Sad news...the WOO is closing its doors. We can no longer survive the miserable economy. We have been struggling with a serious lack of funding for the past year, and a major cut from what we have been getting from the City of Birmingham was the final blow. It has been a struggle since the economy bottomed out, however, we limped along, still able to service the Pushed-Out youth sent to us by local high schools, other social service organizations, and those who found their own way to our door. Since 2000, we estimate we have had almost 6,000 students come through the WOO. We know both the need and demand for our services has increased dramatically over the years, which makes the decision especially difficult. There are few GED programs here to meet the growing need and all are struggling or closing because of lack of funding. We will stay in contact with our WOO students who are in college and assist them as much as possible.

We want to thank all of you who have given so much to us over the last twelve years. You can be assured that thousands have been assisted, and lives changed, with your donations. Because of people like you, we were able to make a difference in so many lives here. And, as Steve would say, "You all live in our hearts and pay no rent."