[493] SADDLE UP TO HELP THE CHILDREN JULY 30

SADDLE UP TO HELP THE CHILDREN JULY 30
Annual Fundraiser for Project Help Slated for Floyd Stadium

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2009
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina E. Fann, 615-898-5385

(MURFREESBORO)—Yee-haw! Hundreds of cowboys and cowgirls will don their finest Western duds to “Saddle Up for Project HELP” at the 2009 fundraiser, set for Thursday, July 30, at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium on the MTSU campus.
The fun gets under way at 6:30 p.m. with event registration. A barbecue dinner will be served at 7 p.m., followed by live music and dancing. Silent and love-auction bidding will close at 8:15 p.m., and auction checkout will be at 8:30 p.m.
Last year’s fundraiser collected $21,000, said Project Help Director Susan Waldrop, who added that she’s confident that community support for this year’s benefit will be just as strong.
“During my time at Project Help, there have been numerous opportunities for both personal and professional growth,” Waldrop said. “It’s rewarding as well as challenging to be the only provider of center-based early intervention services in Rutherford County. We see the challenge as a means of learning what is needed; we strive to continue to change our perceptions in order to better help families who have children with some type of delay or disability.
“It’s my perception that Project Help is a place where families, toddlers and MTSU students feel safe in taking the next steps in pursuit of strong learning outcomes. This ‘feeling safe’ is probably the pivotal feature of what Project Help is all about.
“Because I have repeatedly observed the unique connection of Project Help with MTSU and the Rutherford County community, it seems that we are now in a unique position to provide services for children and families who are experiencing the first wave of life-lessons involving Autism Spectrum Disorders, or ASD,” Waldrop continued. “With the donations from Saddle Up, our goal is to begin wrap-around programs that afford a ‘one-stop’ buffet of therapies and techniques to families who have children with an ASD diagnosis.”
Founded in 1983, the nonprofit Project Help provides early intervention and family support services to children with disabilities and developmental delays up to age 3.
Project Help, which just began its 13th year in its North Baird Lane facility and its second in the Fairview Center’s Yellow Room, currently serves 48 children with special needs. It also is a stimulating, progressive preschool for families of 17 toddlers who are developing typically in a program that promotes diversity, creativity and cultural experiences. Practical outcomes are developed for all children in a play-oriented natural environment.
The center’s staff, which includes more than 150 student volunteers each semester, works with parents through family support programs, which include workshops, one-to-one interactions and informal training seminars that focus on specific instructional techniques.

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Grants from the Tennessee Department of Education through Early Intervention Services and the United Way of Rutherford County and Cannon Counties partially fund Project Help’s work. The Murfreesboro Charity Circle, Middle Tennessee Electric Customers Care, St. Rose Knights of Columbus, Gwenn Walker Memorial Fund, Bands for Babies, the MTSU Martial Arts Club and Wild About Smiles Pediatric Dentistry have also made major contributions to Project Help, providing the center with much-needed equipment, toys and consumable items.
Although the center’s staff members are grateful for the ongoing support, they admit they need additional money to help meet the organization’s child-centered mission. Fundraisers like the July 30 “Saddle Up!” event target those goals. In addition to expanding the program with services for children with ASD, Waldrop said the funds raised by the event also supplement daily operations.
Items up for bid at the live auction include a Cape Cod playhouse, tickets on Southwest Airlines and a Nashville Night-Out with a room at the Opryland Hotel.
Individual tickets, which include a meal and two drinks, are $50 each. They’re available by calling the center at 615-898-2458. The evening’s dress code is casual.
For more information about Project Help, please visit its new Web site at www.mtsu.edu/projecthelp.

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IN BRIEF: Project Help, MTSU’s nonprofit early intervention and family support program for young children with disabilities, will conduct its annual fundraiser, “Saddle Up for Project Help,” on Thursday, July 30, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Johnny “Red” Floyd Stadium on the MTSU campus. Individual tickets for a barbecue dinner, live music and dancing, as well as both a live and silent auction are $50. For ticket information, please call 615-898-2458; for more on Project Help, please visit its Web site at www.mtsu.edu/projecthelp.
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NOTE: Media needing a color Project Help logo or a headshot of Director Susan Waldrop should contact the Office of News and Public Affairs via e-mail at gfann@mtsu.edu or by calling 615-898-5385. Thanks!