Some big businesses have banded together to make a $300,000 donation to help the children's centre build a much needed new facility.
Enbridge and Union Gas made the announcement Thursday afternoon at the Union Gas building in Chatham. According to Union Gas president Steve Baker, many of the company's employees already work with the Children's Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent so it was an easy choice.
"It really seemed like one of the charities, particularly around the Butterfly Campaign, that we wanted to support," Baker said. "We wanted to help the new centre get on its feet."
The Children's Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent was built 70 years ago, according to Baker. He said the building was only meant to service a couple hundred kids but now, roughly 3,000 are registered.
"One look around and you can see it is busting at the seems," Baker said. "They are using every inch of space in that facility and they need a new facility. If we are going to continue to provide services to kids in the community, we've got to have a new centre."
The centre's mission is to provide innovative programs and specialized therapy to help children reach their unique potential. Among its programs are ones that help kids learn how to speak and walk.
"Kids tug at your heartstrings," Baker said. "I think they tug at all of our employees' heartstrings and that's why you see so much support inside the company for it. We're happy to be part of the campaign. We want to see it become a reality and I think that's really why we had the donation here today."
Baker said the centre is raising $6 million of the total $28 million project through fundraising and is about halfway there. He added right now the foundation is just taking private donations and plan to open it up to the public early 2019. According to the president, the centre is asking for the rest of the funding from the government.
