From his office in the USX Tower in downtown Pittsburgh where he once worked, Whitehall resident Gary Kelly would watch as youngsters in day care were roped together to travel from the building to an outdoor, cordoned off, small play area.

What a contrast, he thought, to the 33-acre, secure, "spectacular campus" of the Franciscan Child Day Care Center his sons once attended, and where he serves as a board member.

On Sept. 15, the center will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a picnic and open house from 1 to 3 p.m., at 1401 Hamilton Road in Whitehall.

The nonprofit center, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God, provides infant, toddler, and preschool care, and before and after school and summer care programs for children in elementary school.

The average cost during the school year is $18 per day for kindergarten through fifth grade, and $37 per day for preschoolers.

Christian and Franciscan values are instilled by encouraging children to be aware of the beauty of creation, enabling them to grow in harmony with themselves and with others. But any religious denomination is welcome.

As part of the anniversary celebration, the center is launching a donations appeal to raise money for educational programs, field trips and playground renovations. Half the proceeds will go to the Sisters of the Holy Family's Child Day Care ministry in New Orleans to help rebuild facilities destroyed in Hurricane Katrina.

Among the attendees Sept. 15 will be Harry Rushe, of Bethel Park, whose daughter, Katelyn, now 18, attended the center from six months to kindergarten and, later, its summer camp program, which is no longer operating.

"The classes were small, and not a warehouse like some day cares," he said.

"We knew they were doing it because they really loved the children," said Helen Dubina, of Whitehall, whose grown son and daughter were enrolled at 12 weeks of age.

The center was founded in 1982 by Sister Marietta Zvirblis to fill a growing need for the children of parents who work.

The first class had 13 children ages 3 to 5 in the preschool care program on the ground floor of St. Clare Hall, the former dormitory for St. Francis Academy. Over the next few years, toddler and infant care programs were added.

As low-income, senior women moved from the upper floors of the hall, their apartments were made into classrooms.

"Through word-of-mouth, we were booming and adding more space," said Sister Marietta. "It created a real family spirit as people pitched in and worked hard to make things happen."

In 1994, the center relocated to the renovated former St. Francis Academy building to accommodate the growing number of children in the expanding programs.

Sister Marietta recalled weekends in which fathers volunteered their time and skills to construct a large playground area, using equipment obtained through fund raising.

The summer camp program was discontinued, she said, as surrounding boroughs began offering the same services free of charge.

In the fall, close to 130 children are expected to be enrolled in the various programs.

Director Sandra Merlo said what makes the center special is a nurturing and caring staff, with an average tenure of 10 years for full-time staff members.

Each age group also has its own classroom.

Outdoors, youngsters' feet, as well as imaginations, run freely.

"We're in a country setting," she said of the campus's deer, turkeys, and groundhogs, and a pond with fish and frogs to delight.

While Sister Marietta is no longer directly involved in the center, "my heart is still there," she said.

Admission to the picnic and open house Sept. 15 is $5 per person, or $2.50 for children under 6 years of age. Call 412-885-7232 by Sept. 5. For more information, visit: www.osfprov.org/FCDCC.htm .