Together for Children hosts fund-raiser

Together for Children held its annual fund-raiser at the FivePine Conference Center on April 26. Ninety-three tickets were sold for the Saturday night silent and live auction affair.

"Our goal was to sell at least 100 tickets," said the non-profit's executive director Edie Jones.

Considering that the event conflicted with Rodney Crowell's appearance at Sisters Starry Nights Benefit Concert Series, Jones was very pleased with the turnout.

"When we heard that the night was the same as Starry Nights, we couldn't change, but we get a lot of people from Bend and some people from La Pine, so we figured we'd just keep our fingers crossed," she said.

As it turned out, keeping those fingers crossed was the perfect ticket for a successful evening. Just under $19,000 was raised.

"I was not anticipating we were going to make that much," said Jones. In addition to proceeds from the silent and live auctions, "we had several individuals and business who made donations. The most significant are: The Roundhouse Foundation; Robinson and Owen Heavy Construction; The Central Oregon Pediatrics Association; and Matthew and Natasha McFarland," Jones said.

Together for Children, which operates throughout Deschutes County and in Gilcrest, is a parent participation program for children from ages birth through three. Groups led by trained facilitators meet weekly throughout the school year. The program offers interactive play, children's activity time, parent education and family networking.

The goal of Together for Children is to help parents understand and enhance their child's early development, as well as to help the child be both emotionally and socially prepared for school.

"Nobody teaches us how to be a parent. Right from the beginning, we are on our own. Together for Children is a support system for parents," said Jones.

Until about four years ago the non-profit was fully funded by the state of Oregon. During that time, the non-profit received approximately $164,000 annually from the state.

"Overnight we went to zero," said Jones, who noted that the organization's current budget is approximately $102,000.

According to Jones, losing state funding has its benefits.

"I do feel that without the strings attached to government funding, we're able to better serve families in the ways they really need us. We can serve a bigger variety of families and provide a wider variety of services," she said.

Presently, Together for Children receives its funding through grants from the Deschutes Children's Foundation, Deschutes County and the Deschutes Commission on Children and Family, as well as through fund-raisers like Saturday night's event, donations from individuals and businesses and the fees parents pay to participate in the program. "Luckily we have benefactors so we can provide scholarships to families who cannot pay," said Jones

For more information visit Together for Children's Web site at http://www.together-for-children.org.