Thanks to you, our family has grown up at the Center. It’s been 20 years since our boys were little, coming to the afterschool. It was a safe place for them to be when we were running late from work or on the bus and couldn’t get home on time. We didn’t have to worry because they’re at the Center and they’re okay.

Now some of the kids who grew up with Dennis Jr. have kids of their own going to the afterschool. Here we are, still enjoying every community dinner, and Yolanda even serves on the board of directors. And we try to imagine, what if the Center wasn’t there? What would it be like not having a safe place for your kids to learn and grow and develop? Or somewhere you can go if you need help with anything, even something as simple as using a computer, or food if you’re short on funds? What would it feel like not having a place to get that little bit of help when you need it most?

Because of you, kids and families at the Center don’t face those challenges alone. Because of you, dozens of kids got extra hours of summer camp this year. This fall, people just like you will double the Buffett Scholars program. Just think what it means when you want to go to college but think it’s impossible—and then someone at the Center works hand-in-hand with you to make that dream happen. Good days, they cheer you on. Bad days, they pick you up. Every day they believe in you.

Maybe we can’t fix all the terrible things we hear about on the news, but we can do our part. Our family made a three-year pledge to the Center as part of the SOLID campaign. It’s not millions, but it’s a significant investment for us.

Would you consider joining us by making whatever is a significant investment for you?

Two years ago your dreams for kids challenged the Center to raise $1 million in SOLID gifts and pledges for the future—to make sure everything that was here for our family will be here for years to come.

WE ARE SO CLOSE! Nearly 180 neighbors have joined us so far. Businesses have pitched in. There’s even a huge anniversary match on the table ‘til the end of the year.

If you want to learn and grow and develop, this is the place to do it. From the littlest kids in afterschool to the biggest “kids” making radio, you make sure the Center does a lot of things that people don’t know the Center does. You believe in the Lussier Center. You believe in that feeling you get right when you walk into the building—that feeling where everyone is so welcoming and helpful.

For all of that and more, we hope you’ll look in your hearts and join us by giving as generously as you can yet this year.

Thank you.

Yolanda Kennedy and Dennis Scurlock, Sr.

PS: Yolanda’s employer donates to the Center for every hour she volunteers. That money funds a whole day of afterschool for a 1st grader or 6th grader or 10th grader—and every day matters! Maybe your employer will, too.

PPS: Thanks to an incredible grant from the CUNA Mutual Group Foundation, the first year of your gift could be DOUBLE-MATCHED. You can give right here online—and be sure to click SEND by December 31.