Your monthly newsletter about The Place and how serving with purpose helps change lives. | |
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August 2022
Dear Cristy,
Caring for an aging parent, relative, or friend is an event that we see daily here at the Place. Many of us have experienced the situation first-hand. Often The Place receives donations from families who have moved their loved one to an assisted living facility.
These life happenings are one of the reasons I’m so proud of our senior program. We aid 25 homebound seniors who are living on very limited budgets. In this economy, those fixed incomes are stretched even further. The Place has seen over a 200 percent increase year-over-year in our senior aid expenses.
Not only do our dedicated volunteers deliver groceries and visit our senior clients weekly, The Place also helps our seniors maintain their homes. Whether it’s simply changing a light bulb or coordinating a project to install a wheelchair ramp, The Place tries to assist our seniors so we improve and enhance their daily lives.
As part of our 47th Birthday Celebration campaign, The Place team created a video that shares an overview of our senior program alongside our other services. Senior Program Coordinator Glenn Bowman shows photos of projects he has coordinated as he describes The Place’s senior services. Click here to view the video, which is less than four minutes. Click here to share a shorter version on social media.
I hope you enjoy our brief video.
Serving with Purpose,
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President & CEO
The Place of Forsyth County
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We are celebrating 47 years of serving our community. Click here to help us continue to serve by donating $47.75 or more.
Your donation can provide a client with gas money to get to work, have fresh produce to eat, keep the lights on, obtain back to school supplies, and more.
Since 1975, we’ve provided hope to our neighbors and helped them become self-sufficient.
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Senior Client Gets New Wiring
“Sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest difference to our senior clients,” says The Place’s Senior Program Coordinator Glenn Bowman. “Things like fixing a leaky toilet, replacing a broken light fixture, or pressure washing a slippery wheelchair ramp means a lot.”
“We had one recent repair project that stands out in my mind because it involved fixing a deteriorating wiring system,” Glenn continued.
“One of our homebound seniors lives in a home that was built by her father in the late 1950s. Unfortunately, time and weather took a significant toll on the structure, with the electrical system in particular need of restoration. It had deteriorated to the point where only one circuit was barely operable. In fact, the wiring was in such poor condition that one electrician stated, ‘This is a fire just waiting to happen.’
“Thankfully, due to the AWESOME generosity of donations by Age Well, Inc., an anonymous donor, The Place and its contractor, Mr. Value Electricians, our client’s home has been completely rewired and brought up to safety standards!
“I want to acknowledge that all projects completed for our deserving seniors, large or small, happen only because of YOU. The time you volunteer and the things and money you donate help let all our seniors know that they are special, and they are loved. Thank you very much for your support.”
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Big Hugs from Grateful Clients
One day Deb Ross, who manages food distribution for The Place, was in the warehouse and noted someone had donated four cases of adult diapers. She remembered that a client, Wendall, asked for adult diapers for his wife when he picked his food each week. Deb brought the cases up to Dawson for Wendall’s wife. When Wendall picked up his groceries that week, The Place's Amy Palmer showed him what Deb had pulled aside for his wife. Wendall got choked up, smiled, and said thank you.
The next week, Deb was at The Place of Dawson at food distribution time. Wendall didn’t say a word but instead walked up and gave her a hug. Then his wife gave Deb a bigger hug. The connection was quiet and deep. A client asked The Place for something for his wife that would be humbling for anyone. And The Place remembered his quiet request and came through in a big way.
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Paradise Valley's Charity Duck Race Benefits Clients
The Place of Dawson @ RIC Rack is so grateful to be the beneficiary of Paradise Valley Resort’s annual charity Duck Race! This fun event is more than just a race every year….it is changing lives in Dawson County. The proceeds are designated for our Dawson food pantry and totaled $11,565! This will provide 72,281 pounds of food to help the community with essential needs. It is an amazing honor to partner with Paradise Valley Resort and a tremendous win for our clients. Paradise Valley Resort is continually looking for ways to support Dawson County and give with purpose.
The resort has donated to The Place’s food pantry for the last eight years and continues to be one of our largest donors in Dawson County. Their continued support gives hope to our clients and helps us fulfil our mission. Many of the resort’s members donate on a weekly basis through monetary donations as well as donate items to our thrift store.
The Place extends a huge thank you to Jack Crowther and all the members at Paradise Valley. Your generosity and investment in the community is making a huge difference!
Click here to see the story in the Dawson County News.
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Healthy Food Habits
We all know that eating fruits and vegetables are necessary for us to have a healthy diet. At The Place, we offer our client families and individuals a selection of five to six healthy fruits and vegetables each week.
We purchase our produce from Leonard’s Farmers Market in Cumming. It’s local produce from a local small business for local families. We spend hundreds of dollars each week to provide our clients with the best local produce available.
Please consider helping The Place provide your neighbors in Forsyth and Dawson Counties with the best local produce with a tax-deductible donation. Click here to contribute money for produce.
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Successful Summer Internship Program
The Place recently wrapped a summer internship with four high-school-age students. In its 5th year, the six-week paid internship program ran from June 7 until July 21. Applicants were selected in May, and for many this was their first job.
The program was designed to be an enriching experience, sharing with the students the many facets of our organization. They worked in the thrift store, at the warehouse, and elsewhere as needed. At the warehouse, they took inventory of donations and packed bags of food to be distributed to our clients. In the thrift store, the interns helped customers and process donations to be sold.
During the program, The Place held “lunch and learn” sessions focusing on emotional awareness and intelligence, financial literacy, and other topics. One intern said, “I loved the lunch and learns; another said, “that experience really helped me to look at things in a different way.”
We taught the interns to set goals, and many thought they had gained new professional skills. They shared that they felt more confident communicating with coworkers and with managers. We watched them standing taller and speaking more confidently. One said, “the experience has helped me figure out what I want in the future, and I plan to save money for a move.” One intern saved their paychecks from The Place.
The summer internship program is led by The Place’s Young Adult Coordinators Hannah Duran and Hollis Meyer. For more information, contact Hannah at hannah@theplaceofforsyth.org or Hollis at hollis@theplaceofforsyth.org.
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Alliance Together Collects Lots of Food
The nonprofit Alliance Together collected 3,885.46 pounds of food for The Place!
The employees at Property Management surpassed their goal of 500 pounds of food and made a huge difference in our community. Alliance Together Marketing Director Libby Colon did a great job planning the food collection and the employees made their food drive into a friendly competition. Congratulations to the “Hot Dogs” team for bringing in the most donations with 1,459 pounds of food!
The Place expresses a huge thanks to Alliance Together for their partnership and generosity!
Matt and Amanda Myers of Alliance Property Management created Alliance Together in 2019 with the purpose of bringing the community together. They organized the food collection during the summer to especially help families with children home from school. Their non-profit and staff are making a significant difference through local support of organizations, agencies, and other nonprofits in Dawson County.
Click here to see the story in the Dawson County News.
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Backpacks Delivered for 2022-2023 School Year!
The Place would like to thank all the churches, corporations, organizations, and individuals that helped make this year’s “Backpacks Full of Heart” school supply drive a success!
We delivered backpacks and supplies for almost 1,500 students directly to the schools in Forsyth and Dawson Counties. We hope these necessary school items allow students in need to get off to a great start this upcoming school year.
The Place works with 90 percent of Forsyth County’s public schools and all of Dawson County’s public schools.
We could not have accomplished our mission without your amazing support. Thank you!
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Need Gently Used Kid's Clothing
Sales are booming at our thrift stores! With back-to-school shopping underway, our children’s clothing supply is getting low. Please donate your gently used kid’s clothing, baby to elementary school sized. We are also running low on men’s clothing.
Donate your items at The Place of Forsyth, 2550 The Place Circle Cumming, GA 30040 or at RIC Rack, 829 Hwy 9 Dawsonville, GA 30534. You can drop off donations at both locations on Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
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Want to Participate in a Collection Drive?
If you, your church, or your organization would like to participate in a collection drive that benefits The Place, please click here to see drives for August and September.
For more information, contact Lisa at lisa@theplaceofforsyth.org (Forsyth County) or Amy at amyp@theplaceofforsyth.org (Dawson County).
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Laura Hernandez is New Financial Assistance Coordinator
The Place is pleased to welcome Laura Hernandez to our financial assistance team! Most recently, Laura was a caregiver for seniors, and comes to The Place with a strong customer service background.
Laura is a native of Miami, Florida. She says "I’ve been in wrong state my whole life. Georgia has been good to me, and everyone is always there with a helping hand. I am honored to be the financial assistance coordinator here at The Place because I am part of an organization that helps so many in our community, including the elderly and disabled, which is a population that is near and dear to my heart. Plus, how many people can say ‘I help others for a living’? The Place helps people!”
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Why We Volunteer
Harry and Susan Phillips have volunteered at The Place for over two years. They deliver groceries to our homebound senior clients twice a month. Their dedicated service provides vital contact and has led to new friendships and additional opportunities to assist seniors.
What does volunteering mean to you?
“Volunteering means we have a chance to be part of a group of caring people in our community.”
What do you like about volunteering at The Place?
“We like having a purpose now that we’re retired and have time on our hands. We feel like we are important to someone who needs a helping hand.”
What would you say to someone who is considering volunteering at The Place?
“If anyone is thinking of volunteering. do it. Helping others always makes you feel good. We have met some awesome new friends by working at The Place.”
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Become a Volunteer!
The Place was voted the best place to volunteer in Forsyth County in 2021! If you’d like to join our amazing team, please fill out an application and attend a one-hour orientation session at The Place.
To fill out a volunteer application, please click here. You’ll be able to sign up for an upcoming orientation session during the application process. For more information, contact phillip@theplaceofforsyth.org. Thank you!
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Your continued support is needed and appreciated so we can continue to help our neighbors in need. Please consider a gift a today.
You can help advance our efforts by:
- Providing monthly financial support
- Making The Place of Forsyth your favorite charity at smile.amazon.com.
- Adding a bequest in your will
- Giving the gift of a percentage of your estate or a specific asset
- Naming The Place as a beneficiary in your life insurance or retirement plan
- Creating a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) and direct your IRA distributions to a qualified 501(c)(3) charity
The Place of Forsyth County, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 58-2355072.
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