Jackson EMC Foundation awards $97K to agencies serving area residents

•$10,000 to Athens Parent Wellbeing, Inc., Athens, which promotes the mental well-being of mothers and families in Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Jackson, Madison and Oglethorpe counties throughout pregnancy and postpartum period by providing education, resources and support for psychological evaluations for uninsured and underinsured clients.

•$10,000 to Bethel Haven, which provides help and healing to distressed children, teenagers, adults and families in all counties served by Jackson EMC to provide counseling sessions.

•$10,000 to Eagle Ranch, Inc., which provides a whole-family approach to restoring and renewing relationships for children and families in Barrow, Clarke, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin and Madison counties, for counseling sessions for clients in its First Step Counseling Program.

•$10,000 to the Madison County Rotary Foundation, Inc., Danielsville, to purchase materials to build ramps for handicap residents in Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Jackson, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.

•$10,000 to Step by Step Recovery, Inc., Lawrenceville, which provides a safe and structured residential program for men and women in Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Hall, Gwinnett, Jackson and Lumpkin counties suffering from homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, and recently-paroled people for its Residential Recovery Program.

•$7,500 to Acceptance Recovery Center, Inc., Athens, which provides peer support recovery services to individuals in all counties served by Jackson EMC recovering from substance use disorders to support the housing fee for 3 parent residents enrolled in its program for almost 2 months.

•$7,500 to Fresh Wind Recovery Ministry, Inc., Athens, which is a residential ministry for men in all counties served by Jackson EMC struggling with substance abuse to support counseling sessions and meals for clients.

$7,500 to Judy House Ministry, Inc., Lawrenceville, which provides a safe environment for men and women in Gwinnett County facing homelessness for housing for its Transfer Program.

$7,500 to NSPIRE Outreach Ministries, Inc., Lawrenceville, which helps those in Gwinnett and Hall counties facing a cycle of homelessness, addiction, domestic violence, abuse and neglect for its Launch Program that includes housing, job training, recovery meetings and more.

$7,500 to Palm House Recovery Centers, Inc., Athens, which helps people in all counties served by Jackson EMC struggling with addiction for client intake fees and rent for individuals in its Helping Hands Program.

Jackson EMC Foundation grants are made possible by the 220,979 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 2,026 grants to organizations and 437 grants to individuals, putting more than $21.5 million back into local communities since the program began in 2005.

Any individual or charitable organization in the ten 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 jacksonemc.com/foundation-apply. Applicants do not need to be a member of Jackson EMC.

A $7,500 Jackson EMC Foundation grant to Judy House Ministry will help it provide a safe environment for men and women in Gwinnett County facing homelessness. At the check presentation were (L-R): Jennifer Fennell, Jackson EMC Gwinnett district manager; Beauty Baldwin, Jackson EMC Foundation board member; Paul Epperson, director of Judy House Ministry; Dee Anderson, Jackson EMC Foundation board member; and Kenny Lumpkin, Jackson EMC Foundation representative.