Jackson EMC Foundation 2017 Annual Report

Making the Community

a Better Place

Jackson EMC Foundation 2017 Annual Report

Thousands of people in our community have benefited from small donations made each month by our Operation Round UpÂŽ participants.

Demonstrating our Concern for Community A Letter from Beauty P. Baldwin and Chip Jakins

Electric cooperatives, like Jackson EMC, adhere to Seven Cooperative Principles which form the framework of how they do business. The seventh of these principles is one they especially take to heart: Concern for Community.

This important principle calls on cooperatives to work

This year’s annual report features nine organizations

toward the sustainable development of communities within

presented with grants in the past year. The work they do to

their service area. The Jackson EMC Foundation helps the

better our communities reflects the amazing work of all the

cooperative meet this goal by managing funds raised through

organizations funded by the Foundation. It’s something we

Operation Round Up , Jackson EMC’s philanthropic program

all can be proud of—the Jackson EMC members who round

through which members round up their monthly power bill to

up their power bill to help fund grants, and the Jackson EMC

the next dollar, with the extra change supporting local charities

Foundation, which carefully researches grant requests to

and people in need.

choose organizations with the most potential impact.

®

The Jackson EMC Foundation’s volunteer board of directors

Together, Jackson EMC and the Jackson EMC Foundation

meets each month to study grant requests and then distrib-

pledge to continue supporting our local communities as we

utes grants to the non-profit organizations that positively

live out the Seventh Cooperative Principle by demonstrating

impact the most people, as well as individuals with no other

our sincere and profound Concern for Community.

means of assistance.

With more than 224,000 meters on Jackson EMC lines,

Sincerely,

the extra change each member shares through Operation Round Up® goes a long way. In the past year, Jackson EMC Foundation grants totaled $1,095,973. Add that to the grants awarded since the Foundation began in 2005, and Jackson EMC

Beauty P. Baldwin

members have given a total of $12,121,994 toward bettering their

Chair, Jackson EMC Foundation

communities.

Organizations that benefit from Jackson EMC Foundation

grants work to improve their communities in multiple ways.

Just a few ways include providing emergency housing and food to the homeless, helping families break the cycle of

Chip Jakins

abuse and poverty, and giving books to students who need

President/CEO, Jackson EMC

them in order to maintain their reading skills over the summer.

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Moving from Homelessness to Stability | actionministries.net Action Ministries/ Gainesville BASED IN: Gainesville

COUNTIES SERVED: Hall

GRANT: $

15,000

» For Programs to Prevent Homelessness

Rapid Rehousing Case Manager Lisa Chester, left, helps Yolanda secure her first month’s rent in order to obtain stable housing.

For more than half a century, Action Ministries/Gainesville—with the support of local churches, businesses and individuals—has worked to prevent homelessness by providing emergency funds, food, clothing and services.

“Leading people out of poverty is our mission,” says

Headquartered at 1 First Street, Action Ministries/Gainesville

Regional Director Marlon Allen. “Often the first effort towards

is across the street from Chickopee United Methodist Church,

a solution is to put a bandage on the problem with emergency

which leases its building to the ministry for $1 a year. Along

help. We go beyond that, partnering with people to get them

with UMC churches in the area, several churches of other

in a home and then walking with them through financial literacy

denominations are part of Action Ministries as well.

and career readiness.”

mission of the church as a whole,” says Allen. “The thought is

Action Ministries originated as the brainchild of the

“No matter the denomination, all are in line with the

United Methodist Church (UMC), according to Allen.

‘Why start a soup kitchen at your church if there’s already one

in the community?’ All the churches partner to work together

“The North Georgia Conference [of the UMC] wanted to

help the poor by responding to the needs in their communities,

rather than duplicate efforts.”

and over the years those efforts evolved into Action Ministries,”

says Allen. The organization was established in 1963.

support a myriad of programs, from housing the homeless to

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Working together, the churches, through Action Ministries,

feeding the hungry. The organization offers several hunger relief programs, including Feed the Hungry and Smart Lunch/ Smart Kid, a summer program providing meals to children when school’s not in session.

Churches serve and support Action Ministries on both

ends. At the front end, since they are often the first point of contact when people are in need, the churches refer individuals and families to Action Ministries for assistance. On the back end, they support Action Ministries with monthly or quarterly financial donations and with volunteers.

The goal of the organization’s housing program is to

move people out of homelessness and into a safe and stable living environment, according to Allen.

“

The grant from the Jackson EMC Foundation helps us go further faster to break the cycle of poverty.

”

“Gainesville has one of the highest rates of homelessness

in the state, and there are quite a few tent cities around,” says Allen. “Poverty leads to many negative issues in the family, so we work and partner with families to walk them out of their dire situations.”

Action Ministries partners with local businesses to secure

housing based on the client’s income and helps with down payments and rental assistance. To keep the momentum going, the organization teaches families basic home economics and how to create and stick to a budget.

In the first five months of 2017, Action Ministries/

Gainesville helped provide housing to 104 individuals and/or families, including 31 veterans, 56 HIV/AIDS patients and 15 in

Executive Director Marlon Allen heads Action Ministries/Gainesville, which is supported by area churches.

need of emergency housing. A grant from the Jackson EMC Foundation helped Action Ministries provide rent assistance, client assessment and case management, and financial literacy training.

“The grant from the Jackson EMC Foundation helps us

go further faster to break the cycle of poverty,” says Allen.

“Without it, we couldn’t serve as many people as we do.”

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION

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From Reluctant to Eager Readers | booksforkeeps.org Books for Keeps BASED IN: Athens

COUNTIES SERVED: Clarke

GRANT: $

5,000

» For Stop Summer Slide!

Literacy Program

Executive Director Leslie Hale encourages kids to have fun: “Pick out books you are excited about— books you want to read all summer long.”

Melaney Smith was alarmed when she learned that a little girl in a local school wasn’t looking forward to summer because she’d have no books or a way to get them.

“Imagine summer without a book to read,” says Smith.

“For many children, it’s not so hard to picture.”

tionate rates, often due to lack of access to books outside of school.

“Research shows that about one book a week is necessary

It’s a picture Smith wanted to change.

After researching the impact a summer without books

to keep brain muscles moving,” says Leslie Hale, executive

has on students, she founded Books for Keeps in 2011. The

director of Books for Keeps, which gives books to elementary

program that began as an effort to provide one little girl with

school students through its Stop Summer Slide! literacy

books for one summer now serves thousands of children in

program.

Clarke County schools.

books in five schools. Now the organization serves 11 schools

Children who don’t read during summer can drop two to

When Hale was hired in 2014, Books for Keeps distributed

four months behind their classmates in reading achievement—

in Clarke County with plans to serve 15 schools in the county

a phenomena known as summer slide. By sixth grade, they

by 2019. Last spring, the organization distributed 75,000

might lag two years behind their peers. Summer slide affects

books to children.

children from low-income families at significantly dispropor-

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The signature program of Books for Keeps, Stop Summer

Having books to read over the summer not only brings joy but improves the likelihood of a student’s success in school.

Kids of all ages get in on the fun of choosing books for summer reading.

Slide! was based on a University of Florida study that

revealed having access to books over the summer is similar

gently-used or suitable for children are stashed away in the

to attending summer school for two months—and at a

Books for Keeps warehouse and brought out each summer

fraction of the cost.

for the organization’s annual fundraiser. Last year, 30,000

books were available at the August sale.

Each May, Books for Keeps sets up shop in school media

Donated books that don’t qualify as current, popular,

centers with popular books for K-5 students stacked on

tables. Class by class, students enter the mock bookstore and

projects in the past year, according to Hale. Some venture

choose 12 books for free—their very own to keep through the

to schools in May to help with the Stop Summer Slide! book

summer and beyond.

distribution. Others assist with the annual book sale.

“The books are so appealing even reluctant readers can’t

Almost 1,000 volunteers helped with Books for Keeps

This year’s Jackson EMC Foundation grant helped

resist,” says Hale. “The children come in and browse for what

Books for Keeps bring Stop Summer Slide! to Cleveland Road

they want most and then leave with a tote bag full of books,

Elementary School.

mile-wide smiles and a pride of ownership.”

Research shows that children are more likely to read

books they choose themselves, according to Hale, who sees the joy on students’ faces as they select their books.

“They feel in control and able to make choices, which

is important as they grow into choosing paths to pursue in college and careers,” says the executive director, noting that children’s reading achievement is improved and school experience, enhanced.

About 85 percent of books distributed through the

program are purchased from Scholastic® or similar publishers who believe in the program’s goals so offer books at reduced prices, according to Hale. The remaining 15 percent are gently-used donations.

“ ”

The books are so appealing even reluctant readers can’t resist.

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A Mission to Serve facebook.com/EyesOfLoveLighthouseMission

Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission BASED IN: Buford

COUNTIES SERVED: Barrow, Hall and Gwinnett

GRANT: $

10,000

» For Ministry to Provide Food, Clothing and Household Items

Elva and Joe Padilla operate Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission in Buford.

Five years ago, Joe and Elva Padilla gave away the bulk of their belongings, left their home in New Mexico and moved to Georgia. They didn’t know what their future would hold, but they both felt the call to run a mission here similar to the one they had served in their hometown.

“Back there, we helped with the Lighthouse Mission in

332 Hill Street headquarters.

Clovis, and the Lord impressed on our hearts that we needed

to start a mission of our own,” says Padilla.

opened up and clothed 91 people that first week, we knew

God wanted us here,” he says.

The couple’s daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and

Joe recalls the first week at Eyes of Love. “When we

Frederick Martin, had worked in northeast Georgia. When

they sent word to the Padillas that this northeast Georgia

by the new mission:

Elva remembers a conversation with one of those served

locale was in need of a mission like the one back home, the

“What do we owe you?” the client asked.

older couple moved east.

“Nothing,” Elva responded.

“Why?”

2012. Headquartered in Buford, the grassroots ministry

“Because Jesus loves you.”

collects and distributes clothing, food and furniture to those

“What’s the catch?”

in need. Their grant from Jackson EMC helps pay rent at their

“There is no catch, Elva concluded.

They opened Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission in January

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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Joe’s mother, Senaida Padilla, gave the couple seed

money to start the mission, which opened at Buford Drive and moved to its current location in May 2013.

At Eyes of Love, shirts, dresses, slacks, workpants and

skirts are hung by size. Rows of shoes in all styles are neatly arranged. A bookcase brims over with books and a corner of the upstairs clothes closet is packed with toys. Clients of the mission may select clothing every other month. Children are provided backpacks and school supplies. Furniture and household items are available for those settling into new homes.

The best part, according to the Padillas, is that everything

is free. “If we sold, we’d be just another thrift store,” says Joe. “We came to be a mission.”

“

We always pray for volunteers and donors, like the Jackson EMC Foundation, which has been vital to us.

Volunteer Miriam Hawkins sorts clothes to prepare for hanging on racks for clients.

“It’s the least a person can do to help out this good cause,” she says.

”

Eyes of Love networks with local churches to determine

and fulfill local needs. Volunteers gather on the second Saturday of each month for Volunteer Day to hang clothes and organize donations. Chick-fil-A® supplies lunch and the gathering is as much fun as it is work.

The ministry routinely serves 1,000 to 2,000 people each

year, according to the Padillas.

“When people come in, we become their family,” says

Elva, relating the story of a client facing heart surgery. “We went to the hospital with her and helped her family find a home. Now, even though they’re on a limited income, she sends $100 to the ministry each month. It’s like the widow’s mite. She gives all she has.”

A happy client shows off a T-shirt she chose at Eyes of Love.

If Eyes of Love can’t meet a need, clients are referred to

places that can, like a food pantry or shelter. While the mission enjoys an abundance of supplies with donated clothes, toys and household items continuously streaming in, cash for rent and maintenance can be another story, according to Joe.

“It’s the financial burden we deal with,” he says. “We

always pray for volunteers and donors, like the Jackson EMC Foundation, which has been vital to us.

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION

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Breaking the Cycle of Abuse | familytiesgainesville.org Family TIES of Gainesville BASED IN: Gainesville

COUNTIES SERVED: Banks, Barrow, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson and Lumpkin

GRANT: $

15,000

» For Parenting Classes to Prevent Child Abuse

Executive Director Dee Dee Mize chats with clients during a parenting class.

Executive Director Dee Dee Mize has been with Family TIES of Gainesville since 1994, when she served as a volunteer. If there’s one thing she’s learned in the past 23 years, it’s that families experiencing child abuse come from all walks of life.

“We have clients who are indigent or homeless and

“We had one case where a mom’s children were taken

clients who are well off,” she says. “Abuse doesn’t know

from her,” says Mize. “The husband was in a drug cartel and

your bank account.”

had abused their daughter for five years. The mother had

been sexually abused as a child, was married at 14 and

Formed in 1989, Family TIES of Gainesville works to

break the cycle of abuse and neglect in families through

divorced at 16.”

parenting and intervention programs that teach adults how to

provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children.

but through family counseling, individual counseling, parenting

classes and one-on-one parenting instruction, Family TIES

“We serve families who wish to improve their parenting

Such circumstances can seem impossible to overcome,

skills as well as families who are incarcerated or mandated by

can turn things around.

DFCS or the court system,” says Mize. Executive director since

2004, she won’t say she’s seen it all, but she’s certainly seen

“Sometimes it takes a village to raise an adult, too.”

her share.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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“They say it takes a village to raise a child,” says Mize.

National Abuse and Neglect STATISTICS Child abuse occurs at every socio-economic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education.

1 Four children die every day

A report of child abuse is

as a result of child abuse; three out of four are under age 4.

10 seconds.

made every

3

One third of abused or neglected children will later abuse their own children.

––Family TIES of Gainesville

Munson, the therapy dog , routinely sits in on one-on-one counseling sessions where he proves empathetic to Family TIES clients.

Parenting classes at Family TIES focus on communication

Programs are offered for teenagers whose parents are

skills, bonding and teaching what a healthy relationship is, not

enrolled at Family TIES and include a teen group that helps

just with children but with partners as well, according to Mize.

adolescents with coping skills, self-esteem and how to deal

with bullying. Parenting classes for Spanish speaking parents

“We work on discipline options, teaching parents about

time out, taking away toys or privileges,” she says. “We do

are offered, and one-on-one parenting classes are available to

classes on social media, on proper ways of listening and

families in crisis.

responding to children, and on dealing with substance abuse

issues that lead to neglect.”

families yearly, according to Mize who says parenting classes

Parenting 101 classes are for soon-to-be parents or

caregivers or those with children ages 0 to 18.

“ ”

Abuse doesn’t know your bank account.

“We work with families on how to encourage their kids,”

Family TIES of Gainesville works with close to 2,000

typically take about six months to complete.

“There’s a lot of work that has to be done to get parents

reconnected with their kids,” says Mize. “We try to be methodical as we proceed—and patient. We want to make sure that the information we’re giving will be practiced in the family.”

A recent success story involves a young woman who

started Positive Parenting classes in the fall of 2016, completed the program in 2017, and now has an apartment and a good job.

“She’s moving forward—and out of the cycle of drug

abuse that’s been in her family,” says Mize. “We teach parents to own the responsibility of their actions. If they can do that, they can teach their children to do that.”

says Mize, pointing out statistics that reveal that the average adolescent on a typical day at school and home hears 432 negative statements versus 32 positive. “So they really need more positive reinforcement.”

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A Heart for Healing Art thehudgens.org

Hudgens Center for Art & Learning BASED IN: Duluth

COUNTIES SERVED: Gwinnett

GRANT: $

10,000

» For Healing Arts

Ginger, left, a three time cancer survivor, attends Healing Arts classes with her mother, Donna.

“I haven’t lived through all I’ve lived through to not have fun,” says Ginger.

For two and a half hours each month, people facing medical, physical or emotional crisis escape their worries while creating art at the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for Art & Learning in Duluth. For Ginger, a three-time cancer survivor who attends Healing Arts classes with her mother, Donna, the experience brings joy and respite.

“You have to immerse yourself into the art so that you

away from what they’re stressed out about, to get a mental

can’t think of anything else,” she says as she puts finishing

break and in a social setting where they can talk as much or

touches on her latest creation, a mask that invites artists to

as little as they want about their sickness with others in the

pour their feelings into their art, letting it reveal their hopes

same situation. We have tears in these sessions.”

and fears, pain and perseverance, enabling them to express

feelings they may not verbalize.

trauma and other patients thanks to funding, like that from

the Jackson EMC Foundation. Patients are encouraged to

“The Healing Arts provides a safe outlet for people to

The sessions are offered at no expense to cancer, brain

come to terms with emotional conflicts, increase self-aware-

bring family members and caregivers to join in the fun. At the

ness and express unspoken and often unconscious concerns

end of each session, the budding artists have something they

about their illness and lives,” says Hudgens Center Executive

have created, “art that’s a microcosm of their life experience,”

Director Ife Williams. “Being creative allows them to step

says Williams.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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Cancer survivor Karen Bohorquez, left, and her daughter, Kia, 13, take instruction from art teacher José Peña as they create masks in the Healing Arts program.

“

When you’re engaged in art, you live in the moment, forget your problems.

”

“Completing a piece of art can empower you,” she adds.

Healing Arts classes bring together those with common concerns (like cancer) and a common passion—art.

The Hudgens Center partners with the American Cancer

Society and Gwinnett Medical System to offer the Healing Arts program. Along with making it available at the Hudgens Center, plans are underway to take the program into hospitals.

Healing Arts kits for cancer patients will include a variety of projects—masks, sketchbooks, knitting or crocheting—that patients can work on while receiving treatment, according to Williams.

“There will be something for everyone to have an outlet

to express feelings, emotions and thoughts,” she says with gratitude to the Jackson EMC Foundation. “Their grant has been critical to help us expand, to add programming to meet the capacity we’re serving, to take art out of doors into the hospital, and to offer all of this at no cost to the patients.”

“Art is therapeutic and requires focus and concentration.

Doing it with others can open up a conversation that might

needed support. Two years ago, she delivered a healthy baby

otherwise be hard to start; it can be a bridge to sharing life

after being induced early in order to undergo an emergency

concerns.”

mastectomy the day after delivery. Three months into chemo

treatments, her home burned to the ground.

Creating that bridge was important to Connie Norman,

Healing Arts impacted Renika’s life when she most

the Center’s director of education, who introduced the Healing

Arts program about 15 years ago after seeing the impact that

the darkness to the light,” says Renika, who is testimony to

creating a watercolor painting had on a friend battling breast

how the arts can help heal. “But from the beginning of my

cancer.

diagnosis, as I began to construct and reflect, there was more

light in my story than I anticipated, which is testimony that

“When you’re engaged in art, you live in the moment,

“My mask was supposed to represent a transition from

forget your problems,” says Norman. “It’s therapeutic and a

even in our darkest hours, there can still be light, hope and

much-needed break for the participants. A lot of them say

goodness.”

this is the time they look forward to most.”

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Growing Cucumbers and Community | lawrencevillewomansclub.org Lawrenceville Woman’s Club BASED IN: Lawrenceville

CITIES SERVED: Lawrenceville

GRANT: $

1,000

» For Lawrenceville

Housing Authority Community Gardens

Garden Captain G’Miri, 7, knows what it takes to grow a good garden: “Water it, take care of it, and be nice to it.”

The excitement of cultivating vegetables and enjoying them with neighbors is palpable at the Lawrenceville Housing Authority’s community gardens.

With the Lawrenceville Woman’s Club leading the project,

A Jackson EMC Foundation grant was used to purchase more

gardens were planted at two Housing Authority neighbor-

supplies, and the seeds were sown.

hoods in the summer of 2016 and cultivated again in 2017.

Woman’s Club Treasurer Cheryl Shaw credits Lawrenceville

residents of Glen Edge and Hooper Renwick neighborhoods

Mayor Judy Johnson with the idea.

have two growing seasons behind them, they happily admit

it’s been a learning experience, and a success.

“I sent her an email asking what we could do for the

Now that the Woman’s Club, Housing Authority and the

community and she put me in touch with the Housing

Authority,” Cheryl recalls. “They had done a survey and

says Cheryl, beaming with pride as she leads visitors through

residents had expressed interest in a garden.”

the gardens. When she meets up with Stephanie, a resident

of Hooper Renwick and leader of its garden, the two chat

Raised in the city, Cheryl had never gardened but was

“You learn by trial and error, and that’s what we’ve done,”

willing to learn. The Housing Authority and local businesses

about how the plot of property next to Stephanie’s apartment

donated fencing, soil, tools and lumber for raised beds.

evolved from a grassy field to a sustainable garden.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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“I was a city child, too, and never had a garden,” says

Stephanie. She and Cheryl together attended vegetable gardening courses offered by the Gwinnett County Extension Service and used their newfound knowledge to plant last year’s premier gardens.

“I let the zucchini get as big as a watermelon because I

didn’t know when to pick it,” Stephanie admits. “She thought the bigger the better,” Cheryl recalls, the new friends sharing a laugh. “We would have needed a wheelbarrow to haul it.”

At the community gardens, kids help plant, mulch, pick

and clean up, according to Stephanie, whose 7-year-old grandson, Chad, delivers vegetables to residents who pay him with candy. Stephanie oversees the children’s garden club where officers have titles like “Compost Captain.” Many children have their own tiny garden patch at their apartment.

“

Thank you for believing in us, for investing in us—and giving me a hobby.

From left, Woman’s Club Treasurer Cheryl Shaw and Housing Authority Director Lejla Slowinski join residents Gretchen, Stephanie and G’Miri (front) at the Hooper Renwick community garden. Gretchen describes the garden as “enriching , nurturing , calming and relaxing.”

”

“There is pride now that two years ago wasn’t there,” says

Woman’s Club President Brenda Perdue. “If someone dropped a piece of trash back then, they left it. Now they pick it up.”

Lejla Slowinski, director of operations for the Lawrenceville

Housing Authority, welcomed the community gardens as a way to help residents, many on fixed incomes, supplement the food in their homes. The benefits have gone far beyond that. “It’s inspiring,” says Lejla. “We thought this would bring a sense of community, but we had no idea it would be to this extent. Information about gardening is passed on as neighbors take care of each other.”

The ladies point to Mattie Tuggle, 87 and leader of the

garden at Glen Edge, as their garden guru. She grew up gardening and shares old lessons with the newbie gardeners.

“She taught me how to use my hands,” says Stephanie.

“I used to wear gloves, but she said, ‘You’ve got to feel the dirt.’ I used to be prissy. When I picked something I’d pour water on it and clean it, but now I’ll eat it right off the vine.”

Her gratitude is deep.

“I just want to thank Lejla, the Woman’s Club and the

Jackson EMC Foundation,” says Stephanie. “Thank you for believing in us, for investing in us—and for giving me a hobby.”

Jasmine strolls to the garden each morning to pick kale for a smoothie.

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The Power of One legacyyouthmentoring.org

Legacy Youth Mentoring BASED IN: Jefferson

COUNTIES SERVED: Jackson

GRANT: $

15,000

» For Mentor Resources and Administrative Services

Lauren Page, right, a junior at the University of Georgia, mentors seventh grader Ty. The pair plans to continue their friendship through Ty’s high school years and beyond.

Jamie Hitzges, former Jackson County School System assistant superintendent and 2016/2017 board chairman for Legacy Youth Mentoring, knows the impact mentoring can have.

“It is the connection between what is and what can be,”

“When I started out as a volunteer, I thought I’d help a

says the volunteer mentor. “It allows the power of one person

year or two, but seeing the impact this had in children’s lives,

to change the trajectory of a child.”

I wanted to follow through,” says Stephens. “It’s one of the

most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

Legacy Youth Mentoring serves Jackson County Schools,

Jefferson City Schools and Commerce City Schools by

providing mentors for students in grades K-12. The program

since 2008, has served more than 200 students annually.

In its first year, the program served 45 students and,

began in 2004 as Lindsay’s Legacy Mentoring, named in

Last year, 225 mentors were matched with 235 students.

memory of Jack Lindsay, founder of The Potter’s House in

Jefferson and an advocate of youth mentoring. Executive

appreciation of one who mentored him.

Director Lisa Stephens has been with the organization since

2005.

one, was my high school U.S. history teacher,” says Hitzges.

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For Hitzges, serving as a mentor has been payback in “The person who changed my trajectory, my power of

In Jackson County:

17.8%

22.5%

of students live in poverty in Jackson County.

live with a single parent.

22.4%

1 in 8

are affected by child abuse or neglect.

teens have thought of suicide.

––Georgia Kids Count 2011-2015, Georgia Family Connections

Mentor Joe Godfrey, left, and Aubrey routinely share lunch, play dominoes and discuss important matters.

“

If it weren’t for the Foundation grants, this program would not exist. We are very grateful.

”

The impact of strong relationships with adult role models

leads to significant improvements in youth behavior and success rates, according to Stephens.

“Sometimes it’s hard to put a price on this,” she says.

“It’s intangible. But it can be powerful, long-term and life changing.”

Not specific to socioeconomics or academic abilities,

mentoring is available for all students and meets a wide variety of immediate and long-term needs. Some students served have experienced illness, homelessness, or the death or deployment of a parent.

Legacy Youth Mentoring recruits and trains volunteer

mentors. School counselors match mentors with students

“I wasn’t planning on going to college, but Ms. Billings created

referred by teachers or parents; mentors meet students at

that reality for me. She said ‘You will go to college’ and applied

school once a week for a half hour during breakfast, lunch or

for a scholarship on my behalf.”

free time. Doing the mentoring within the school day adds

safety and flexibility, according to Stephens who says most

Mentor Joe Godfrey and his mentee, Aubrey, have met

weekly for five years, since Aubrey was in middle school. The

schools have a waiting list of students, especially males, in

student says having a mentor gives him confidence to share

need of mentors. Many mentors continue their partnership

his creative ideas and credits Joe with encouraging him to

through the student’s elementary, middle and high school

expand and sharpen those ideas.

years with some relationships enduring into adulthood.

“It helps to have a figure in my life who can teach me

Stephens expresses gratitude for the Jackson EMC

things I’d otherwise not talk about,” says Aubrey. “He encourages

Foundation.

me to do well in school and take AP classes.”

would not exist,” she concludes. “We are very grateful.”

In turn, Joe has gained a great friendship. “It’s exciting to

“If it weren’t for the Foundation grants, this program

see what Aubrey’s going to do next,” says the mentor.

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION

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Positioned for Success lekotekga.org

Lekotek of Georgia BASED IN: Gainesville

COUNTIES SERVED: Barrow, Clarke, Franklin, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin and Madison

GRANT: $

7,500

» For Accessible Play and Valerie Cloud, right, has worked with Braxten, 8, for two years at Lekotek where, according to his mother, Sheila, he’s gained confidence and enthusiasm.

Adaptive Technology and Toys

Whether children are born with autism, cerebral palsy or another disability, they can learn through simply playing, just like their peers, according to Helene Prokesch, executive director of Lekotek of Georgia.

“We call it the power of play,” she says. “Kids don’t even

“When we first came here, he didn’t talk, but now he

realize they are developing new skills when they’re playing,

laughs, expresses his feelings and interacts with Valerie,” says

but that’s what all children do.”

Sheila. “She’s patient with him and they have evolved into

a nice relationship. He opens up socially now and is able to

“Lekotek” is a Swedish word that means “play library,”

and that’s exactly what the organization affords to children

interact with people. Before, he didn’t like going somewhere

with disabilities—a library of toys, technology and tools suited

to interact with others, but he looks forward to coming here.”

to their various learning styles. Play specialists who work with

clients at Lekotek have degrees in special education and a

regular classroom, and Lekotek uses accessible play and

passion for children.

adaptive toys and technology to accomplish that goal,

At the office in Gainesville, Valerie Cloud has been working

according to Prokesch. This year’s grant from the Jackson EMC

with Braxten, a third grader with autism, for about two years.

Foundation provided funds to purchase new toys and technology

His mother, Sheila, has seen a marked improvement.

and to help ten families take part in the program.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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The goal is to help children with disabilities fit into the

“

Children visit Lekotek once a month for one-hour play

sessions. During that hour they build cognitive abilities, fine motor skills and language skills while increasing their self-

We position a child for success, whether it’s literaly or figuratively.

esteem and motivation. Parents and siblings sit in on the professionally guided sessions, learning how to model play with the customized toys for their family members. At the end of each session, state-of-the-art toys and/or technologies are loaned to the family to play with at home.

“At Lekotek, often for the first time, children experience

success while gaining confidence and acquiring new skills in an atmosphere of pressure-free learning,” says Prokesch.

“What makes us unique is the component of play and integrating family into the sessions. If children are here, siblings

”

don’t wait in another room but come in and play.”

she opened the first office in Atlanta’s Buckhead community.

After play sessions, families are sent home with adaptive

Prokesch brought Lekotek to Atlanta 34 years ago when

toys (for ages 0-8) or technology equipment (for ages 8-12).

The teaching model originated in Sweden in the 1960s when

Computers and iPads may be loaned and the Lekotek staff

two mothers of children with disabilities created toys to facilitate

is quick to share apps and programs geared toward specific

play and learning at home in order to keep from institution-

learning needs.

alizing their children. The concept came to America in the

“We position a child for success, whether it’s literally or

1980s and Prokesch brought it to Georgia in 1983.

Today, Lekotek of Georgia operates with headquarters in

figuratively,” says Prokesch. “With certain equipment, we literally

position children to enable them to track movement with

Atlanta and five satellite offices, including the Gainesville site

their eyes or manipulate certain objects. Whatever the case,

at 3485 McEver Road, which opened in 2011.

we focus on abilities, not disabilities.”

Valerie Cloud engages Braxten in adaptive play.

Executive Director Helene Prokesch surveys the storeroom of adaptive toys used by Lekotek clients.

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION

jacksonemc.com

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Filling the Weekend Food Gap | nothingbutthetruth146.org Nothing But The Truth BASED IN: Dacula

COUNTIES SERVED: Gwinnett and Barrow

GRANT: $

10,000

» For Weekend Food Bag Ministry

Asa and Shannon Albright of Dacula bring their children to volunteer by packing bags for Nothing But the Truth. Filling bags are, from left, Shannon, Salem, Blair, Aiden, Asa and Lily.

Scarlett Rigsby knows that missing a meal brings more than an empty stomach. It can alter a person’s disposition, moving him from agreeable to agitated in a heartbeat.

“I get in a bad mood when I’m hungry,” says Rigsby,

“No way are the needs as severe as in Appalachia, but

executive director of Nothing But the Truth, a faith-based

any time you have a child hungry, there’s a problem,” says

non-profit agency in Dacula that strives to meet a variety of

Rigsby. “Kids being hungry—that’s a great need.”

community needs, including feeding hungry children.

school by providing weekend food bags for 15 students.

The Jackson EMC Foundation teamed up with Nothing

In October 2010, Nothing But the Truth served one

But the Truth this year by providing funds to purchase food

Now the ministry serves 34 elementary and middle schools

for their Weekend Food Bag Ministry. The program supplies

in Gwinnett and Barrow counties by providing food for 700

food on weekends to Gwinnett County public schoolchildren

students each week.

identified by school counselors as food insecure.

to Rigsby.

Rigsby founded Nothing But the Truth seven years ago

School counselors refer students to the program, according

after returning from a mission trip to the Appalachia area in

eastern Kentucky. There she encountered the poorest of the

the counselors know what’s going on,” she says, noting that

poor, hungry and wanting. Outside of the school day, children

many children live with their families in extended stay hotels.

had little to eat, especially on weekends.

With a lack of consistency in their lives, a weekend food bag

can be a mighty thing—strong enough to stop the ripple

Back at home, she recognized similar need.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

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“Our school systems are the heartbeat of our community;

Dacula friends and neighbors (l-r) Shannon Albright, Sam Mokdad and Christine Stovall volunteer at Nothing But the Truth where they spend quality time together while serving their community.

effect of hunger that can lead to behavior issues and bad grades, according to Rigsby.

“We know the food is going where it’s needed,” she says,

noting that raising awareness is another goal of her organization.

“Some people still can’t fathom there are hungry children in Gwinnett County. We live in an affluent county, but there are great needs.”

About 100 volunteers, known as ministry partners, help

with Nothing But the Truth programs. During the school year, partners visit Truth’s Place, the home of Nothing But the Truth and its varied programs, to pack food bags with kid-friendly items like pop tarts, granola bars and other non-perishables.

Kids in Gwinnett and Barrow counties look forward to finding food bags in their backpacks on weekends.

“ ”

Any time you have a child hungry, there’s a problem.

After filling bags with enough snack and meal items to carry kids through the weekend, the partners pack bags into their personal vehicles and deliver them to schools where counselors distribute the food bags to students.

Food is purchased with grant monies, like that from the

Jackson EMC Foundation, and through a partnership with the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Individuals, churches and civic groups often donate food for the program.

As an offshoot of the Weekend Food Bag Ministry, about

100 people meet at Truth’s Place every Thursday night to enjoy a meal together and then break off into Life Conversation Groups to talk about needs and concerns. Nearby, Truth’s Community Clinic supplies healthcare for those less fortunate and Truth’s Homes provides transitional housing for the homeless.

“We believe Jesus would feed the children,” says Rigsby.

“Everything we do has been an outgrowth of the food ministry.”

Scarlett Rigsby founded Nothing But the Truth based on John 14, verse 6: “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Clients are encouraged to write their truth on the wall.

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION

jacksonemc.com

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JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION, INC. Statements of Activities for the Years Ended May 31

Changes in Unrestricted Net Assets Support Contributions $ Interest Contributed Services

2017

2016

1,121,377 $ 97 56,069

1,103,065 97 54,979

1,177,543 1,158,141 Program Service Expenses Community Assistance Family Assistance

1,046,499 42,463

1,045,800 50,395

Supporting Service Expenses Administrative and General

56,125

55,064

1,145,087 1,151,259 Increase in Unrestricted Net Assets

32,456

6,882

Unrestricted Net Assets, Beginning

196,563

189,681

Unrestricted Net Assets, Ending

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

jacksonemc.com

$ 229,019

$ 196,563

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION, INC. Schedule of Community Assitance for the Year Ended May 31, 2017

Athens Urban Ministries $ Action Ministries, Inc. Adventure Bags, Inc. American Red Cross Northeast Georgia Chapter Angel House of Georgia Area Committee to Improve Opportunities Now Ark: United Ministry Outreach Center Athens Community Council on Aging Atlanta Mission Books for Keeps, Inc. Boys & Girls Clubs of Athens, Inc. Camp Koinonia Camp Kudzu, Inc. Camp Twin Lakes, Inc. Camp Twitch and Shout Casa de Amistad Court Appointed Special Advocates - Hall/Dawson Program, Inc. Center Pointe Challenged Child and Friends Chamber of Commerce - Madison County Community Helping Place Cooperative Ministry - Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry - Lilburn Cozy Quilters of St. Matthew Women’s Club Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America Dahlonega Care Center Eagle Ranch, Inc. Elachee Nature Center Extra Special People, Inc. Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission Family Connection - Lumpkin County Family Promise of Gwinnett County Family TIES - Gainesville Food Bank of Northeast Georgia Foster Siblings Reunited Fragile Kids Foundation Franklin Life Pregnancy Resource Center Gainesville/Hall Community Food Pantry Gainesville - Hall County 96 Roundtable, Inc.

Balance - Carried Forward $

10,000 15,000 7,500 15,000 10,000 15,000 8,500 5,000 10,000 5,000 15,000 13,000 11,000 12,100 1,100 2,000 7,500 15,000 15,000 3,180 2,500 15,000 10,000 1,500 5,000 3,095 8,000 15,000 15,000 10,000 4,000 7,500 15,000 15,000 2,000 11,927 4,000 2,500 8,000 350,902

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION

jacksonemc.com

25

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION, INC. Schedule of Community Assitance for the Year Ended May 31, 2017

Balance - Brought Forward $

Gainesville Housing Corporation Georgia Options, Inc. Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta Guest House, Inc. Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, Inc. Gwinnett Council for the Arts Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center Gwinnett Special Forces Gwinnett Student Leadership Team Habitat for Humanity of Gwinnett County Habitat for Humanity of Hall County Habitat for Humanity of Jackson County Helping Mamas, Inc. Hi-Hope Service Center Hope Clinic, Inc. Hope for the Journey at North Metro First Baptist of Gwinnett Hope Haven of Northeast Georgia HOPE, Inc. I Am, Inc. Jewish Family & Career Services Jubilee Partners Judy House Ministry Lawrenceville Women’s Club Lekotek of Georgia Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Georgia Chapter Lindsay’s Legacy Mercy Health Center Muscular Dystrophy Association Northeast Georgia Care, Inc. NOA’s Ark, Inc. North Gwinnett Arts Association, Inc. Nothing but the Truth, Inc. Nuci’s Space Penfield Christian Homes, Inc. Place of Seven Springs Positive Impact Health Centers, Inc. Prevent Child Abuse Athens

Balance - Carried Forward $

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ANNUAL REPORT 2017

jacksonemc.com

350,902 10,000 7,500 6,000 3,500 15,000 10,000 15,000 9,604 15,000 15,000 7,500 15,000 2,500 15,000 15,000 7,500 12,150 5,000 10,950 5,000 13,000 7,500 1,000 7,500 15,000 15,000 12,000 10,000 7,633 5,000 7,500 10,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 5,000 6,750 690,989

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION, INC. Schedule of Community Assitance for the Year Ended May 31, 2017

Balance - Brought Forward $ 690,989

Project Alcohol Drug Abuse Ministries Community Assistance Center 15,000 Quinlan Arts, Inc. 10,000 Rainbow Children’s Home 10,000 Rainbow Village, Inc. 15,000 Rape Response, Inc. 15,000 Reins of Life, Inc. 1,910 Salvation Army of Athens 10,000 Salvation Army of Gainesville 10,000 Salvation Army of Lawrenceville 15,000 Samaritan Center for Counseling and Wellness 5,000 Ser Familia, Inc. 7,500 Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse, Inc. 5,000 Spectrum Autism Support Group, Inc. 12,000 Spirit of Joy Food Pantry 2,500 St. Vincent De Paul Society - Norcross 12,000 St. Vincent De Paul Society - Flowery Branch 12,000 St. Vincent De Paul Society - Gainesville 12,000 St. Vincent De Paul Society - Jackson County 12,000 Step by Step Recovery, Inc. 12,000 Supporting Adoption & Foster Families Together 15,000 Three Dimensional Life 12,450 Tiny Stitches, Inc. 10,000 Tree House, Inc. 15,000 University of North Georgia Foundation 15,000 Urban Ministry - Gainesville First United Methodist Church 1,650 View Point Health 15,000 Wishes 4 Me Foundation 15,000 YMCA - Athens 10,000 YMCA - Georgia Mountains 15,000 YMCA of Georgia’s Piedmont, Inc. 12,000 YMCA of Metro Atlanta 15,000 Young Women’s Christian Organization of Athens 10,500

$ 1,046,499

JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION

jacksonemc.com

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Jackson EMC Foundation 2017 Annual Report

P.O. Box 38 Jefferson, GA 30549 jacksonemc.com/foundation