CommUNITY: Operation Round Up Dollars Help Those in Need
Since 2005, the Jackson EMC Foundation has worked in unity with nonprofit organizations in the 10 counties served by Jackson EMC to assist thousands of individuals and families throughout Northeast Georgia.
Thanks to Jackson EMC members who round up their bill through Operation Round Up®, the Jackson EMC Foundation is able to manage and distribute funds supporting local nonprofit organizations and individuals.
The Foundation’s partnership with local organizations – along with the unified collaboration the nonprofits share with area schools and universities, health agencies and government entities – exemplifies the community’s unparalleled emphasis on unity.
In the past 16 years, the Jackson EMC Foundation has awarded almost $17 million in grants to improve and impact its community, including $1,071,307 in grants in the past year. The Jackson EMC Foundation’s Annual Report shares more stories of how your Operation Round Up contributions are positively impacting the community.
The 2021 Jackson EMC Foundation Annual Report is available at jacksonemc.com/foundation.
In the past year, the Jackson EMC Foundation awarded grants to organizations, including:
Rotary Club of Madison County
$7,500 for handicapped accessible ramp program
Serves: Clarke and Madison counties.
The Rotary Club of Madison County started its handicapped accessible ramp program in 1995. As of summer 2021, the Rotarians had constructed more than 820 ramps by building an average of 35 each year. “We build ramps for people with medical conditions, those who have been injured in car wrecks or had surgery, the elderly, and if someone is becoming frail and afraid of falling, we’ll build a ramp before they get hurt,” said Ed Brown, ramp program chairman.
The Rotary Club used its grant from the Jackson EMC Foundation to purchase building materials – which came in handy when lumber prices rose this past year.
Sacred Roots Farm
$10,000 for safe haven program
Serves: Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Franklin, Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison and Oglethorpe counties.
Sacred Roots Farm offers unique services for women rescued from sex trafficking – longterm support and community for healing. The idyllic beauty of the 26-acre farm and farmhouse, donated by a supporter, allows Sacred Roots Farm to provide counseling and daily classes designed to help them in their recovery process. “It’s a ministry of after-care,” said the organization’s executive director. “A lady gets free from human trafficking and probably doesn’t have a lot of support. It takes everybody coming from different angles to address the problem. Until they have a place to land, chances of them being prepared for the future are slim. That’s the space we seek to fill by providing a longterm place for healing.” A grant from the Jackson EMC Foundation funded childcare, education and counseling.
Bethel Haven
$7,500 for Project Hope
Serves: Clarke, Jackson and Oglethorpe counties.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Bethel Haven has experienced a “drastic increase” in clients seeking counseling, according to Executive Director Melinda Allen. She added that the growing needs were met partly due to a Jackson EMC Foundation grant that provided therapeutic counseling for those who otherwise could not afford the services. The nonprofit organization provides
therapeutic counseling and mental health services on a sliding scale fee, so anyone seeking professional therapy can receive it. Bethel Haven partners with other nonprofits and 12 area universities to meet the community’s mental health needs. “The partnership with universities, other nonprofits and organizations like the Jackson EMC Foundation – when you see a community in alignment like this with this common love, it’s just amazing,” Allen said. “It’s what this community is all about: It’s love for one another.”