This story was reported and produced by Vanessa Gallup.
Nearly 70 percent of charities told a national survey that they’re struggling to get donations because of the coronavirus, and one in Tampa is no exception.
The Florida Center For Early Childhood of Sarasota and North Port recently had to cancel its biggest fundraising event of the year. It is now swapping out its usual in-person gala with an “Achieve 100 challenge.” The goal is to achieve 100 of something in 100 days or less.
“For over 40 years, the Florida Center for Early Childhood has been one of the premier providers of early childhood services in Southwest Florida,” said CEO Kristie Skoglund. “Once you get bit by the early childhood bug, you know, it kind of, it stays with you.”
Programs at Florida Center for Early Childhood focus on infants and children through fifth grade who are at-risk academically, socially or economically.
“With the pandemic that we’re in, we had to cancel our gala,” said board member Eddie Perez-Ruberte.
The organization has helped over 3,000 children and families every year. They also have the only Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) clinic in the state of Florida.
The gala is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year, but with COVID-19, they had to get creative.
“The Achieve 100 challenge is something that we came up with to try to raise money to substitute what we would normally raise at our gala,” said Marketing Director Merab Favorite.
“So you can walk a hundred miles, do a hundred acts of random kindness. We have a man who’s eating different types of ingredients in his tacos,” Favorite said.
The organization launched an online fundraising campaign and wants to raise one $100,000 by the end of the year. Nintely-one percent of the funds will directly go to their programs.
“We have eight different programs. We help children with developmental delays and special needs, but we also help parents, families,” said Favorite. “We have a full time social, emotional counselor to help parents just with parenting cause it’s hard.”
Programs include developmental therapies, healthy families, early childhood training institute, school-based mental health, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, early childhood court, early childhood mental health and starfish academy.
Perez-Ruberte describes the organization as one of the worthiest causes he’s ever witnessed and been a part of.
The organization has raised just over $30,000 since the launch of the campaign.
“It’s a magnificent, … fantastic organization. It’s a place where miracles happen, and I just want people to know more about it,” Perez-Ruberte said.
The organization’s 33rd annual benefit event will be held virtually Dec. 4. Anyone wishing to take part in its current fundraiser can go to its Achieve 100 page.
