JEFFERSON - The Jackson EMC Foundation board of directors awarded a total $93,589 in grants during a recent meeting, including $77,500 to agencies serving area residents. Included are five agenies that are either Hall County-based or serve Hall County residents.
*$15,000 to Gainesville Action Ministries, a network of 17 Hall County congregations that work to prevent homelessness by providing emergency financial, food and clothing assistance, and children’s services, to provide rent assistance that enables clients to stay in their homes.
*$15,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Winder-Barrow in Winder for its Power Hour comprehensive homework help and tutoring program for elementary aged members, and Goals for Graduation, a program that combats academic underachievement in middle and high school aged members to set and work towards goals for school attendance, homework completion and positive study habits.
*$15,000 to Family Promise of Hall County, a community effort to end the cycle of family homelessness, to purchase a ductless HVAC system for a home being renovated by the nonprofit to serve as affordable housing for families who have found employment and graduated the 90-day program.
*$15,000 to Gateway House, a Hall County non-profit serving victims of domestic violence and their children, to provide emergency legal assistance in requesting, filing and enforcing a Temporary Protective Order (TPO) and safety planning to keep abusive partners from having contact with or harassing domestic violence victims.
*$7,500 to Adventure Bags, an Auburn-based non-profit that sources and stuffs comfort bags that are distributed to displaced children through local DFCS offices, domestic violence shelters, fire departments, group homes and children’s shelters in all counties served by Jackson EMC to provide comfort and security in a crisis.
*$5,000 to H.O.P.E., Inc., a Duluth non-profit serving low-income single parents who are working to achieve their college degree, to help with childcare and housing when either situation threatens the parent’s ability to continue their classes.
*$2,500 to the Pantry at Hamilton Mill, which serves Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson and Madison counties, to purchase food.
*$2,500 to Spirit of Joy Food Bank in Flowery Branch, which serves Barrow, Hall, and Jackson counties, to purchase food.
The Jackson EMC Foundation is funded by Operation Round Up, which rounds up the more than 180,000 participating cooperative members’ monthly electric bills to the next dollar amount. This “spare change” has funded 1,021 grants to organizations and 321 grants to individuals, putting more than $10.3 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 at http://www.jacksonemc.com/foundation-guidelines or at local Jackson EMC offices. Applicants do not need to be a member of Jackson EMC.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/11/351232/five-agencies-serving-hall-co-among-latest-recipients-of-jackson-emc-foundation-grants