Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 27, 1995 TAG: 9509270035
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
When Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley said it wanted someone to take over its Downtown Learning Center child-care facility, parents who use the Roanoke center decided they should do it.
They liked the way the place ran and that it was nonprofit, so they set up a steering committee to submit a proposal.
Out of five proposals, the parents won.
A nonprofit company incorporated in the center's current name will take over its operation Jan. 1. A 15-member board of directors, five of them parents, should be in place by Monday, said Lelia McGregor, a Norfolk Southern marketing systems analyst. She and her husband, Scott, have a child at the Second Street Southwest center, and she was involved in the takeover project from the beginning.
The hospital announced in July that it needed to cut its costs and could not continue a $30,000 annual subsidy to the center. In addition, the hospital's parent company, Carilion Health System Inc. of Roanoke, had said it would get out of any business that was not directly related to providing health care.
The hospital agreed to turn over the center's assets to any group that proved it would continue to provide high-quality child care for parents who work in downtown Roanoke. The center was set up by the hospital a decade ago after a survey of downtown businesses revealed a need for infant day care downtown. It has spaces for 88 children, from infants to school age.
Lelia McGregor, whose older daughter also attended the center, headed a parents' steering committee that prepared the proposal sent to the hospital. She also will serve as president of the board of directors that is being selected.
Ten of the 15 directors have been chosen, and there are plenty of applicants for the remaining seats, McGregor said Tuesday.but we need to explain who has the rest that parents don't have.
The timing of the center project was perfect, McGregor said.
``I had planned to become an activist to promote a partnership between businesses and child care, even elder care,'' she said. ``This just fell in my lap.''
The new leadership brings the project full circle. When Community Hospital envisioned the center, it thought other businesses would contribute start-up money. When none came forward, the hospital went ahead with the project alone.
Businesses once again will be asked to lend support to the project, McGregor said.
By the end of the year, the group needs to raise $20,000 as a nest egg to assure a smooth cash flow. Businesses that have employees who use the center can expect to be invited to help, she said.
Two board members have pledged $1,500, she said. Additional money will come from a silent auction scheduled for Nov. 18 and the Christmas greenery sale the parents sponsor each year.
Fees should support the facility, but the group also will look for ways to expand services, McGregor said.
She said she and her husband wish their oldest daughter, 7-year-old Kerry, could come to the center after school each day.
``School-age care is one of the long-term goals,'' she said.
One of the more immediate goals is to diversify the children the center serves, said Denise Legg, center director. The group will be looking for grant money so that it can offer some scholarships, she said.
Legg, who has been active in the parents' effort, and the other 22 staff members are Carilion employees. She said all are expected to continue with the center and that she expects a smooth transition for them.
One of Community Hospital's requirements of a new owner was that employees be given the chance to apply for positions and their years of service maintained if they were hired.
Legg said one of the goals of the new owners is to try to at least equal the workers' current benefits package.
The parents' proposal was one of five received from nonprofit and for-profit companies, said Elizabeth Aderholdt, a Community Hospital vice president who oversees the facility.
Many of the proposals sounded good, but suggested immediate changes, she said.
``We know what it takes to run a day-care center, and we were concerned that these folks might not be able to ensure its future,'' Aderholdt said. "The parents were much more realistic."
by CNB