12.24
During the Holidays we tend to think more about the less fortunate, neighbors and relatives struggling with unmet needs or physical disabilities. But those needs aren’t seasonal – there are people in LaFayette and Walker County who need help all year long.
More than a few of those people receive services from nonprofits, groups providing everything from food and counseling to education and medical care. Unfortunately, over the last few years things have not being going well economically in Walker County, resulting in fewer donations for these organizations just as demand for their services has increased.
The LaFayette Underground is operated as a community service; we don’t sell subscriptions or advertising and have never asked for donations, and we never will. But we are going to ask (if you see value in the Underground or not) that you consider giving to a local nonprofit, making a donation to one of the organizations listed below. They work every day to help people with real-world needs far beyond the silliness of politics and social issues discussed here.
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The Care Mission is on the front line of battling hunger in Northwest Georgia, providing food to over 100 families every week. The Mission also operates a thrift store, selling donated goods for almost nothing as another way to help people in need. Thrift store profits help keep the doors open, but additional support is required. The Underground wrote a full-length article on the Mission in May 2010. Donations can be dropped off or mailed to 105 N. Chattanooga St. LaFayette. |
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Four Points works with DFCS to help families recovering from incidents of domestic violence. Services include a domestic violence response team, parenting classes, and supervised visits between parents and non-custodial children. Four Points has offices in LaFayette, Summerville, and Ringgold but prefers not to give out their physical locations for reasons of security. Donations can be mailed to PO Box 1212 LaFayette. |
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The Jimmy Simpson Foundation is a Rock-Spring-based group helping brain injury victims and their families. Safehaven is their long-term care facility where brain injured patients can live in a group setting. JSF also has a support group for patient relatives. Not everyone can or will work with this vulnerable segment of the population, but Jimmy Simpson Foundation seems to be doing some great things with its patients. Donations can be made online here. |
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Kids 4 Christ is a Christian group providing Bible classes and after school activities for disadvantaged kids in LaFayette. K4C also gives away school supplies to hundreds of kids every year. This organization recently came under attack from local politicians after a K4C employee was identified as an Underground contributor, and has lost some financial support as a result. Donations can be made online here. |
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Sunrise At Midnight is a grief counseling ministry operating out of Fort Oglethorpe and Chickamauga. Sunrise offers direct counseling, workshops, and seminars to help people recover from all kinds of loss, not just death. They also train others to do grief counseling. Donations can be made online here. |
Please note that none of these groups are affiliated with the Underground and none of them have requested inclusion here. This article has been written as a community service.
There are other nonprofits in the area doing good work, but we cannot recommend any group without reviewing its financial information. Local organizations like North Georgia Animal League, Stocking Full of Love, and Hope Rebirth Homeless Shelter in Summerville (SOW, Inc. of Rome) were investigated but we weren’t able to access annual 990 reports showing their financial conditions. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with them, we just couldn’t locate their financial reports.
If you have experience with any of the groups mentioned here (good or bad) or want to recommend another one worthy of support, please discuss them in the comments below.
Before giving to any charitable organization, including the ones listed, you should thoroughly check them out. Always look at financial information – a good place to find that online is GuideStar. (That’s where the 990’s linked from this article were found.) Some don’t have reports posted to GuideStar, but every legitimate non-profit is required by law to open its books for inspection when asked. Any group that can’t or won’t share financial info should be avoided when it’s time to give. Be careful – some organizations aren’t all they claim to be.
Money tends to be the most pressing need for every group, but even if you can’t give financially many of the organizations mentioned here also need your time. There’s no better way to live in 2012 than by volunteering one day a month or a few hours a week to help neighbors in need.
This Christmas, remember that we’ve been given the greatest Gift of all. That Gift can never be matched or repaid, but we can show gratitude by giving some of our own blessings back to the community we call home. Giving back makes Christmas more meaningful than any worldly gift or trinket we might happen to receive.
Merry Christmas from The LaFayette Underground!
I’d like to add Sage Pregnancy Resource Center like to add Sage Pregnancy Resource Center behind Walmart. They are going through a transition time with a new director, but they have been a tremendous resource in this area.
I considered Sage on this list but I keep hearing conflicting information about them being open or not. (They still operate legally as A+ Womens Care, if you want to look up their info on GuideStar.) Their Web site is http://www.sageresourcecenter.org. If they’re still open then it’s definitely a worthy cause.
One of Sage’s main benefactors is Carey Brown, and he’s in legal trouble for the way his title loan and payday loan companies have operated in Tennessee. That doesn’t reflect badly on the organization, they do good things, but his legal problems could result in a loss of financial support – meaning they would need outside help more than ever. It’s always bad when one person or entity provides a majority of an organization’s support, so they definitely need to get more help from the community.
— LU
I predicted that Kids 4 Christ would lose monetary donations due to the article in the paper, which is just a huge shame.
I think that was the goal of the people who tried to make an example of someone who may or may not be a contributor. It is a shot across the bow. It is a shame the “authorities” feel the need to stoop that low. If there is nothing to hide there shouldnt be a problem with a “blog” or “blogger” If none of the information was true the “blogger” would be proven wrong and the “blog” would die. Because some ( if not all ) things written about ARE true they prefer to use intimidation tactics to keep people quiet.
Careful, careful….If you start slinging words around like true, truefuful and factual, you’ll be assaualted with words like “slander”, ‘liable”, etc………….
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Look up true in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
True may refer to:
Truth, the state of being in accord with fact or reality
In my opinion there are things discussed here that are TRUE…