The Linn County Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) Board is pleased to announce that funds donated by ECI board members during their 7th annual fundraiser were used to purchase 560 Cedar Rapids transit bus tickets for Linn County families and children. In February the ECI board presented bus tickets to families at the Linn County Child Development Center.
“For some of our families at the Center, riding the bus and walking are their only modes of transportation,” said Jasmine Wu, Child and Family Specialist at Linn County Child Development Center. “Since it is too cold in the winter months for little ones and their mothers to walk, the bus is the only means of getting their children to the Center. One mother informed us that it costs her $6 in bus fares every day to get her son from shelter living to our program. So these bus tickets have a big impact on our families.”
The Linn County Early Childhood Board has held an annual charity drive for the past seven years during the holiday season. The donations come solely from board members, and the funds are used for families in need. Last year the ECI board raised money for the HACAP Food Reservoir. They raised $720 which allowed HACAP to purchase $8,640 worth of food.
Linn County Early Childhood Iowa Board was authorized in 1998 to receive early childhood funding from the State legislature. Currently 17 local programs provide parent education, in-home family support, full-day child care, part-day preschool, child health care services and behavioral supports to Linn County families. The Board’s vision is for every child to have access to quality services empowering them to be healthy and successful. For more information about Linn County Early Childhood Iowa, visit www.linncountyearlychildhoodiowa.org.