Fort Lauderdale Center Calling For Help

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - This week's "Good 4 You," goes to the people answering the call for help. Did you recently get a new phone and have the old one laying around? Now, you can out that phone to good use. Children at the Ann Storck Center in Fort Lauderdale rely on others for just about everything. They attend classes at the Center where caring professionals enrich the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities.

But the center needs your help because money is tight.

"We are looking at a lot of different ways to raise revenues to continue our mission," said Charlotte Mather-Taylor, C.E.O. of the Ann Storck Center

One way the staff is raising money is by collecting old cell phones.

"I mean, who doesn't have an old phone? I mean, I want to get a new one anyway," said one woman who was dropping off phones as CBS4's cameras were visiting the center to promote the drive.

The center recycles the phones and generates dollars to help us to take care of our residents and preschoolers. The idea has touched Dr. Jeffrey Cantor who runs the South Florida Spine Clinic

"The folks at the Ann Storck center give these kids a life. It is really a touching experience to see what they do," said Dr. Cantor whose staff began their own cell phone drive.

"This is something we are going to dispose of and throw in the trashcan. It may really give a kid a little bit of help that he needs," said Dr. Cantor to CBS4's Jorge Estevez.

While this kind of work requires a person answering a calling,  simply helping out can be even easier than picking up the phone.

"When you give it us, you are helping people get a better life because we are using it to raise dollars for the center," said Mather-Taylor.

Running the Ann Stork Center requires 15 million dollars a year. They operate a preschool, a day program for older kids, and a program where 100 adults live at the center full time.