Support the Center

Surprisingly, the DHCC does not currently receive state or federal tax monies; therefore, our quality programs and educational activities would not be possible without the generous support from the individuals and businesses in our community. In fact, 25% of our funding comes from program fees, 34% of our funding comes from grants, and the remaining 41% of our funding comes from YOU. We are profoundly grateful to all those whose contributions helped make the Donald Heiter Community Center the fine hub of activity that it is today, and we continue to rely on the help of our community to sustain our excellence and secure our future.

Donate

The DHCC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit organization supporting the diverse needs of residents in the Central Susquehanna Valley area. All donations are tax deductible and are put to immediate use.

The Donald Heiter Community Center
100 North Fifth Street
Lewisburg, PA 17837

To speak to someone about a contribution, call (570) 524-5000. You may also use our contact form or make a contribution through:

If you are using a credit card to donate to the Center, please be aware that some of your contribution will be used to cover the credit card transaction fees that are assessed.

Individuals

There are many ways in which a single person can make a large impact in our community: attending programs and events, making an annual fund donation, creating a scholarship, or by including us in your estate planning.

Businesses

Businesses can now support the DHCC by sponsoring a fundraising event, by matching employee gifts made, or by participating in our Educational Improvement Tax Credits (EITC) program.

Offered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), the EITC program allows businesses to receive significant tax credits when they contribute to a qualified educational improvement organization (EIO) such as the Donald Heiter Community Center. Funding from the EITC program allows the DHCC to provide our Academic Enrichment After School Care Program and Summer Day Camp Curriculum, not operating expenses. The best part of the EITC program is that your tax dollars stay in our community, rather than get redistributed to other parts of the Commonwealth.

If your business pays any of the following Pennsylvania taxes, you are eligible to receive a 90% tax credit if you sign up for two years in the program and a 75% tax credit if you sign up for one year:

  • Corporate Net Income Tax
  • Capital Stock Franchise Tax
  • Bank and Trust Company Shares Tax
  • Title Insurance Companies Shares Tax
  • Insurance Premiums Tax
  • Mutual Thrift Institutions Tax

For more information about the EITC, please visit the DCED website at www.NewPA.com/EITC.

If you want to be a sponsor of an event, you not only get the tax deductible donation letter, you get a lot of advertising (ie. your business name and logo on printed materials and event announcements) and that feel good moment of supporting your community.

To find out how your business can make a tax deductible donation, or the EITC program, please contact us at 524-5000.

Volunteer

We are always looking for community members who want to volunteer their time or talent to benefit the DHCC. If you want to teach a class, organize a community event, or just help out in our garden, we would love to hear from you. Right now we are in dire need of a piano teacher, so if you have the time and skill, we have 760 eager fingers at your beck and call! Call us at 524-5000 to speak with our Community Volunteer Coordinator.

Grants

We do not receive state or federal tax dollars to run the DHCC; however, we do apply for local and state grants. Below are local area and state grants we apply to regularly (listed alphabetically). Given the proposed state and federal cutbacks scheduled for the next fiscal year, and the slow stock market recovery which affects their endowments, many agencies will not have as much money to grant in the coming years. Therefore, we expect to receive less of our operating budget from grant sources. If you know of other grants we may qualify for, or would like to help champion our grant application with one of the agencies listed below, please contact us at 524-5000.

Local Grants we apply for:

Baltimore Life Insurance, 1st Community Foundation (Book of Dreams, Lindig Trust), Cherokee Pharmaceuticals, Combined Federal Campaign, ConAgra Foods Foundation, Degenstein Foundation, Guyer Foundation, High Mark, John Apple Fund, John Family Foundation, Lou Harris Fund (distributed through Red Cross and the United Way), Ronald McDonald House Charities, Smith Fund, Sunbury Area Health Foundation, Susquehanna Valley Visitors Bureau, Union County United Way, Whipple Fund.

State Grants we apply for:

Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), PA Humanities Council, PA Council of the Arts (distributed through the Mid State RC&D).

Scholarships

According to Pennsylvania State poverty guidelines, a family of 4 which makes $22,000 or less is considered ‘low income’, and a family of 4, which makes between $22,000 and $35,000 is considered ‘moderate income’. At this time we provide scholarship assistance to a few qualified low income families.

Times are tough, and the demand for affordable child care is rising, in response, we need to offer scholarships to those families. So this year we are creating a scholarship program to have a greater impact on our community. Our scholarship program will help low income families afford quality care for their children during the school year and over the summer break, giving our children a safe, healthy, academically enriching experience so they can thrive in our community.

Annual Scholarships

We need to raise $54,000 this year to provide 36 scholarships for children who will be enrolled in our 2011 After School Program and 2012 Summer Day Camp. Both programs cost $1,500 per child per year for enrollment (23 scholarships will be allocated for the After School Program and 13 scholarships will be allocated to the Summer Day Camp). If we are able to raise more than $54,000, we will be able to provide funding for additional low income and perhaps moderate income families.

Endowed Scholarships

While annual scholarships help us to provide for children during the 2012 fiscal year, there is a longer term solution. By creating an endowed scholarship, your donation will continue to provide for a family in our community for years to come. Your $150,000 donation will be placed in a special account, and each year the interest of that account will be used to provide a scholarship for a needy child. While we hope you take advantage of this program to create a legacy for you and your family, we are also happy to keep this donation anonymous.

Estate Gifts and Bequests

To establish an estate gift or bequest, please contact our office directly at (570) 524-5000 or via email at heiter@windstream.net.

Be a Part of Something Fun!

Want to make a donation that has a little razzle dazzle? How about one that makes our kids jump up and down with excitement? And yes, they will be screaming your name in thanks, trust us!

Summer Camp Field Trips

Your field trip sponsorship includes everything – transportation, fees, you name it. What’s more, we will take photos of the kids having a blast on your special day and send them along with a big thank you card – so you can see the impact this kind of gift makes!

Here are eleven (11) really cool field trip sponsorships for this summer:

No School Care Days

Your No School Care Day sponsorship covers everything from arts and crafts to exciting activities. What’s more, we will take photos of the kids having a blast on your special day and send them along with a big thank you card – so you can see the impact this kind of gift makes! Last year, the Degenstein Foundation sponsored Holiday Jam. The kids went roller skating at Sunset Rink, had lunch at Hoss’ Steak House, and then saw a movie at the Selinsgrove Cinema Center. The most often quote from kids that day “this is awesome!” Thanks Degenstein!

Here are the fifteen (15) wild and crazy No School Days you can name in your honor, after all they need cooler names:

  • $750 October Teacher In Service
  • $750 November Teacher In Service Day 1
  • $750 November Teacher In Service Day 2
  • $750 Winter Break Day 1
  • $750 Winter Break Day 2
  • $750 Winter Break Day 3
  • $750 Winter Break Day 4
  • $750 Winter Break Day 5
  • $750 Winter Break Day 6
  • $750 January Teacher In Service
  • $750 President’s Day Vacation 1
  • $750 President’s Day Vacation 2
  • $750 April Vacation Day 1
  • $750 April Vacation Day 2
  • $750 April Vacation Day 3

Other GREAT donation ideas:

  • $700 Sunscreen - so the children can play outside all summer long. We would love for a dermatologist to visit our Summer Day Camp and talk about how to properly apply sunscreen and how to care for your skin during the summer months!
  • $500 New board games (ie. Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders)
  • $500 Supplies for arts and crafts (ie. popsicle sticks, glue, markers, paper, paint)
  • $250 Campers spend a day at the pool

Support Health and Well Being

Obesity continues to plague children and our community is not immune to the effects of poor nutrition and lack of exercise. To put kids on the right track, we send our counselors to SPARK training so they can create physically active days. Our biggest problem lies in purchasing healthy snacks.

Because our kitchen is not Mass Care certified food service, we do not qualify for USDA funding. As a result, we need to pay full price for snacks for all our children, and often times the most affordable solution is not the healthiest. You can help us by making a donation to provide funds for lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grain snacks!

  • $5,000 Healthy Snacks throughout the School Year
  • $2,500 Healthy Snacks throughout the Summer
  • $1,800 10 water safety and swim instruction for all children enrolled in summer camp.
  • $1,000 SPARK instructor certification or renewal
  • $100 You can purchase a healthy lunch for the Summer Camp

Support the Arts

Mrs. Betsy Powers, a founding member of the DHCC Board of Directors, requested that in lieu of flowers at her funeral, donations were to be made to the DHCC. Due to her love of the arts, we organized music and piano lessons at the Center for the children. During that time 23 children took piano lessons for an entire school year and loved it! Parents enjoyed the recital at the end of the year. Given the success of the program, we are looking for a piano teacher and sponsorship to continue to work Mrs. Powers started.

$5,500 pays for a Piano Teacher, music books for the children, and piano maintenance

Support learning and development for our community

  • $5,500 Americorps Volunteer for the School Year
  • $1,500 Americorps Volunteer for the Summer
  • $500 Pennsylvania Emergency Management Association provides Preventative Training for Crisis Management - so staff would be prepared to handle -
  • $500 Keystone Stars – a program produced by the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance a series of programs that benefit administrators of child care centers.
  • $250 PANO Gold Membership – go through records and provide feedback and courses to remediate any areas that need work