Youth In Need in Montgomery City received a huge donation that will help support facility improvements for the early learning center in 2025.

A $10,000 check was donated to Youth In Need from Faye Edwards in honor of her late sister, Peggy Jean Ritschard. The check presentation was made during the afternoon of Dec. 18 at the Youth In Need office at 898 South Sturgeon.

Youth In Need received its second donated check in a span of two weeks. On Dec. 3, the center received a $3,000 check from members of the George Lipscomb Memorial Toy Ride, an event in which motorcycles travel from City Hall in Montgomery City to Hermann Eagles Hall.

“It’s really heartwarming with the amount of community members who have donated to our program this year, whether it’s financially or wanting to help,” Youth In Need operations director Sarah Briddell said. “It’s been really unbelievable that the community just sought us out and decided to choose us.”

Youth In Need will make plans in building a gross motor room with the donation that was given by Edwards. The project will be finished by August. The room will be named after Ritschard. There will also be a plaque in her honor.

“Our home visitation program will be able to use it, too,” center manager Casey Henry said. “They have families who need an alternative location or socialization experience. They can come here and use this space.”

Briddell said Edwards first discussed the donation to the center staff before Thanksgiving.

“Faye stopped by and chatted with Casey,” Briddell said. “She wanted to learn more about our program. I had some follow-up conversations explaining what we do here and the services that we provide.”

Edwards made her second donation in five days. On Dec. 14, she donated a $10,000 check to the Montgomery County Arts Council in honor of another sister, Judy Elaine Ritschard. The money will help pay for a wall mural that will be painted at the Arts Council building.

Edwards said she wanted to donate to Youth In Need in Peggy Ritschard’s honor since she enjoyed working with children.

“The last conversation I had with her, she was going to college and wanted to work with little kids,” Edwards said. “She was a great babysitter for her little nieces and nephews and she loved to play with them. This is long overdue, but we wanted to do something that would be in her memory and it would help little kids.”