The Good Shepherd Center, the largest provider of homelessness services in the Wilmington region, will soon be able to break ground on a new facility for adults with disabilities after it recently received a $1 million grant from the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) Foundation.
The center said it has been “quietly” raising money for the $5 million Lakeside Reserves facility, which will provide 40 units of affordable housing and supportive services for single adults, senior citizens and veterans with disabilities. After the SECU Foundation grant, Good Shepherd will launch a public capital campaign in an effort to raise the remaining balance of $1.4 million.
“We are humbled and inspired by the community’s outpouring of support,” said Katrina Knight, Good Shepherd’s executive director.
Located on 4.2 acres of donated land behind Legion Stadium, the Lakeside Reserves project is expected to break ground later this year. Services provided include showers, clothing, jobs, on-site mental health and health services, and a bed to sleep in.
“We are deeply grateful to the SECU Foundation and all of its members for this transformative gift which will change lives and provide permanent solutions for those experiencing homelessness in our community,” said Reid and Linda Murchison, co-chairs for the Lakeside Reserve capital campaign, which has so far raised $3.5 million toward the project.
The SECU Foundation is the charitable arm of the SECU, the credit union for state employees, and states its mission is to “promote local community development in North Carolina primarily through high impact projects in the areas of housing, education, healthcare and human services.”
Efforts to raise funding for the Lakeside Reserve facility will occur outside of Good Shepherd’s standard fundraising activities, said Carolyn Gonzalez, Good Shepherd’s associate development director.
Good Shepherd conducts several fundraisers each year to help raise money to cover operating costs for the organization, Gonzalez said, including an event scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13.
The event, Baby It’s Cold Outside, is a dinner and dancing party held at the showroom of Hendrick Toyota Scion of Wilmington, located at 5640 Market St. The band Jack Jack 180 will perform and tickets are $75, Gonzalez said.
Other Good Shepherd fundraisers include two yearly golf tournaments as well as additional events in the spring and fall, including a new event this year called Kid’s Walk which occurs in May, Gonzalez said.
Other groups also hold fundraisers on Good Shepherd’s behalf, she said, including the annual Bowling for Backpacks event held in March. This month, all sales of burrito restaurant Flaming Amy’s salsa will also go to support Good Shepherd, she said.
Intern Elizabeth Weaver contributed to this report.
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