"critical'' need for funds.

But while the day for closure of its doors has never been far off for its 40 students -- even though it achieves an 84 percent success rate -- founder Neletha Butterfield said yesterday she has never done "it'' for the money.

"That's the reality. I can't keep kidding myself,'' Ms Butterfield, a Government Backbencher said in her office.

"We have limited funds and I believe that it is just by fate that we have been able to carry forward this far,'' she added. "But you know, we have had a very high success rate with students who dropped out of school.

"Yes, this has been rewarding. One thing I have said is that you can never be rewarded with cash, but with the success of your students after they have left here.'' A donation from a charitable trust will hold over CARE until the end of the next school term, but as it stands, a solemn Ms Butterfield called the near future "difficult''.

CARE -- properly known as Children and Adults Reaching for Education -- was started in Ms Butterfield's family home in 1984 with eight students.

In 1997, the school moved to a building at Southside -- one of the first to do so -- but it was later found to have been an unsuccessful move due to the difficulty in getting people to the east end.

"We went to the base lands and I think it was detrimental,'' Ms Butterfield said. "I believe that was part of why we're in financial crisis now -- because we had to borrow money. That was a total waste.

"Adults didn't want to drive down to St. David's and we only had two children in after care,'' she added.

Ms Butterfield said, through intervention by interested parties, she moved the school to offices on Brunswick Street, adding: "But we have been struggling ever since.

"We don't have a problem attracting students -- they come everyday,'' she said. "What's keeping us open are donations from international business and some other concerned people.'' She has looked everywhere, including to Government, to continue teaching, but has not received the boost the school may need.

The donation from the charitable trust will allow the school to continue while Ms Butterfield works to keep it afloat.

Graduates of CARE include a news editor at CNN in Atlanta, a counsellor in Baltimore, Maryland, and Eudora Brown Zuill, programme manager of Bermuda Youth Counselling Services, who will speak at the July 11 graduation.

"Education is vital in today's society. Not everyone is going to graduate via the traditional methods and some need alternative learning environment to achieve their goals,'' she said.

Currently enrolled at CARE are 15 young people, 12 of whom are sponsored, and 25 adults, 15 of whom are sponsored. There are also 20 young people in the after care facility.

In the 15 years to 1999, 274 of 342 people passed their General Equivalency Diploma's (GED) from the school.

Between 1994 and 1999 the school had an 84 percent success rate with 76 of 93 students snagging a GED.