Agency serving women, children looks to Christmas
PHOTO BY STEVE STEINER
LeAnn Pierce, the Executive Director of TheWAY Center, holds a blank assistance request form. People and business owners/operators wishing to "adopt" a child for its "Operation Christmas" toy drive can obtain a filled out form that will provide age and gender of children, along with a Christmas "wish list."
Although TheWAY Center is based in Haines City, women throughout Polk County have called upon the faith-based not-for-profit community agency in times of need and crisis. As stated on its web site, its purpose is “to provide more than just hand-outs. The desire of the Center is to work with our clients over an extended period of time to help them overcome any social, physical or emotional difficulties and to help them meet new goals.”
It is a tall order and one that has been successfully met since TheWAY Center was first founded in 2003. Much of that has been accomplished by people from all walks of life opening their hearts and assisting in helping those women and their children regain a semblance of normalcy.
