In the parking lot of a church, the special needs children of Jacob’s Ladder leave their newly renovated learning center and cram into a white van that can barely hold them all. Just a few blocks over from that cozy building off Harris Street, staff members of the Center for Pregnancy Choices work diligently in a dimly lit temporary headquarters. The center is in the process of changing locations, and diapers and baby wipes fill up a good chunk of the small middle room.

These two non-profits, neither of which receives federal money, both rely on the Vicksburg community’s involvement to meet their growing needs. Thankfully for them, Harcros Chemicals answered the call.

The privately held distributor and producer of industrial chemicals donated $10,000 to both Jacob’s Ladder and the Center for Pregnancy Choices in September, helping both places acquire things on their wish list that had escaped their previous monetary confinements.

Harcros has twenty-eight branches in twenty states, opening the Vicksburg branch in July 2006. Jay Walker, district manager of Harcros, attributed the donations to the generosity of the principal owner of the company.

Last year the company was granted more leeway from the corporate office to donate to local charities.

“It’s been a good move coming to Vicksburg and hopefully this is something we’ll be able to continue each year,” Walker said.

At Jacob’s Ladder, the current van used for transportation that was donated by the Kiwanis Club in 2001 is no longer able to accommodate the growing number of students. It’s also not handicap accessible, a real detriment to the students who are in wheelchairs or require walkers.

“It served its purpose and it’s been wonderful, but we have a few students that, their mobility is limited such that they can’t get in the bus we have now,” director Rebecca Busby said. “We want one that either has a wheelchair lift or is handicap accessible to accommodate more students.”

The generous Harcros donation has been stashed in the Jacob’s Ladder transportation fund in hopes of purchasing a new van by the beginning of next year that will be bigger and more easily accessible for handicap students. Miles was involved with Jacob’s Ladder previously through the Kiwanis Club and was aware of the need for new transportation.

“It’s huge really because we are not federally funded. We rely on public donations and tuition to do everything — to pay our bills, to purchase things that we need like that,” Busby said.

“(Donations are) extremely vital. Without the support from the community, small or large, we can’t continue to do what we do. We would have to close our doors.”

The Center for Pregnancy Choices, a non-profit medical clinic and resource center, sits at a crossroads. The organization is currently preparing to move, making temporary quarters in the Mafan Building. The CPC is hoping to buy a new building soon and is in the process of choosing one that suits its needs. The center, which is projected to receive close to 2,000 visits by the end of the year, now has money available to assist in the transition. What started out as a healthy debate over how to use the $10,000 was quickly ended after staff members found out they were moving.

“Shortly after we received the money, we found out we were going to have to move, so then all of a sudden it became very clear where that money was going to go,” director Stacy Tennison said. “We’re still in the negotiation phase with different locations to determine where we’re going to be.”

Tennison said it was one of the largest donations she’s seen in her six years at the CPC and is hoping Harcros Chemical’s generosity will spark more donations for the center and other non-profits across Vicksburg.

“It’s pretty exciting. I think with us, with all the changes that are going on and everything else, I’m hopeful that we can get more big donations like that,” she said. “It kind of starts a ripple effect. People find out more about us and they want to support and it’s exciting.”