USA TODAY Features CFNC: It's a tough time to be a charity

The Monday cover story of USA TODAY's Money section (read here) described the economic crisis as setting off "tremors among non-profits" as foundations and corporations cut back their philanthropic giving. These tremors have already reached us in so many ways, most notably and currently with our pending $350,000 grant from the Freddie Mac Foundation, as highlighted in the article.

We are so grateful for the generous support Freddie Mac has consistently shown CFNC each year since the foundation's inception, and we count on this yearly support to sustain us until winter revenue streams arrive from our holiday mailings and other grants. However, without these funds (or if they are drastically reduced), it will likely mean that we will have to close two classrooms, serving 32 families. This means that 32 children will lose their access to free early childhood education, will have to enter kindergarten unprepared and behind from the start, and that their parents will be forced to make the difficult decision between work and leaving their child in situations that are likely not in the child's best interest.

What you can do to help. All children in this community need and deserve high-quality early childhood education. Here are two ways you can help us to meet this urgent community need:

1. Invest in a Child's Education. With the current state of our economy, investing in our children through early childhood education is perhaps the soundest, surest investment you can make. Studies have shown that the return on investment is actually higher than the stock market (even in the best of times). Supporting our free preschool today means lower rates of violent crime, poverty, and incarceration, and higher rates of home ownership and high school graduation, which benefit us all as this generation reaches adulthood. To make an investment in CFNC, just click on the link at the start of this paragraph.

2. Share this newsletter. During these tough times, it is going to take a whole village of donors giving what they can to make up for the loss of larger philanthropic gifts from corporations and foundations hit hard by this crisis. Take a moment to think of people you know who might be interested in learning more about CFNC, and share this article with them or encourage them to learn more about us on our website.