ROCKINGHAM — A local nonprofit aimed at serving the families of children with special needs is one of two organizations to recently receive a grant to help continue its mission.
Krystal Dawn Retreat has been awarded $15,000 through the CoBank/Pee Dee Electric Sharing Success Grant Program, the regional electric cooperative announced Monday.
Babara and Leo McAuley started work on the retreat — situated on a pond several miles south of Rockingham — several years ago after moving to Richmond County. It’s named in honor of Barbara’s late daughter, Krystal Dawn, who endured more than 50 surgeries during her short 13 years of life.
“This facility will be transformational,” Barbara McCauley said in a statement. “It will allow us to serve families in a dignified and comfortable way, giving them the supportive environment they need.”
Since opening, Krystal Dawn Retreat has held several events each year — featuring paddleboat rides, various games and crafts, and a petting zoo — for children with various special needs, especially autism, and their families.
Families attend the Krystal Dawn Retreat Spring Carnival in April 2025.
RO file photo
Within the past year, the McAuleys have added a large picnic shelter to the 32-acre property to accommodate the families.
The grant will help with construction of a permanent facility with a kitchen and ADA-accessible restrooms and showers, according to a press release.
“We want these families to come somewhere where they just feel welcome, feel loved,” Leo McAuley told the RO in April. “We’re pouring out everything we can to make them feel that way.
“Nothing’s more awesome than to see these kids running around out here having fun.”
A 5k was held in Cordova in May as a fundraiser from Krystal Dawn Retreat.
(See photos from the 5k and other events at Krystal Dawn Retreat on the RO's Facebook page.)
Pee Dee Electric and CoBank also awarded $15,000 to Anson Crisis Ministry, for a $30,000 community investment during this cycle.
Representatives of Pee Dee Electric present a check to members of Anson Crisis Ministry.
PDE
“We are proud to participate in the Sharing Success grant program, which allows Pee Dee Electric to give back to the communities we serve,” said Donnie Spivey, CEO of Pee Dee Electric. “Both organizations play a vital role in Anson and Richmond counties, and we appreciate their unwavering passion and commitment to serving our communities.”
Last year, the pairing awarded $20,000 to the Rankin Museum of American Heritage in Ellerbe to help with facility renovations.
Colorado-based CoBank matches charitable contributions to the community through its Sharing Success grants. Nonprofits cannot directly apply for the Sharing Success program, but CoBank customers can, according to the bank’s website, and Pee Dee Electric does business with the bank.
More than $86 million in combined donations have been made since 2012.
