The Tomah Health Community Foundation is supporting a project to enhance care for children with special needs.
Members of the foundation donated $1,500 to Kids and Company Day Care of Tomah Oct. 17.
“We are looking at using the funds that we raise to improve our playground for special needs children, more adaptive things for them on the playground, and also to bring more of the adaptive and special needs programming into the classroom,” said Kids and Company administrator Heather Wilcox.
She said the daycare has raised about half of the $7,500 needed for the project which she hopes will begin before winter and wrap up next spring. “The donations that we’re receiving are very important. It is costly to order the items that we need, especially the adaptive things for children,” said Wilcox.
Kids and Company Executive Board chairman Travis Scholze said the foundation’s support helps Kids and Company provide care while supporting staff. “Childcare in the community is a struggle for a lot of people and when you think about the special needs portion, it gets to become a bigger struggle,” said Scholze. “I think we’re on the right track with what we’re doing with special needs kids.”
Kids and Company currently provides care for 33 children.
Foundation president Brian Eirschele said the donation validates the foundation’s mission to support organizations and services that help children and families through health and wellness programs. “It is very much healthcare related for our foundation and it makes me happy and warms my heart,” Eirschele said of the support. “We know that there are people here who want to take care of special needs children and right in our community. Daycares are always tough to find and tough to staff, so it’s wonderful that we get a chance to help thanks to the wonderful donations from our local community.”
The foundation’s donations are made possible due to investments and fundraisers, including its recent annual golf outing held in August.