Austin, TX - Following the recent announcement (May 5, 2007) of the Austin Children’s Shelter (ACS) capital campaign "Building a New Foundation of Hope," ACS is pleased to announce a new major gift to the campaign: The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation granted $650,000 to name the Therapeutic Living Center (TLC) for Boys. With the gift of this grant, all eight buildings of the new ACS facility have been named. These gifts bring the total amount raised to approximately $8.8 million toward the $10.9 million campaign goal. Expansion of the facilities will eventually allow ACS to care for as many as 78 children at a time who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect - more than doubling its current capacity.

The new campus of eight buildings includes five residential cottages for children and three support buildings to provide emergency shelter, residential treatment care, increased education programs and family based services for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. ACS will break ground on a new facility in the fall of 2007. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation grant funds one of the residential treatment care cottages and will be named the Therapeutic Living Center for Boys Sponsored by Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. This cottage allows ACS to care for boys in middle and high school who need longer term care in a residential treatment care facility.

"We are proud to extend our support so the Austin Children's Shelter can continue its important work and provide area children in crisis with a safe and positive environment," said Janet Mountain, executive director of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. ""These children are some of the most vulnerable in our community and we need to ensure the best care for these kids during this time of their lives."

"The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation has supported the Austin Children's Shelter in our endeavor to help make a lasting difference in the lives of the children for several years," states ACS Executive Director Gena VanOsselaer. "We are deeply grateful to the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, not only for their dedication to Austin’s children but also for their continued belief in our ability to help these children begin to heal."

The Austin Children's Shelter provides emergency shelter, high quality care and hope for the future to the abandoned, abused and neglected children of our community. ACS is a non-profit organization that has provided emergency shelter and critical services to children who have been removed from their homes since 1984. The Shelter cares for up to 30 children at one time and serves more than 300 children each year. For more information, visit the web site at www.austinchildrenshelter.org.