$1/2 Million Closer to Preventing Child Abuse

The O'Reilly and Wooten Family foundations have recently made a $500,000 donation to the Crisis Nursery of the Ozarks. This donation is the largest received to date on behalf of the crisis nursery. The contribution was announced at the Junior League of Springfield's annual meeting. Many community leaders and Missouri's First Lady, Melanie Blunt, were in attendance.

"The O'Reilly and Wooten families are happy to be able to support the Junior League's signature project/crisis nursery. We felt this filled an unmet need in our community for helping children and families in crisis. JLS and partners have done a great job in getting the project started and feel confident in its success because of past projects they have started like the Discovery Center and Ozarks' Public Television. We are happy to make this donation to help the Crisis Nursery become a reality," stated Charlie O'Reilly on behalf of the foundations.

The crisis nursery is the signature project of the Junior League of Springfield (JLS), which is focusing volunteer efforts on child abuse and neglect. JLS is partnering with Burrell Behavioral Health, CoxHealth, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, St. John's Health System, Missouri State University, the O'Reilly and Wooten Family foundations and United Way to open a crisis nursery to Springfield in the spring of 2007.

A crisis nursery is a proven child abuse prevention tool and a recognized community need. The facility will provide 24/7 residential care, along with education, respite, support, and counseling services, for children whose families are in crises.

"The Junior League of Springfield is thrilled to announce such a generous donation to our community's crisis nursery. The Junior League would not be able to spearhead such an ambitious project without our wonderful volunteer resources, community and government support, private donations and corporate grants," said Stephanie Montgomery, JLS President. "We are truly grateful to the O'Reilly and Wooten Family foundations for their commitment to the crisis nursery."

Since 1959, the Junior League of Springfield has contributed over $2 Million and more than 1.2 million hours of volunteer service to the Springfield community. The Junior League of Springfield is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action of trained volunteers. Its purposes are exclusively educational and charitable.

For more information on the crisis nursery, please contact Brooke O'Reilly, JLS Project Review Committee Chair, at 848-3365.

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