Chest collections edge up to $15,835
By Sandy Morris
There are three weeks left in the annual Albany Chest campaign and contributions are badly needed in order to meet the 2020 fundraising goal of $41,000.
The goal was set by the directors at the start of the campaign after they reviewed the submitted funding requests from 25 organizations.
The total donated as of Tuesday, Dec. 8 was $15,835.
Albany Chest president Amy Kelly said with such a wide gap between $15,000 and $41,000, the board may have to make some very tough decisions on how to allocate funds this year.
These decisions will mean local organizations will either receive much less money than they requested, or even worse, no funding at all.
“If you or a family member participates or benefits from any of the 25 organizations that have been highlighted in the newspaper over the past few weeks, please make a donation of any amount that you can,” urged Kelly.
In this week’s edition, three more organizations requesting assistance are spotlighted.
Senior Citizens
Activity Center
The Senior Citizens Activity Center is housed in a building purchased by the City of Albany which was then repaid through private donations.
A group of seniors from the community established a board of directors to oversee operations.
The board has plans to conduct fundraisers and continue to seek private donations which will allow the group to finish furnishing the building and to pay monthly utilities and expenses.
The onset of COVID-19 has prevented the center from opening just yet as the safety of the senior population is the first priority.
Despite the temporary postponement, the board has been able to get cabinets installed that were donated by Jim Nobles and a stove purchased by Lori Reames and Closet Angels.
The group is still seeking 12 more chairs, a bathroom mirror, a long white table, decorations, coffee, toilet paper, and snacks.
The program is looking forward to serving the seniors of Shackelford County and to providing them a place for fun, education, and fellowship.
Summer Day Camp
The summer day camp is a program offered through ResourceCare during the month of July that is free of charge and available to children of Shackelford County who are in Pre-K to sixth grade.
In 2020, the day camp provided jobs to 46 high school students and four college students, and enrolled 185 children.
A total of 2,625 breakfast snacks and 2,640 lunches were served this past year.
According to Resource Care program director, Mindy Ary, the camp provides a safe place for kids during the summer while also forming mentoring relationships, physical fitness, vacation Bible school, and jobs for Albany youth.
Albany VFD
The Albany Volunteer Fire Department provides services to Albany and Shackelford County.
The department is totally comprised of volunteers and has been in operation since 1884.
The Albany VFD recently lost one of its fire trucks during a large wildland fire while the truck was providing structure protection and assisting in fighting the fire.
AVFD fire chief Kyle Tischler said an emergency grant has been submitted to help replace the truck and equipment.
“This grant will not provide all of the $25,000 needed to complete the project,” said Tischler.
Donation Details
The Albany Chest board traditionally waits to see how the money comes in before setting the final allocations.
The fundraising drive will end on Dec. 31 and board members hope to distribute checks to the organizations soon after the first of the year.
Contributions to the Chest can be given to Paige Adair at First National Bank or Keri Hebel at First Financial Bank, or they can be mailed to Albany Chest, PO Box 2019, Albany TX 76430.
