Park Place Outreach–Youth Emergency Shelter, a temporary shelter and outreach service that serves youth from Savannah and the surrounding area, has received a $50,000 donation from the Joseph & Mary Dobransky Foundation.
The funds will enable the shelter to provide more than 250 nights of care for an individual or 1,800 hours of counseling, said executive director Linda K. Hilts.
“The gift comes at a very critical time for our organization,” Hilts said. “As a nonprofit, we are seeing government funding sources drying up, and many of our donors are struggling with the recession.”
In 2009, the Joseph & Mary Dobransky Foundation donated $50,000 to complete the Dobransky Outreach Center on the lower level of Park Place Outreach’s facility at 514 E. Henry St. The center serves as a haven for youth seeking a safe after-school place to do homework and relax.
Joseph “Joe” Dobransky, a member of the shelter’s board of directors, is a retired regional vice president for UPS. He served in the U.S. Navy after high school and later went to work as a driver for UPS before he worked his way up, serving in key positions in Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas.
Today, Dobransky and his wife, Mary, live in Savannah and dedicate their time to charitable organizations such as Park Place Outreach and America’s Second Harvest food bank.
The Dobranskys have been married for 58 years and have six children, 15 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.
“Park Place Outreach is a place where they really help young people find the path of life,” Joe Dobransky said. “I like to see children advance. I believe the future of the country is in our hands, and the way to do it is to educate young people.”