Capital Campaign - We're Halfway Home!
More than 150 people gathered in 2008 to
celebrate the completed renovation and expansion of Lund’s residential treatment
program, which served 125 women and their 107 children in fiscal year 2007. The ribbon cutting also
celebrated the half-way point of the capital campaign, which
has raised $3.1 of the $6 million goal to date.
During the year-long renovation, the building at 76 Glen
Road in Burlington was gutted and a third floor was added
to provide residential space for 27 women and their children
with the capacity to expand to 30, up from 18 in the previous
configuration. The renovation also boasts improved
counseling space, enhanced nursing facilities, and developmentally-
appropriate space for children that will be used for
parenting education, play space and supervised visits. The
residential treatment program is the only one of its kind in the state, providing substance abuse treatment and mental
heath services specifically tailored to women who are pregnant or parenting.
This move would not have been possible without the
support of many generous donors, volunteers and community
members.
But, we're only halfway there. The whole vision for Lund Family Center is that we have another site, in proximity to the Glen Road site. This would allow us to have one campus, where coordinated and effective services would be provided. Staff would be able to share ideas and information more easily. Interdepartmental teams could build on the current culture, aiding in quality improvement.
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From Sen. James Jeffords, on the Roof-Raising for the Glen Road Facility:
For those of you who might not know this, the Lund Family Center is truly a special place for Liz and me. You see, we have the Lund Center to thank for helping us adopt our two children, Leonard and Laura. Liz’s good friend, Teresa Tomasi, was a social worker at Lund at that time. Anyone who knows Teresa knows she makes things happen. With her help, we took Leonard home when he was just ten days old, and the entire town threw us a baby shower! That was in 1964. We adopted Laura two years later. She was born on Valentine’s Day.
Leonard and Laura are now happy and thriving adults. In fact, Leonard and his wife Maura recently made us proud grandparents with the birth of their son, Patton.
The Lund Family Center has been helping families like ours for more than a century now, and it has been my absolute pleasure to secure this federal grant to help them kick off their Capital Campaign.
This facility will be a cornerstone for meeting the need of quality child care in Chittenden County and providing residential services for young parents across the state.
We all know that the federal budget for human services has been cut and more cuts are looming. The need continues to grow while federal resources dwindle. But I do not know of a better way for the federal government to spend money than by supporting programs such as these. And the Lund Family Center knows how to make every dollar count.
Liz and I thank you for all of your good work. May you continue to meet the challenges of our time with the spirit and great energy you have become known for. I am very proud to be a part of these efforts. Thank you.
For information on getting involved with the capital campaign, contact Barbara Rachelson.
PO Box 4009