GI V I NG BAC K
Gina Cogswelll
Help Raise the
Roof
Keeping The Peggy Crosby Center in good condition is an investment that’ll pay dividends for the entire community for decades to come. For information on how to Raise the Roof, visit peggycrosbycenter.org.
T
here’s a venerable old roof, figuratively and literally speaking, covering much of Highlands. It’s sheltered a hospital and scores of organizations that reached out to groups and individuals over the years. Without Peggy Crosby Center and its roof over our heads, some of our most valuable services would be adrift, if not capsized. Organizations like The Counseling Center, Center for Life Enrichment, Highlands-Cashiers Health Foundation, Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, International Friendship Center, and Overland Unlimited/Bridge of Hope depend on Peggy Crosby Center’s crown to keep their offices dry and functioning. And that’s just the nonprofits. Peggy’s Board has stayed on top of it, so to speak, but they can wait no longer. They’re faced with the formidable task of raising $65,000 to replace the former hospital’s old, leaky topper. While the center itself doesn’t provide community services, it does house and support organizations that do. Those businesses are counting on PCC and the town to upgrade the building’s overhead protection. Gina Cogswell, PCC advocate and spokesperson, has this to say, “Without PCC’s presence, many nonprofits and for profit organizations would not be able to afford rental rates 200 M AY 2 0 2 2 | T H E L A U R E L M A G A Z I N E . C O M
in Highlands in providing their services to the community. Furthermore, keeping the building in good condition is essential to the delivery of their services. For example, the Center for Life Enrichment offers life enrichment opportunities through educational lectures, classes, and workshops to thousands of participants each year. Last year the PCC upgraded its IT equipment and improved its WiFi coverage to enable CLE to better provide these services.” So, is this a request for community support? Darn tootin’! Peggy doesn’t have fundraisers, parties, or auctions. While financial donations generally pour in at year’s end, storm clouds won’t wait ‘til then. Peggy touches everyone in town, directly or indirectly. Did The Kitchen Carry Away feed you often during the pandemic’s quarantine? Did the Center for Acupuncture relieve pain for you or a friend? Were you engaged in rewarding activities during Covid isolation with a soul-satisfying CLE experience? Chances are you said “Yes!” to at least one of these. Please return the kindness and help Peggy continue to serve our community with no leaks, just peaks. by Donna Rhodes
