The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total $147,528 in grants during their March meeting, including $133,463 to agencies serving area residents.
$15,000 to For Her Glory, a Gainesville agency that provides breast cancer patients in Banks, Barrow, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson and Lumpkin counties with items that are not covered by insurance, such as wigs, bras, compression sleeves and gloves.
$15,000 to Good News Clinics, a non-profit organization that provides free medical and dental care to the underserved and uninsured residents of Gainesville and Hall County, to ensure clients of its Sam Poole Medical Clinic have laboratory tests necessary for physicians to determine their health care needs and provide them with appropriate care.
$15,000 to Hebron Community Health Center in Lawrenceville, a nonprofit organization providing medical and dental care to low-income, uninsured Gwinnett residents, to provide diagnostic follow-up testing, eye exams and prescription glasses, and prescription medication, glucose monitors and glucose strips.
$15,000 to the Next Stop Foundation, a Lawrenceville grassroots organization that provides social interaction, recreational and life skill learning opportunities to young adults with mild to moderate disabilities in Gwinnett and Hall counties, to help fund an occupational therapist that works with members to develop new skills, adapt tasks for success, become more fully integrated into society and achieve a higher level of independence.
$15,000 to the Norcross Cooperative Ministry for its Emergency Food Assistance Program that provides families a four-five day supply of non-perishable items once a month for up to six times a year in order to help those experiencing a household crisis, such as a delay in child support, unexpected bills, unemployment or under-employment.
$15,000 to the North Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry for its Medication Assistance Program, which covers the cost of non-narcotic/controlled substance prescriptions for senior citizens and families that qualify for assistance when the amount of medication is too much or the co-pays are too costly.
$15,000 to Step by Step Recovery, a Lawrenceville community-based grassroots addiction recovery organization which provides a safe and structured environment for both men and women over 6 months to 2 years as they complete a 12 step program to deal with drug and alcohol addiction, to assist with rent for men’s and women’s units.
$11,463 to the Gwinnett County Public Library to purchase a “pop-up” library featuring a reading room with seating and connectivity that will allow the library to increase library access for underserved residents, who could sign up for library cards, see demonstrations of services, engage in portable children’s activities and technology tutorials, increasing their access to books, digital resources and other services.
$10,000 to Junior Achievement of Georgia for program materials, support materials and supplies, and program development to provide the JA Biztown and JA Finance Park interactive programs at Discovery High School to more than 30,000 Gwinnett County middle school students, teaching them the concepts of financial literacy, business, entrepreneurship and career readiness.
$5,000 to Quilts for Kids Northeast Georgia Chapter, a non-profit organization that uses volunteers to sew comforting quilts that are distributed to children at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Athens Regional Medical Center Pediatric Floor, Gateway Domestic Violence Shelter and Family Promise of Hall County, for the purchase of fabric.
$2,000 to Path Project, a Gwinnett non-profit dedicated to helping at-risk children close the achievement gap and find the right path for their lives, for its Middle/High Leadership Academy that helps students set goals and work with positive role models to obtain the life skills necessary to overcome barriers, succeed academically and graduate high school with a plan for their future.
Jackson EMC Foundation grants are made possible by the more than 182,400 participating cooperative members who have their monthly electric bills rounded to the next dollar amount through the Operation Round Up program. Their “spare change” has funded 1,066 grants to organizations and 326 grants to individuals, putting more than $10.8 million back into local communities since the program began in 2005.
Any individual or charitable organization in the 10 counties served by Jackson EMC (Clarke, Banks, Barrow, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison and Oglethorpe) may apply for a Foundation grant by completing an application, available online athttp://www.jacksonemc.com/foundation-guidelines or at local Jackson EMC offices. Applicants do not need to be a member of Jackson EMC.
