FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Christmas Comes Early to
Pasadena Agency Serving Families in Need

PASADENA, CALIF - December 20, 2006.  In the midst of spreading holiday cheer to preschoolers and parents in its programs, Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center received a very special gift this week - a prestigious $500,000 challenge grant from The Kresge Foundation in support of its new, permanent facility in Northwest Pasadena. 

The Kresge Foundation is a national foundation with $3 billion in assets.  Through its grant making programs, The Kresge Foundation seeks to strengthen nonprofit organizations by catalyzing their growth, connecting them to their stakeholders, and challenging greater support through grants. 

The Foundation’s core grant making activity is its Capital Challenge Grants program.  In this program, the Foundation focuses on opportunities to strengthen leadership and giving through challenge grants for capital projects.  Grant recipients have raised initial funds toward their respective projects before requesting Foundation support.  Kresge grants are then made on a challenge basis, requesting the raising of the remaining balance, by a deadline.  It is an “all or nothing” challenge.

Mothers’ Club had raised almost $4 million when the Foundation reviewed its request, and now needs to raise just over $2 million by November 1, 2007.  Rip Rapson, President and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, indicated “With the aid of this challenge grant, we hope that your campaign can become an even more strategic opportunity for you to connect with your stakeholders and reach out to new donors, volunteers, participants, and the general community.  Your compelling plan to sustain higher levels of giving after the campaign concludes will help strengthen your organization well into the future.”

The new Mothers’ Club Family Learning Center is located at 980 N. Fair Oaks Avenue.  Opening in September 2007, the facility will house the first LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) child development center and preschool in the state of California. 
Susan Kujawa, Executive Director of Mothers’ Club said, “We are thrilled and honored that The Kresge Foundation has awarded us this esteemed grant.  The support of this international grant-making institution makes a powerful statement to our supporters and motivates all of us to work even harder to achieve our vision of a model family learning center.

In 2005, The Kresge Foundation awarded 212 grants totaling $131,770,027 to organizations in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, and Mexico.

Founded in 1961, Mothers’ Club prepares families living in isolation and poverty to succeed in school and in life through two-generation learning programs.  Mothers’ Club services are comprised of high quality, research-based early childhood education for children ages 0-5, and a comprehensive adult program which includes parenting education, leadership training, adult literacy, vocational exploration, group counseling and social networking for the primary caretaker, most often the mother.  For more information, please contact Sarah E. Orth at (626) 683-5677, or sarah@mothersclub.org.

@ 2006 Mothers' Club Family Learning Center
526 East Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
Office: (626) 792-2687 Fax: (626) 793-1832