The designated special offering for October will go to The Blossom Center. The center, located at 280 Royce Circle in Oak Ridge, is an extended-hours daycare serving low-income families with children from 24 months to 11 years of age. They currently serve around 60 children and offer academically oriented programs. Their hours of operation are 5 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and they are only closed on major holidays. They keep regular hours during Oak Ridge Schools’ breaks and also offer extended child care for older children during those times.
Their annual budget is approximately $300,000, around 25% of which comes from donations. Director Shakitha Edmond plans to expand their services to keep children as young as 11 months soon. She also hopes to expand the footprint of the building. Our church recently built a new and larger fence around the playground, giving them some much-needed safe space to play outside.
You can contribute to this Special Mission Offering the same way you make your regular church contribution. Just be sure to mark it as the “October Mission Offering” or “Blossom Center.”