Jackson EMC Foundation awards nearly $100,000 in grants in December.

The December Jackson EMC Foundation meeting marked a milestone in ORU. Just two months past its year anniversary, ORU surpassed the $1 million mark in grants issued to date.

"We're excited to have made such a positive impact on our grant recipients' lives. Whether it's an individual or organization, knowing our members are making a difference in the communities we serve is something to be proud of," says Randall Pugh, Jackson EMC president/CEO.

The Board of Directors awarded a total of $97,750 in grants during the December meeting, including $87,500 to organizations and $10,250 to individuals.

Organizational Grant Recipients:

• $15,000 to Covenant Community After-School Program, started by Covenant Presbyterian Church in Athens, which opened its doors to provide students from a neighboring middle school and high school with a safe, supervised place to gather. Grant funds will be used to update the facility’s furnishings and equipment.
• $15,000 to Health Access Initiative, a Hall County agency providing medical care, donated by area physicians, to uninsured indigent adults. Grant funds will be used to help fund a position that processes referrals, conducts screening interviews and enrolls clients, as well as coordinates appointments with HAI’s network of 126 physicians, arranges diagnostic tests and follows up with clients.
• $15,000 to L.A.M.P. (Latin American Missionary Program) Ministries, in Gainesville, to help provide high risk youths with a positive alternative to gangs and other delinquent behavior through its Community Youth Outreach program, 3-month sessions that combine group counseling and community activities.
• $15,000 to the Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministry, to purchase day-to-day food resources for the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which offers underprivileged clients in the Lawrenceville and Dacula areas a safety net that gives them time to deal with difficult and often temporary circumstances they are facing.
• $15,000 to Safe Kids Gainesville-Hall County, a program focusing on child safety education and the distribution of safety devices, such as life jackets and smoke detectors, to families that could not otherwise afford them. Grant funds will be used to help purchase a cargo van that will help transport materials and safety devices to various sites throughout the community.
• $7,500 to the Jackson County Health Department, to assist with the Cabbage Patch Program, which provides education, resources and support to pregnant adolescents and women who run a high risk of delivering preterm or low birth weight infants.
• $5,000 to the Madison County Health Department, to assist with the CabbagePatch Program, which provides education, resources and support to pregnant adolescents and women who run a high risk of delivering preterm or low birth weight infants.

Individual Grant Recipients:

• $3,250 for the installation of a wheelchair lift on the vehicle of a disabled individual.
• $3,500 for assistance with a down-payment on a vehicle to help a single mother get to and from work.
• $3,500 for the installation of a wheelchair lift on the vehicle of a disabled senior citizen.