Empowerment Opportunity Center (EOC) and United Way of Decatur & Mid-Illinois (UWDMI) recently partnered to provide new car seats to Anna Waters Head Start families in Decatur.
Due to COVID-19, buses have not been running and parents are driving their kids to Head Start. The staff noticed that many parents did not have car seats, so EOC Executive Director Tara Murray called United Way to discuss the problem, and together they purchased the seats.
“The Empowerment Opportunity Center is excited to support our families by providing safe, age-appropriate car seats to our families who need them,” Murray said. “We care about the education, health, well-being, and safety of children in our community, and this is a small but important piece of the wrap-around services we provide. We thank United Way of Decatur & Mid-Illinois for providing the financial support required to meet this critical need.”
So far, 65 car seats have been purchased and 60 seats have been distributed. As new families enroll in Head Start, EOC will assess their need for a car seat and distribute them as necessary.
“United Way is a solution provider,” said UWDMI President Debbie Bogle. “Tara came to us and explained this community need and we were more than happy to make this happen.”
To see more examples of UWDMI’s community impact during the COVID-19 pandemic, visit https://uwdecatur.org/Our-Covid-Response.
© 2024 United Way of Decatur & Mid-Illinois
