After-school program among budget cuts

KIMBERLY BELLAMY

State legislators have been given two more weeks to make North Carolinians sweat about what will be funded or not funded, but the Community Enrichment Organization (CEO) already knows its fate.

Even with the budget extension deadline of July 15, CEO knows some of its programs will not be funded during the 2009-10 fiscal year.

The program that will receive the biggest hit is Support Our Students (SOS), a program that has been in existence through CEO since 1993, and received funding from the state since 1994.

The latest allotment was $87,000, which carried the program through the school year and the last two weeks in June for a basketball camp, but the lack of funding has made the program come to a halt.

"To my understanding, it is totally wiped out," said Gwendolyn Knight, former SOS program coordinator.

Knight has been with CEO for seven years. She started off as a van driver.

Knight, along with five part-time staff members were laid off Tuesday, the last day of the 2008-09 fiscal year. Those staff members include van driver Greg Higgs and four site managers, Teresa Glass, Linda Black, Dorothy Terry and Deborah Rouzier.

"That's six people joining the unemployment role," said Doris Stith, CEO director.

In years past, Support Our Students was able to retrieve enough funding to have summer programs in July, and have staff development early August.

This year, not only is the program in jeopardy of not reopening, but because of 2008-09 budget shortfalls, the $87,000 grant allotment provided by the state Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention was cut by 7 percent.

The program handled the reversion by cutting supplies instead of people.

Stith said that she is looking into seeing if any of the stimulus money can be applied to help the program, as well as focusing on more grant writing.

The program operated at Martin Middle School, Pattillo A+ School, Princeville Montessori School and Pioneer Courts Apartments from 3-6 p.m. in an effort to keep children engaged in educational activities during the peak times they could get involved in crime. The program served 146 students last year.

“What hurt me the most about losing the program is the kids,” Knight said. “Parents have called me asking where their children can go,” she said.

Knight said although she refers them to summer programs at churches or other locations, she is still concerned because most programs have a deadline, a cap on the number they can serve, and the recreation department charges for out-of-town residents.

“Hopefully other programs will keep the children busy this summer,” Stith said.

Another program that will be taking a hit is the Teen Parent Support Group facilitated by Denise Harrison-Johnson.

Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) will be rewarding the group 80 percent of what they received the previous year. The Teen Parent Support Group can look forward to receiving $32,000 in September, compared $40,000 last year.

Harrison-Johnson said the money is awarded to the group through DEPC, but it is federal money.

“It’s good to know that we’re going to get it because at one point I wasn’t sure we were going to get it,” Harrison-Johnson said.

Until they receive the allotment, they will be fundraising to bring in enough money to withstand through the summer months.

“We’ve raised almost half of what we need to get through the month of July,” Stith said.

They have $2,500 now, but are in need of about $3,500 more.

“When Calvary (Episcopal Church) found out we didn’t have funding for our teen mothers, they stepped in,” Harrison-Johnson said.

The church also has members who act as mentors to five of the girls in the program.

The program currently serves about 30 girls by focusing on them getting their diploma, or GED, and encouraging them to further their education. There is also a focus on teaching them to be self sufficient, practice abstinence, and don’t engage in child abuse or neglect.

Harrison-Johnson said with more money the girls would have more opportunities to travel together on field trips, and create other pregnancy prevention groups such as Circle of Friends, which would encourage the friends of teen mothers to practice abstinence, or use contraceptives.

“Although we’re crunching when it comes to funds we still don’t want to turn anyone away,” Harrison-Johnson said.

Stith said that volunteerism and donations will be the tools that will keep them going, although that hasn’t been the tools they’ve relied on in the past.

“For 16 years, I’ve tried to bring money to the community and not take money from the community,” she said.

“We have to rely and encourage more of our members to volunteer.”

Stith recalled only one time when they had a problem with funding due to a grant not being renewed, but it was granted to them the following year.

On the other hand, the Teach One Reach One (TORO) program will still operate, and the positions of those working with that program are safe. The salaries of the TORO staff are sub-contracted through UNC Chapel Hill.

Full-time business administrator and project assistant Barbara Council is working at 100 percent of her original salary, while Stith is only working at 30 percent of her original salary.

Stith’s salary is paid through different grants and CEO hasn’t received some.

During Stith’s first year with CEO, she worked strictly on a volunteer basis.

“I’ve worked for free before, I can work for free again,” she said.

“Just because we lost the funding doesn’t mean we have to lose the work that’s been done.”

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