Oasis Family Center in Lansing launches GoFundMe campaign to remain open

Ingham County's Oasis Family Center has a GoFundMe campaign page, with a goal of raising $60,000 in order to continue serving the community for the next six months while secure grants and other funding are sought.

The center, located in Lansing's Cedar Point Building and serving the needs of families in the tri-county region, is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides a safe and respectful environment for safe exchanges and supervised parenting time for children and their parents. The focus is to provide a facility that is safe, accessible, affordable, effective, and culturally sensitive. The center eliminates the need for victims of domestic violence to interact with abusers; and allows children to visit safely with a parent in a friendly atmosphere.

Since opening its doors in April 2013, the center has provided 373 safe exchanges and 201 supervised parenting time sessions.

But the cost to operate this facility, for the benefit of the community, is beyond its means. If the money is not raised, the center will have to close, families will have to seek other exchange locations for their children, perhaps in dim parking lots, and children may be left unattended with abusers, notes Lori Herr, a family law attorney from Heisler Law Office in Lansing and a member of the center's Board of Directors.

To make a donation, visit: www.gofundme.com/oasisfamilycenter. For more information about the center and its services, visit www.facebook.com/oasisfamilycenter.lansing.

Published: Thu, Feb 19, 2015