Round Barn Daycare awarded 100+ Men Who Care check

Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Round Barn Daycare youngsters join teachers (front, from left) Ashley Vaughn, three-year-olds; Kaila Thurston, pre-K; and Janet Spurling, three-year-old class assistant, along with Greencastle Presbyterian Church Pastor Wes Kendall (back, second from right) in accepting a $12,500 check from the 100+ Putnam County Men Who Care organization recently in the church sanctuary. Representing the donors are (back, from left) Mike Harmless, David Murray, Andrew O’Hair, John Helmers, Bill Shuee and (right) Todd Lewis.
Banner Graphic/Eric Bernsee

Round Barn Daycare is the latest quarterly local recipient of a $12,500 grant from 100+ Putnam County Men Who Care.

Children from the daycare center, located within Greencastle Presbyterian Church along Round Barn Road on Greencastle’s East Side, joined the program staff and Pastor Wes Kendall in accepting the large, lottery-style check from the 100+ Men representatives in a recent ceremony in the church sanctuary.

“I just want to say thank you again on behalf of Round Barn Daycare for selecting us as this quarter’s agency/organization to receive the 100+ Men Who Care contribution” Kendall said. “It’s a wonderful thing to have such a direct, impactful means of assisting some of our local missions, all with money that stays right here in the community.”

Kendall said the daycare center has been striving to provide the highest-quality childcare environment possible, while keeping costs low and affordable for families of the community.

“In the past few years,” he noted, “we’ve realized how important it is to keep investing in our staff, and we’re excited about the steps we’re taking to become a level 3 Paths to Quality Center by the end of 2019.”

Kendall said the $12,500 grant from 100+ Men Who Care will help the daycare continue to make key contributions to its staff and families.

“One of the first things we will do is use part of the 100+ Men Who Care money to build up the tuition assistance fund so that our daycare families can continue to get financial help if they need it,” Pastor Kendall said. “We’re also looking forward to using the money to provide more opportunities to our staff, helping them grow as teachers and care providers.”

Round Barn Daycare currently provides childcare for around 45 children each week, Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It offers care for infants through elementary-aged children in its after-school program.

“We have already been working with CASY (Chances and Services for Youth) to provide financial vouchers for families and individuals facing financial constraints,” Kendall added, “and we have begun developing curriculum in all of our classrooms to better enable children to make the transition into kindergarten.”

Following the national model, 100+ Men meets four times a year to award a big check to a Putnam County 501c3 charity.

Since its January 2014 debut, the group has awarded more than $150,000 to Putnam County charities and nonprofit organizations, Mike Harmless, chairman of 100+ Men, said. It also has created a Community Grants Endowment at the Putnam County Community Foundation.

Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2019, the 100+ Men of Putnam County was created based on two principals: There were men who wanted to give back to the community but lacked the time to do fundraising or serve on boards, and the process needed to be fun and easy.

Today, there are more than 125 members.

Interested men can visit the website www.100plusmen.com for general information as well as application forms (click on the “Join Us” icon) or check out its Facebook page, 100+ Men of Putnam County.

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