide are like no others and it would be a tragedy for this center to close. We truly are doing everything we know to do.”
Dutlinger was sure to stress, “We want to be clear that if we don’t meet our campaign goals and must affirm the earlier decision to close the center at the end of the year, all donations to the Save Our Center Campaign will be refunded. If we are successful with our campaign and can reverse the earlier decision, we will be good stewards of the funds entrusted to us and work to fill the necessary gaps to bring us back to a state of sustainability.”
Peachtree Christian Health President Anne Mancini says: ”We are so close. This is doable. There is hope. We will continue to fight the good fight and trust God will affirm without question the path we need to follow. We believe in miracles.” The PCH now has a new transportation partner step forward committed to helping break down access barriers for veterans.
Donations can be made to the Save Our Center Campaign at https://bit.ly/SavePCH. If you are caring for an aging loved one that could benefit from daytime activities with medical oversight, especially those living with dementia and cognitive decline, learn more about enrollment at PCH at www.pchlec.org.
Follow Us