Former WCCO anchor Don Shelby will lead a $15 million capital campaign for the Washburn Center for Children, starting early next year. As chairman, Shelby will strategize fundraising efforts for the campaign to build a new facility.

The Washburn Center is a Minneapolis-based community mental health center for children. Executive Director Steve Lepinski said Washburn has outgrown its current headquarters, with the center now serving 58 percent more children than it did four years ago.

The new facility is expected to encompass a 50,000-square-foot area-double the size of its current space. The facility will offer day treatment services, in addition to housing an outpatient clinic, stations for in-home care specialists, and administrative offices. Washburn has not yet picked a site for the facility.

Shelby, who has received honors for his work in the community, is not new to the Washburn Center. He emceed the center's 125th anniversary celebration two years ago, and has served on a capital campaign planning committee.

Every year, the Washburn Center serves more than 2,000 children with social, emotional, and behavioral disorders, with about 60 percent of them coming from low-income families living in the Twin Cities area. The center integrates research into program practice and provides training and consultation for agency staff and community collaborators.

Shelby retired from WCCO last week, after being with the TV station for 32 years. He holds three Emmy Awards, the Columbia DuPont Citation, the Scripps-Howard Award, and the Society of Professional Journalists Distinguished Service Award.