$100K helps let Whaley kids be kids

FLINT, Michigan—Whaley Children’s Center has been advocating for abused children for nearly a hundred years, and a recent $100,000 donation makes changing the lives of those children a little easier. 

The donation from the Kristy Lynn Berkelbaugh Memorial Fund will have a huge impact on the lives of many children, said Mindy Williams, president and CEO of Whaley Children’s Center.

“It is important for us to make the Center feel like home for our children,” she said. “The one way we do that is by giving the opportunity for the kids to have a lot of fun experiences, to simply help them to be kids.

“With the generous donation from the Kristy Lynn Berkelbaugh Memorial Fund we will be able to give these kids so many positive memories.” 

The donation will support education, medical needs, extracurricular activities and holidays. 

The Kristy Lynn Berkelbaugh Memorial Fund was created by Diana and Fred Berkelbaugh to honor their daughter who passed away tragically at a very young age. The donation to Whaley isn’t unusual for the fund, which has supported programs and services for children since its inception.

“Each time the funds are used to create change for a child, I think of my sister and smile with genuine love and admiration for what we are able to do in her memory,” said Lisa Berkelbaugh-Szukhent, sister to Kristy and fund monitor. “Moving the funds to Whaley seemed like a perfect fit. When you visit the Center, you can not only see kids being kids, but you just feel at home.”

To learn more about Whaley Children Center, visit www.whaleychildren.org.