MCLC launches capital campaign

by Emily Hemphill, SCI & Milford Times, emily@sewardindependent.com, Republished with permission.

In total, the Milford Childhood Learning Center needs $1.9 million to become fully operational. So far, it has raised about $881,000 through grants, private donations, and a land donation.

The MCLC board approached Milford’s LB840 committee, which awarded $70,000 to the project. Bellwood Mennonite Church leased the land to MCLC for $1, and a Department of Health and Human Services grant for $651,000 will cover furnishings and supplies.

About $1 million is still needed, and the board is looking to the community to raise the rest of the funds through a capital campaign.

“We want to build a strong nest egg so this can be operational for years to come,” said Katie Spohn, president of the MCLC board of
directors. “There is so much positive going on in Milford right now with the new housing developments and revitalization downtown
and along the Highway 6 corridor. This is a great opportunity to add to what’s going on in other parts of Milford.”

Dr. Brandon Henley, a member of the MCLC board, said the center will not only provide a place for children while their parents are at work, it will help them developmentally with an emphasis on quality care. “This will fit very nicely into the goals of this town to grow,”
Henley said. “To attract a young family, you have to have not just a house but other resources for them to be able to live here.”

The board hopes to have funding for the center in place by Oct. 15. “Quality centers don’t just happen. Quality centers happen with
community support,” MCLC program coordinator Kylie Schildt said. “These children are our community’s future leaders. These
children deserve to have access to care.”

Contributions may be made online at milfordchildhood.com, by contacting a board member or by visiting the MCLC booth near the car show at Milford Fun Days.