$300,000 in ARPA funds a 'lifesaver' for Donald Heiter Community Center
Aug. 30—LEWISBURG — The executive director of the Donald Heiter Community Center in Lewisburg describes the COVID-19 relief funds distributed by Union County as a "lifesaver" for the nonprofit organization.
The Lewisburg-based community center, located at 100 N. Fifth St., was awarded $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds last year from Union County. The money is being used to account for anticipated gaps in funding for its annual budget over the next five years.
"Our budget stands on three essential legs: programming income, grant income and local community income from donors and fundraisers," said Executive Director Andrea Tufo. "If any of those legs get shaky, we have two others to fall back on. The pandemic caused all three to get shaky. The ARPA funds gave us a fourth leg to stand on that was solid and allowed us to stabilize the other legs. The only thing that will restabilize the three legs is time. ARPA gave us that time."
The Donald Heiter Community Center, incorporated in 1993, is one of 25 local municipalities, organizations and projects awarded a portion of $7,713,326 in ARPA funds from Union County in October 2022. Union County received $9 million of the $6.15 billion federal funds allocated to Pennsylvania. The county has more than $1.2 million that has not been allocated.
"The Donald Heiter Center project and programming are indicative of the types of future-focused initiatives that we supported throughout the county," said Union County Commissioner Chairperson Jeff Reber.
The 5,200-square-foot facility, which includes a library, air hockey, foosball and pool tables, and a gymnasium with basketball hoops, jump ropes and hula hoops, is a place for after-school programs, summer day camps, and community services for those in Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, West Milton, Milton, Winfield, Selinsgrove, and surrounding communities. It has approximately 250 participants, including children ages 5 to 13 and older adults. During the pandemic, about 40 percent of the facility, including the roof and gymnasium floor, was renovated due to water damage.
When applying for the funds, Tufo said she used national and local projections to identify where the shortfalls in funding would be over the next few years. Those trend predictions have been "completely spot on," she said.
Smaller grants, like those from State Farm Insurance, are more limited because COVID hit everyone hard, causing grant funding to be reduced or more competitive. The center would typically receive $1,500 grants from organizations like State Farm, she said.
"We have lots of smaller distributions like that that got hit," said Tufo. "It really adds up."
Its annual Chocolate Lovers' Festival fundraiser during the Lewisburg Ice Festival in February brought in approximately 35 percent less in funds than normal. People spent less money and the expenses to hold the event were higher, too, said Tufo.
In order to keep employees and stay competitive with other employers, salary and wages had to be increased by 30 percent. All employees are cross-trained, administrative employees are taking on program supervision duties and they're cutting back on public office hours and networking. The center has three full-time and three part-time employees, as well as seasonal employees, said Tufo.
"The ARPA money fills in those gaps so we can continue to keep our doors open," she said.
The annual budget for 2023 is $307,000 with $60,000 coming from ARPA funding. Starting with last year's budget, the ARPA funds will supplement the budget each year until 2026.
Lewisburg Mayor Kendy Alvarez praised the center.
"There are a few cornerstone organizations whose establishment and existence have a lasting impact on our community," said Alvarez. "At its core, the organization is about supporting our youth, providing an outlet for their energy and creativity."
