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Jackson EMC Foundation2017 Annual Report

Making the Community

a Better Place

Thousands of people in our

community have benefited

from small donations made

each month by our Operation

Round Up® participants.

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

J A C K S O N E M C F O U N D A T I O N 05jacksonemc.com

This important principle calls on cooperatives to work

toward the sustainable development of communities within

their service area. The Jackson EMC Foundation helps the

cooperative meet this goal by managing funds raised through

Operation Round Up®, Jackson EMC’s philanthropic program

through which members round up their monthly power bill to

the next dollar, with the extra change supporting local charities

and people in need.

The Jackson EMC Foundation’s volunteer board of directors

meets each month to study grant requests and then distrib-

utes grants to the non-profit organizations that positively

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

means of assistance.

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

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

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

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

abuse and poverty, and giving books to students who need

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

This year’s annual report features nine organizations

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

better our communities reflects the amazing work of all the

organizations funded by the Foundation. It’s something we

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

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

Foundation, which carefully researches grant requests to

choose organizations with the most potential impact.

Together, Jackson EMC and the Jackson EMC Foundation

pledge to continue supporting our local communities as we

live out the Seventh Cooperative Principle by demonstrating

our sincere and profound Concern for Community.

Sincerely,

Beauty P. Baldwin

Chair, Jackson EMC Foundation

Chip Jakins

President/CEO, Jackson EMC

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.

A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 706jacksonemc.com

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

Regional Director Marlon Allen. “Often the first effort towards

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

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

in a home and then walking with them through financial literacy

and career readiness.”

Action Ministries originated as the brainchild of the

United Methodist Church (UMC), according to Allen.

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

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

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

says Allen. The organization was established in 1963.

Headquartered at 1 First Street, Action Ministries/Gainesville

is across the street from Chickopee United Methodist Church,

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

with UMC churches in the area, several churches of other

denominations are part of Action Ministries as well.

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

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

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

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

rather than duplicate efforts.”

Working together, the churches, through Action Ministries,

support a myriad of programs, from housing the homeless to

Action Ministries/Gainesville

BASED IN:Gainesville

COUNTIES SERVED:Hall

GRANT:$15,000

For Programs to Prevent Homelessness

»

Moving from Homelessness to Stability | actionministries.net

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.

J A C K S O N E M C F O U N D A T I O N 07jacksonemc.com jacksonemc.com

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.

“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

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.”

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

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

”

“


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

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

It’s a picture Smith wanted to change.

After researching the impact a summer without books

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

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

books for one summer now serves thousands of children in

Clarke County schools.

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

four months behind their classmates in reading achievement—

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

might lag two years behind their peers. Summer slide affects

children from low-income families at significantly dispropor-

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

school.

“Research shows that about one book a week is necessary

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

director of Books for Keeps, which gives books to elementary

school students through its Stop Summer Slide! literacy

program.

When Hale was hired in 2014, Books for Keeps distributed

books in five schools. Now the organization serves 11 schools

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

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

books to children.

The signature program of Books for Keeps, Stop Summer

Books for Keeps

BASED IN:Athens

COUNTIES SERVED:Clarke

GRANT:$5,000

For Stop Summer Slide! Literacy Program

»

From Reluctant to Eager Readers | booksforkeeps.org

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.


Slide! was based on a University of Florida study that

revealed having access to books over the summer is similar

to attending summer school for two months—and at a

fraction of the cost.

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

centers with popular books for K-5 students stacked on

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

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

summer and beyond.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Books for Keeps warehouse and brought out each summer

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

books were available at the August sale.

Almost 1,000 volunteers helped with Books for Keeps

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

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

distribution. Others assist with the annual book sale.

This year’s Jackson EMC Foundation grant helped

Books for Keeps bring Stop Summer Slide! to Cleveland Road

Elementary School.

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.

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

”“


“Back there, we helped with the Lighthouse Mission in

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

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

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

Frederick Martin, had worked in northeast Georgia. When

they sent word to the Padillas that this northeast Georgia

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

older couple moved east.

They opened Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission in January

2012. Headquartered in Buford, the grassroots ministry

collects and distributes clothing, food and furniture to those

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

332 Hill Street headquarters.

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

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

God wanted us here,” he says.

Elva remembers a conversation with one of those served

by the new mission:

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

“Nothing,” Elva responded.

“Why?”

“Because Jesus loves you.”

“What’s the catch?”

“There is no catch, Elva concluded.

Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission

BASED IN:Buford

COUNTIES SERVED:Barrow, Hall andGwinnett

GRANT:$10,000

For Ministry to Provide Food, Clothing and Household Items

»

A Mission to Servefacebook.com/EyesOfLoveLighthouseMission

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.


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 house-

hold 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.”

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.”

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.

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.

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


Family TIES of Gainesville


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

GRANT:$15,000

For Parenting Classes to Prevent Child Abuse

»

Breaking the Cycleof Abuse | familytiesgainesville.org

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

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

your bank account.”

Formed in 1989, Family TIES of Gainesville works to

break the cycle of abuse and neglect in families through

parenting and intervention programs that teach adults how to

provide a safe and nurturing environment for their children.

“We serve families who wish to improve their parenting

skills as well as families who are incarcerated or mandated by

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

her share.

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

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

had abused their daughter for five years. The mother had

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

divorced at 16.”

Such circumstances can seem impossible to overcome,

but through family counseling, individual counseling, parenting

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

can turn things around.

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

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


Parenting classes at Family TIES focus on communication

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

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

“We work on discipline options, teaching parents about

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

classes on social media, on proper ways of listening and

responding to children, and on dealing with substance abuse

issues that lead to neglect.”

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

caregivers or those with children ages 0 to 18.

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

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.”

Programs are offered for teenagers whose parents are

enrolled at Family TIES and include a teen group that helps

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

with bullying. Parenting classes for Spanish speaking parents

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

families in crisis.

Family TIES of Gainesville works with close to 2,000

families yearly, according to Mize who says parenting classes

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.”

Abuse doesn’t knowyour bank account.

”“

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

Four children die every dayas a result of child abuse; three out of

four are under age 4.

A report ofchild abuse is

made every10 seconds.

One thirdof abused or

neglected children will later abuse their

own children.

Child abuse occurs at every socio-economic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions

and at all levels of education.

National Abuse and Neglect S T A T I S T I C S

13

––Family TIES of Gainesville


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

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

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

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

and fears, pain and perseverance, enabling them to express

feelings they may not verbalize.

“The Healing Arts provides a safe outlet for people to

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

ness and express unspoken and often unconscious concerns

about their illness and lives,” says Hudgens Center Executive

Director Ife Williams. “Being creative allows them to step

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

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

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

same situation. We have tears in these sessions.”

The sessions are offered at no expense to cancer, brain

trauma and other patients thanks to funding, like that from

the Jackson EMC Foundation. Patients are encouraged to

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

end of each session, the budding artists have something they

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

says Williams.

Hudgens Center for Art & Learning

BASED IN:Duluth

COUNTIES SERVED:Gwinnett

GRANT:$10,000

For Healing Arts»

A Heart for Healing Artthehudgens.org

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.


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

“Art is therapeutic and requires focus and concentration.

Doing it with others can open up a conversation that might

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

concerns.”

Creating that bridge was important to Connie Norman,

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

Arts program about 15 years ago after seeing the impact that

creating a watercolor painting had on a friend battling breast

cancer.

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

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

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

this is the time they look forward to most.”

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.”

Healing Arts impacted Renika’s life when she most

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

after being induced early in order to undergo an emergency

mastectomy the day after delivery. Three months into chemo

treatments, her home burned to the ground.

“My mask was supposed to represent a transition from

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

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

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

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

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

goodness.”

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.

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

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

”

“


Lawrenceville Woman’s Club

BASED IN:Lawrenceville

CITIES SERVED:Lawrenceville

GRANT:$1,000

For Lawrenceville Housing Authority Community Gardens

»

Growing Cucumbersand Community | lawrencevillewomansclub.org

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,

gardens were planted at two Housing Authority neighbor-

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

Woman’s Club Treasurer Cheryl Shaw credits Lawrenceville

Mayor Judy Johnson with the idea.

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

community and she put me in touch with the Housing

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

residents had expressed interest in a garden.”

Raised in the city, Cheryl had never gardened but was

willing to learn. The Housing Authority and local businesses

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

A Jackson EMC Foundation grant was used to purchase more

supplies, and the seeds were sown.

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

residents of Glen Edge and Hooper Renwick neighborhoods

have two growing seasons behind them, they happily admit

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

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

says Cheryl, beaming with pride as she leads visitors through

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

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

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

evolved from a grassy field to a sustainable garden.


“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.

“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.”

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.”

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


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

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

to change the trajectory of a child.”

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

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

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

Jefferson and an advocate of youth mentoring. Executive

Director Lisa Stephens has been with the organization since

2005.

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

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

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

most rewarding things I’ve ever done.”

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

since 2008, has served more than 200 students annually.

Last year, 225 mentors were matched with 235 students.

For Hitzges, serving as a mentor has been payback in

appreciation of one who mentored him.

“The person who changed my trajectory, my power of

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

Legacy Youth Mentoring

BASED IN:Jefferson

COUNTIES SERVED:Jackson

GRANT:$15,000

For Mentor Resources and Administrative Services

»

The Power of Onelegacyyouthmentoring.org

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.


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

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

for a scholarship on my behalf.”

Mentor Joe Godfrey and his mentee, Aubrey, have met

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

student says having a mentor gives him confidence to share

his creative ideas and credits Joe with encouraging him to

expand and sharpen those ideas.

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

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

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

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

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

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

referred by teachers or parents; mentors meet students at

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

free time. Doing the mentoring within the school day adds

safety and flexibility, according to Stephens who says most

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

need of mentors. Many mentors continue their partnership

through the student’s elementary, middle and high school

years with some relationships enduring into adulthood.

Stephens expresses gratitude for the Jackson EMC

Foundation.

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

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

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

of students live inpoverty in Jackson County.

are affected by childabuse or neglect.

live with a single parent.

teens have thoughtof suicide.

In Jackson County:

17.8%

22.4%

22.5%

1 in 8

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

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

exist. We are very grateful.

”

“


Lekotek of Georgia


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

GRANT:$7,500

For Accessible Play and Adaptive Technology and Toys

»

Positioned for Successlekotekga.org

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.

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

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

but that’s what all children do.”

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

and that’s exactly what the organization affords to children

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

to their various learning styles. Play specialists who work with

clients at Lekotek have degrees in special education and a

passion for children.

At the office in Gainesville, Valerie Cloud has been working

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

His mother, Sheila, has seen a marked improvement.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The goal is to help children with disabilities fit into the

regular classroom, and Lekotek uses accessible play and

adaptive toys and technology to accomplish that goal,

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

Foundation provided funds to purchase new toys and technology

and to help ten families take part in the program.


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-

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 inte-

grating family into the sessions. If children are here, siblings

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

After play sessions, families are sent home with adaptive

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

Computers and iPads may be loaned and the Lekotek staff

is quick to share apps and programs geared toward specific

learning needs.

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

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

position children to enable them to track movement with

their eyes or manipulate certain objects. Whatever the case,

we focus on abilities, not disabilities.”

Prokesch brought Lekotek to Atlanta 34 years ago when

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

The teaching model originated in Sweden in the 1960s when

two mothers of children with disabilities created toys to facilitate

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

alizing their children. The concept came to America in the

1980s and Prokesch brought it to Georgia in 1983.

Today, Lekotek of Georgia operates with headquarters in

Atlanta and five satellite offices, including the Gainesville site

at 3485 McEver Road, which opened in 2011.

Valerie Cloud engages Braxten in adaptive play. Executive Director Helene Prokesch surveys the storeroom of adaptive toys used by Lekotek clients.

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

or figuratively.

”

“


Nothing But The Truth

BASED IN:Dacula

COUNTIES SERVED:Gwinnett and Barrow

GRANT:$10,000

For Weekend Food Bag Ministry

»

Filling the WeekendFood Gap | nothingbutthetruth146.org

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,

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

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

community needs, including feeding hungry children.

The Jackson EMC Foundation teamed up with Nothing

But the Truth this year by providing funds to purchase food

for their Weekend Food Bag Ministry. The program supplies

food on weekends to Gwinnett County public schoolchildren

identified by school counselors as food insecure.

Rigsby founded Nothing But the Truth seven years ago

after returning from a mission trip to the Appalachia area in

eastern Kentucky. There she encountered the poorest of the

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

had little to eat, especially on weekends.

Back at home, she recognized similar need.

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

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

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

In October 2010, Nothing But the Truth served one

school by providing weekend food bags for 15 students.

Now the ministry serves 34 elementary and middle schools

in Gwinnett and Barrow counties by providing food for 700

students each week.

School counselors refer students to the program, according

to Rigsby.

“Our school systems are the heartbeat of our community;

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

many children live with their families in extended stay hotels.

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

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


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.

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.”

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.

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

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.

Any time you have a childhungry, there’s a problem.

”“


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

Changes in Unrestricted Net Assets Support Contributions $ 1,121,377 $ 1,103,065

Interest 97 97

Contributed Services 56,069 54,979

1,177,543 1,158,141

Program Service Expenses Community Assistance 1,046,499 1,045,800

Family Assistance 42,463 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 $ 229,019 $ 196,563

2017 2016


JACKSON EMC FOUNDATION, INC.Schedule of Community Assitance

for the Year Ended May 31, 2017

Athens Urban Ministries $ 10,000

Action Ministries, Inc. 15,000

Adventure Bags, Inc. 7,500

American Red Cross Northeast Georgia Chapter 15,000

Angel House of Georgia 10,000

Area Committee to Improve Opportunities Now 15,000

Ark: United Ministry Outreach Center 8,500

Athens Community Council on Aging 5,000

Atlanta Mission 10,000

Books for Keeps, Inc. 5,000

Boys & Girls Clubs of Athens, Inc. 15,000

Camp Koinonia 13,000

Camp Kudzu, Inc. 11,000

Camp Twin Lakes, Inc. 12,100

Camp Twitch and Shout 1,100

Casa de Amistad 2,000

Court Appointed Special Advocates - Hall/Dawson Program, Inc. 7,500

Center Pointe 15,000

Challenged Child and Friends 15,000

Chamber of Commerce - Madison County 3,180

Community Helping Place 2,500

Cooperative Ministry - Lawrenceville 15,000

Cooperative Ministry - Lilburn 10,000

Cozy Quilters of St. Matthew Women’s Club 1,500

Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America 5,000

Dahlonega Care Center 3,095

Eagle Ranch, Inc. 8,000

Elachee Nature Center 15,000

Extra Special People, Inc. 15,000

Eyes of Love Lighthouse Mission 10,000

Family Connection - Lumpkin County 4,000

Family Promise of Gwinnett County 7,500

Family TIES - Gainesville 15,000

Food Bank of Northeast Georgia 15,000

Foster Siblings Reunited 2,000

Fragile Kids Foundation 11,927

Franklin Life Pregnancy Resource Center 4,000

Gainesville/Hall Community Food Pantry 2,500

Gainesville - Hall County 96 Roundtable, Inc. 8,000

Balance - Carried Forward $ 350,902




Balance - Brought Forward $ 350,902

Gainesville Housing Corporation 10,000

Georgia Options, Inc. 7,500

Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta 6,000

Guest House, Inc. 3,500

Gwinnett Children’s Shelter, Inc. 15,000

Gwinnett Council for the Arts 10,000

Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center 15,000

Gwinnett Special Forces 9,604

Gwinnett Student Leadership Team 15,000

Habitat for Humanity of Gwinnett County 15,000

Habitat for Humanity of Hall County 7,500

Habitat for Humanity of Jackson County 15,000

Helping Mamas, Inc. 2,500

Hi-Hope Service Center 15,000

Hope Clinic, Inc. 15,000

Hope for the Journey at North Metro First Baptist of Gwinnett 7,500

Hope Haven of Northeast Georgia 12,150

HOPE, Inc. 5,000

I Am, Inc. 10,950

Jewish Family & Career Services 5,000

Jubilee Partners 13,000

Judy House Ministry 7,500

Lawrenceville Women’s Club 1,000

Lekotek of Georgia 7,500

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Georgia Chapter 15,000

Lindsay’s Legacy 15,000

Mercy Health Center 12,000

Muscular Dystrophy Association 10,000

Northeast Georgia Care, Inc. 7,633

NOA’s Ark, Inc. 5,000

North Gwinnett Arts Association, Inc. 7,500

Nothing but the Truth, Inc. 10,000

Nuci’s Space 4,000

Penfield Christian Homes, Inc. 5,000

Place of Seven Springs 6,000

Positive Impact Health Centers, Inc. 5,000

Prevent Child Abuse Athens 6,750

Balance - Carried Forward $ 690,989




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 Foundation2017 Annual Report

P.O. Box 38

Jefferson, GA 30549

jacksonemc.com/foundation

making the community a better place - jackson emc · making the community a better place. ......

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