Donor offers Rock Hill home for abused kids $5,000, if others will match it.

The Children’s Attention Home, which for 46 years has been a refuge for children removed from abusive circumstances, could receive a donation of up to $5,000, and possibly more.

However, there’s a challenge. The donor, who wants to remain anonymous, has committed to match other donations up to $5,000.

So the home, which has served more than 7,500 children over the years and is home now to about 35 kids, has come up with a fundraising drive called “Fill the Sleigh.” The public is asked to make monetary donations.

“The donor came to us and was willing to help us and match what the community gave,” said Katy Motsinger, community resource director at the Children’s Attention Home. “It is a very generous offer, and this way, we can raise twice the money for the children we serve.”

The nonprofit home was founded in 1970 by three area pastors who saw the need to help children who came from homes where they had been abused, or those left struggling because parents were in jail, or other crises that left children vulnerable.

The late Rev. Bob Porterfield , Rev. Gene Norris and Rev. James Freeman started the home, which has grown into a full-service facility with full-time staff and a volunteer board of directors.

“The children we serve have always had a special bond with the people in this area who generously give to make the attention home a warm and wonderful place,” said Nicki Nash, a longtime board member and former board chair.

The home serves young people, ranging from infants up to those approaching adulthood.

“It’s the hearts of our community that makes our work possible every day, “ Children’s Attention Home executive director Debra Eident said.

“From day one, our community has been a vital part of the heartbeat of the Home, and we depend on them today as much as we ever have to help us give our children the care and love they deserve.”

The fundraiser runs Thursday through Monday.

This story was originally published December 13, 2016 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Donor offers Rock Hill home for abused kids $5,000, if others will match it.."