Closing June 30th
It is with great sadness that I write this. The Educational Resource Center of Santa Cruz will be closing on June 30th , although our classes will continue through the end of the summer. Please read on to learn more about why this is happening, our plans for the future, and what you can do.
Why We Are Closing
As many of you know, the Resource Center has been a labor of love for me. I’ve always kept the cost of memberships low because I know how hard it is for families in this area. I’ve never made any money running the Resource Center, but have always found great fulfillment in working with the families that visit here. I’ve made many friends. At the end of 2008, we had finally reached a large enough membership that our monthly bills could be paid through membership fees and I had hope that we would continue to grow. But in 2009 we lost more than a quarter of our members due to the recession, and I have been losing $400-700 a month for the last year. I’ve tried to “hang on” through this difficult time, but unfortunately my family cannot handle any more debt. So we will be closing our doors on June 30th.
We will keep our smaller classroom space on the right side of the building until the end of the summer so that we can continue summer classes.
Plans for the Future
I am hoping that closing will not be permanent and that we will find a new and more affordable location in the next few months. We have a few leads, but I am open to creative or unusual options within the county. Perhaps you know of a church, day care, or other organization that would love to have an educational lending library as part of its services. If you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear from you! I’ll be storing the lending library collection in hopes that it can be reinstated as a resource again.
What You Can Do
You may continue to check out items until June 12th, but everything will have a June 30th due day. We ask that you please return all your checked out items by that time.
If you wish, you may ask for a gift certificate for the remainder of your membership. ($10 for each full month left on your membership) It will be good for my services as an educational consultant, speaker, or for classes that I teach—including classes scheduled for this summer.
This is a difficult time and I appreciate your support over the next few weeks. I hope this is merely the chrysalis stage as we turn from caterpillar to butterfly, and that we will emerge in the future in some new form.
I’ll be happy to answer any questions as they arise and will keep you informed of any new developments. If you wish to be removed from the mailing list, please use the unsubscribe information at the bottom of the page.
Sincerely,
Heddi Craft
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