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!
