|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday,
January 20, 2004
| Contact: |
Sandra
Burnett, Administrative Director, Rochester Organization Of Families,
360-273-6375 |
Rochester
Organization of Families Moves to Stand-alone Status
OLYMPIA
-- After more than a decade under the umbrella of the TOGETHER!
organization, a south Thurston County community program is striking out on
it’s own. The
Rochester Organization of Families (ROOF) has recently been incorporated
as a nonprofit and the
process is now underway for registration with the federal government as a
nonprofit with 501(c) (3) status. Administrative
Director Sandra Burnett says the association with TOGETHER! has been great
and the two organizations will continue to have a good working
relationship. “This
transition means ROOF will be an independent entity as we move to a new
location at the old Rochester primary school.
After twelve years with TOGETHER! it’s time for us to stretch our
wings a little and the fantastic support from the community will allow us
to do that.”
Burnett says the main program
provided by ROOF is “Kids Place”, an after school program which hosts
about 50 children from the first through the sixth grades.
“The program runs from 3:15 to 5:00 weekday afternoons and is a
resource for homework and enrichment activities for high-risk kids,
referred from the schools. The
results we have had are a tribute to the program.
Kids who enter the program are below grade level.
In 2003, 77-percent improved their scores to grade level or above
and in 2002 the improvement was 84-percent.”
Other ROOF programs include-
-
A food bank, which distributed 6,000 food baskets in the 2002-03-time
period.
-
Parenting classes.
-
Emergency
services for families in need.
-
Hispanic
support services.
-
Operation
Santa, which distributed about 600 toys and 600 parcels of clothing
items to more than 200 Rochester area families last month.
Burnett
says the 8, mostly part-time, workers at ROOF are assisted greatly by many
volunteers and by other agencies in providing the various services.
Thurston County Commissioner Bob
Macleod, whose district includes Rochester, says the team who will oversee
the ROOF changeover is an excellent one.
“This establishment of a transition team draws on the experience
of many long-time supporters of ROOF.
It also sets up ROOF as a non-profit organization, which will
improve its fund raising stature; while remaining within the “family”
of TOGETHER! which has a long history of assisting youth, families and
communities in the county.” Members
of the team include Laurel Smith, Eric Bricker, Tim Rupert, Michael
Langer, Earlyse Swift, Linda Billings, Jim Anderson, Kellie McNelly, Bob
Macleod and Sandra Burnett. The team will work closely with the ROOF board of directors
in making the changeover.
Burnett says they hope to have
the transition finished by the end of June.
|
