Georgia Ports pledges $150K to Wesley Community Centers, Presents first check to organization leaders

The Georgia Ports Authority presented a check for $50,000 to the Wesley Community Centers of Savannah on July 26th and promised $100,000 more over the next two years.

“We believe the development of the next generation begins in early childcare and childhood education,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch. “That’s why we’re proud to support the Wesley Community Centers of Savannah.”

The organization is a nationally-accredited childcare facility celebrating 75 years of service this year. The funds will help support renovating and reopening the Wesley Early Childhood Education Center, providing a welcoming space for infants to 4-year-olds to begin a lifetime of learning.

“Research shows the more words a child hears during early development, the better they are established for learning later in life,” said Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who also serves as chairman of the Wesley Community Centers board. “That’s why quality early childhood education is so important – that’s where the magic happens.

Mayor Johnson said the Wesley Community Centers have had a lasting positive effect on Savannah. “The oldest Wesley kids are now in their 70s,” he noted.

Core programs include:

• Lady Bamford Early Childhood Education Center serving disadvantaged children aged 6 weeks to 4 years in the West-Savannah area.
• Early Childhood Education Center (temporarily closed in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic and building conditions) is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Georgia Quality Rated Center. The site can serve up to 48 children, ages 1-4.
• WCCS Youth Arts Camp serves children ages 5-12, with summer programming that includes a Transition to Kindergarten session and Career Development component for older campers.
• Crisis Intervention Program, housed in the J.R. Paddison Family Life Center on the Drayton Street Campus assists with emergency utility and other assistance as funds are available. The Center also houses a food pantry, computer lab, and adult education classes.

Georgia Ports