By Gretchen Keiser

When people contribute each fall to the Campaign for Human Development, three quarters goes to a national fund and one quarter stays in the diocese and is used to help local projects selected by an archdiocesan panel.

The local portion in 1982 has gone to help three different projects: a Spanish news program on WABE-FM, a program for preschool children at the Covenant Center near Clarkesville in the Georgia mountains, and an educational program for low and moderate income housing in small towns and communities in Georgia.

Georgia Housing Coalition, a non-profit statewide organization working to increase housing for low- and moderate-income people in Georgia, was awarded $4,000. The money will be used to fund, partially, an education program being conducted by the Coalition. Because of changes in housing policy at the federal level, the Community Development Block Grant program will now be administered by the state and will place more discretion in the hands of local governments as to which housing and community development plans are funded. Because of this change, the GHC foresees a need for even more educational programs to alert low- and moderate-income community groups and minority community groups to the Block Grant program and how it works so that they can effectively lobby with local governments.

The $4,000 grant will pay part of the cost of workshops, development of informational booklets and expenses involved in monitoring the state's Block Grant program.

The Covenant Center, which operates from the home of Ruth Lammers of St. Mark's parish in Clarkesville, requested and won from the CHD program, $3,000 in seed money to start a family-oriented preschool program for children. The children's program will be aimed particularly toward middle-income families who have worked up from poverty and are no longer eligible for public day care programs and unable to afford private facilities. The children's program is also seen as the core of a family-oriented center, which may eventually provide other workshops, services and educational programs to the whole family. The center is located in Sautee, Georgia.

The News in Spanish was awarded $2,315 to pay, in part, the cost of equipment, subscriptions, travel and salaries connected with proposed improvements of the Spanish language news program broadcast over WABE-FM weekdays at 8:50 a.m. The program, written, edited, and broadcast by volunteers, delivers news and essential program has been broadcast since July 3, 1978, but, because of its dependence upon volunteers, is now seeking to amplify its work and stabilize funding sources to ensure the program's continued operation.

Steve Brazen, diocesan coordinator for the Campaign for Human Development, said the committee was particularly pleased with the three groups awarded grants, because, with the Covenant Center grant, the rural area of the archdiocese received aid and with the other proposals two high-priority areas -- housing for low- and moderate-income people and service to the Hispanic community -- were addressed.

Those interested in applying for 1983 CHD grants may contact Steve Brazen at Catholic Social Services (404-881-6571). The deadline for national grants is Jan. 31 and for local grants is March 15.