Posted 12:44 am Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Publicity Helps Raise $200K For PATH
By PATRICK BUTLER
Religion Editor
Just two weeks ago, Tyler's faith-based charity People Attempting To Help was in the worst economic crisis of its 25-year history. PATH was in imminent danger of cutting the majority of its programs during an economy-related increase of new clients seeking assistance at PATH.
Religion Editor
Just two weeks ago, Tyler's faith-based charity People Attempting To Help was in the worst economic crisis of its 25-year history. PATH was in imminent danger of cutting the majority of its programs during an economy-related increase of new clients seeking assistance at PATH.
With only a single month of operating expense money in the bank, a series of articles in the Tyler Morning Telegraph highlighted the problem of a new type of poverty while dramatically increasing numbers of first-time clients.
There was good news announced Tuesday at a PATH news conference at 402 W. Front St.
A sudden surge of donations because of publicity put PATH back on track, with almost $200,000 donated to the home-grown organization seeking to encourage the needy -- physically with practical needs and spiritually with "encouragement to go on" one PATH staffer said.
"We don't have to cut any programs, thank God," said an enthused PATH Executive Director Christian Fulsom who turned on air conditioners as a courtesy to gathered media, cooling off a warm board room. "We're doing so much better and we've reduced costs everywhere we could find.
Through the generous outpouring of the community we're very happy to say that we're able to keep all our programs in place."
The money comes just in time. The "new poverty" has added a thousand new families that PATH is helping just since January, said Mrs. Fulsom. "That's a lot of parents and children who didn't need PATH just a few months ago, and now need us. What we're seeing that's new is called 'asset poverty.' It means people who don't have enough assets in reserve to weather losing their jobs," she said. "Poverty a year ago meant 'generational', but today it's 'situational.'"
PATH programs include providing adult education, housing, rent and medication assistance, a food program, programs mentoring children and more. Each year PATH also runs the School Supply Train to equip children for school.
"PATH gives away $4.7 million each year in our long-term prescription program," Mrs. Fulsom said.
"That was one of the programs in danger of being cut. We provided 3,146 emergency services in June alone. We got in this (financial) situation suddenly because of the economy. Donations went way down. With very little money and lots of new clients, we were put into a very dangerous and precarious position." To help avoid that situation in months to come, Mrs. Fulsom asked for community understanding -- and consistency.
"I hope the community understands that (donations) are not a one-time thing," she said.
"If people could make a consistent monthly donation, whatever they could afford, that would help so much rather than us getting into a crisis and pleading for help. Please think about planning a monthly donation -- $10 or $1,000, whatever you're able to do, and that consistency, I think, will help prevent us from having to do this again."
