United Way of Highway 55 was proud to support 16 partner nonprofits from Aug 2019-July 2020. Because of donated dollars from local individuals and businesses, we were able to allocate $40,000 instead of the promised $26,000! Thank YOU! This allowed these nonprofits to be able to help even more in our community. Below are stats and stories for the year from some of our partners, proving just how much their mission’s impact where we live.
The Shepherd’s House
Director: Tina Holman Owen
Office: (931) 393-4818
Website: https://shepherdshousetullahoma.com/
Mission: “Our mission is to provide food, clothes, and temporary housing for the homeless while helping them gain independent employment and housing.”
Impact: From Aug 2019 to May 31st, 2020 they had 148 residents and individual beds filled were 2353. The Shepherd’s House served 7059 individual meals and gave away clothing to 105 people. Other assistance included paying for hotel rooms for 4 families and providing furniture to 13 in need. If you are homeless or in need of assistance, please contact the number above.
Success Stories: “This is a lady that we will call Amy. When she showed up at the shelter she looked well put together and had a wonderful personality. Her and I got along great together. She said that she had no drug problems and had a very abusive past. She was trying to get her son back and I was led to believe that it was not her fault in any way. After about 3 months I realized she was deceiving myself and others about a lot of things. She went to rehab and a women’s program and found out that she was bi-polar and needed medication and counseling. She now has a job and a car. She is soon to get her child back. A wonderful step toward recovery…”
“This is a lady that we will call Sarah, who had been abuse and married at the age of 11. She had her first child at 15 and was put thru a lot by her husband. She came to us after sleeping at the Walmart parking lot in her car for 5 months, she is 59 and on disability. Her house burned and she had no insurance and nowhere to go. When she came to the shelter, she barely spoke about what all had happened to her over the years. She was saved 2 weeks after coming to the shelter. She has grown in her relationship with the Lord and has more confidence in herself. She has moved out and comes back at times to volunteer.”
Hospice of the Highland Rim Foundation, Inc.
Administrator: Pat Howard
Office: 931-563-7439
Website: www.hospiceofthehighlandrimfoundation.org
Mission: “Hospice of the Highland Rim Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization assisting hospice patients who are suffering end-of-life hardship due to their illness.”
Impact: From August 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020 they have served 242 patients. They have helped with food and utility assistance, as well as, bought minutes for a prepaid phone so patients could contact the nurses and social workers when they needed them. They have assisted in $15,229.54 worth of utility bills and $61,124.36 in food.
Success Story: “We purchased a one day stay at Life Care Center for a patient whose insurance would not cover them. The Foundation also purchased a new commode for a patient and paid for the installation.”
Good Samaritan of Tullahoma Ministry
Director: Cindy Kinney
Office: (931) 455-7353
Website: https://www.goodsamaritanoftullahoma.org/
Mission: “Our mission at Good Samaritan is to provide assistance to families in need and crisis situations, to offer counseling about services available from other social agencies in our community, and offer guidance about household management.”
Impact: From August 2019 – May 2020 Good Samaritan of Tullahoma – Ministry provided the following services to our neighbors in need:Food – 772 Families, Utility Assistance – 231 Families, and Rent – 125 Families. They also provided hygiene/basic cleaning supplies to 98 families and pet food & gifts (clothes/furniture/household goods) to 221 families. The total number of people assisted for the year so far, was 3,553 (adults: 2153, children: 1400).
Success Story: “In Sept 2019, we had the pleasure to meet and assist a single mother of a young, autistic child. After listening to her story – so many struggles, and so much suffering, we decided to assist her by paying her entire utility bill. In addition, we connected her to some much-needed resources, (other agencies/churches that may help her in the future, and especially, who to contact at the school system for help with her child). Later we found out that with that little bit of help, her life started to turn around! And in Nov 2019 – We were very fortunate to assist 3 families (single mothers with children), that were about to have their electricity shut off – bottom line, we paid each of their entire utility bill.”
Coffee County Family Resource Center
Coordinator: Carrie Davis
Office: (931) 222-1066
Website: https://sites.google.com/k12coffee.net/ccssfrc/home?scrlybrkr
Mission: “The Coffee Co Family Resource Center addresses the problems with the home and community environments which impede or create barriers to a child’s ability to learn and grow successfully. The resource center serves all ten schools in the Coffee County School System.”
Impact: First off, we would like to welcome the new Coordinator Carrie Davis! This year the Coffee County Family Resource Center has served 1,236 students and 532 families. Since the pandemic, they have been actively feeding children 18 years and younger through their School Nutrition Program. Also, the 4th Annual “Stuff the Bus Tour” will hit the road July 15th in efforts to fill an entire bus of supplies for this upcoming school year! If you or a business would like to participate, contact Tonya Garner at 931-570-2660 or email her at Garnert@k12coffee.net.
Partners for Healing
Director: Lynn Brumfield
Office: (931) 455-5014
Website: https://www.partnersforhealing.org/
Mission: “Our missions is to open our hearts and hands in love and understanding by providing compassionate health care and nurturing to the uninsured who are working, disabled or those transitioning into work in Coffee, Franklin, and Moore counties.”
Impact: A few stats from August 2019 to now for patients from Coffee and Moore counties:
- Provided 1661 appointments with our nurse practitioners, including established patients, well woman, and new patients
- Provided 410 free labs
- Served 300 unique patients
- Transitioned from in person appointments to phone visits (278 (13% of total)) in mid-March when COVID hit
- Served patients ranging in age from 9 to 88 with most of them between 19 and 64.
- Dispensed over 6500 free 30 Day prescriptions from our in house pharmacy
Success Story: “While we know we provide a valuable service; our underlying goal is that all people are covered by insurance and don’t need us. We recently had a patient “graduate” into insurance and shared how appreciative she was of our services. She also shared that she believed the care she received here was better than many places she had to pay to receive services.”
Haven of Hope, Inc.
Executive Director: Kellye Gilbert
Office: (931) 728-1133
Website: https://www.facebook.com/havenofhopetn/
Mission: “Haven of Hope victim services program endeavors to carry out the mission of providing pro-active, curative, and preventative measures against domestic violence and other violent crimes (i.e. sexual assault and stalking). We strive to provide resources to strengthen and empower victims to resolve their own issues and problems.”
Impact: Haven of Hope has served 164 primary victims of domestic and sexual violence and 209 secondary victims of violence in Coffee & Moore Counties. They provide not only emergency shelter and crisis hotline services and have answered over 1100 calls from victims in our community. They provide safety planning, needs assessments, personal and judicial advocacy, information and referral services, other supportive services, and community education/ information on domestic & sexual violence. Financial empowerment education has been such an encouragement seeing the changes this makes in victim’s lives. This ranges from how financial abuse effects their lives, budgeting, and planning for financial future.
Success Story: “We had a client who was struggling financially and had several children. As she and the advocate worked together, she recognized patterns of financial abuse in her life. The client also struggled when managing her personal finances and always worried about having enough money for food for her family. She sat down with the advocate and planned a menu and grocery budget before going to the store. She was able to find everything she needed on her list, calculated how much she had spent and at checkout organized it all. While it may seem like a simple accomplishment to some, it is an empowering experience for victims to plan, prepare, and accomplish self-sustaining activities.”
Child Development Center
Early Childhood Director: Teresa Winnette
Office: (931)-684-8681
Website: www.cdctn.org
Mission: “The Child Development Center provides support and services to children, families and individuals with disabilities while addressing the health and well-being of all persons.”
Impact: The Child Development Center has provided early intervention services to 106 children and their families since August 2019. There have been 98 children in Coffee County and eight in Moore County.
Teresa states, “We are so thankful to be a United Way partner because we would not be able to provide all our services without community support.”
Success Story: “Steven was born three months premature. After his birth at Vanderbilt hospital, he spent three months in the NICU due to a lung disease and heart murmur. He was fortunate that his vision and hearing were not impacted, and his lungs healed quickly. Services with the Child Development Center (CDC) began for Steven when he was seven months old. At that time, he was unable to roll over or sit independently. He was not reaching for toys or holding them for any length of time when placed in his hands. He also did not tolerate anything but a bottle in his mouth.
The CDC early interventionist (EI) began going into the home once a week to work with Steven and his family. The family was very attentive and was willing to try techniques and activities that were suggested by the early interventionist. They also came up with ideas and things to try on their own. One of the first skills they worked on was sitting. The EI began working with the parents on positioning Steven with adequate support, while requiring the use of his core muscles. Good position was also important to allow for better reaching and holding of objects, which was another initial goal. As Steven mastered goals, which often took months, there were always new challenges. This was sometimes discouraging for the parents, especially Mom, but the EI was there to provide encouragement and support.”
Steven has just turned two years old. Through the patience and love of his parents, he has overcome many challenges. He is running and climbing, chewing, and eating appropriate foods, and has a vocabulary of over 100 words. Due to his success, the CDC early interventionist now only visits with the family once a month.
STARS
CEO: Rodger Dinwiddie
Office: (615) 279-0058
Website: www.starsnashville.org
Mission: “Our mission is to help young people pursue their unlimited potential.” STARS supports young people in overcoming social and emotional barriers through creative and innovative programs centering on prevention, intervention, treatment, training and compassion.
Impact: In 2019-2020, STARS served students in Warren County High School. STARS provided universal prevention services to 1,977 students at this school as well as selected/indicated services to 71 students referred to the program for identified barriers to learning.
*Based on STARS staff-reported data for the 2019-2020 school year, STARS:
Individual sessions – 438
Incidents (students without intakes)- 408
Crisis episodes – 366
Violence – 6
Grief/loss – 47
Self-harming -18
Teacher/parent conflict- 104
Alcohol, tobacco or other drug use- 3
Anxiety – 75
Depression – 29
Suicide ideation – 14
DCS Referrals – 9
Other mental health issues – 56
Universal Presentations- 31
*STARS Counselor provided support remotely March through May
Number of students contacted- 68
Number of students with weekly scheduled appts (STARS Counselor reached out to the student and family on a weekly basis to offer support)- 62
Number of critical incidents reports- 1
Number of new referrals received- 6
Success Story: “A student was referred to the STARS Counselor because she was presenting with suicidal ideation and seemed extremely depressed. Upon meeting with the student, the STARS counselor determined that the student had been having these thoughts for some time. The STARS Counselor was able to work with the student and family to get her the help she needed. The student met with the STARS Counselor on a regular basis (until school closed due to COVID-19) and was also able to meet with a therapist outside of school on a regular basis. The student is doing much better now that she has her mental health needs being met.”
Coffee County Humane Society
Co-Presidents: Sally Berryman and Hazel Fannin
Office: 931-728-0903
Website: www.coffeehumane.org
Mission: Our mission is to prevent suffering and neglect of animals through a community outreach program to help low income families provide needed care for their pets.
Impact: In 2020, we have continued spay/neuter outreach program for pets of low-income families and have provided 237 sterilization surgeries for cats and dogs so far this year. This addresses the tremendous problem of overpopulation of litters in our area, which in turn reduces animal suffering and helps families be able to afford the pets they already have. We also assisted 106 families with veterinary care expense when their pet had a severe illness or injury which otherwise could have caused death or disability. We helped 41 families directly feed their pets this year and we also help through the food pantry of Good Samaritan in Tullahoma. Many low-income families face multiple problems and their pets are a great source of comfort and companionship to them. For an application for services, people should contact us through our FB page, Coffee County Humane Society, or leave their name and address on our telephone service. Coffee County Humane Society is an all-volunteer organization and welcomes new volunteers!
Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center
Executive Director: Joyce Prusak
Office: 931-723-8888
Website: http://www.coffeecountycac.org/
Mission: “Our mission is to serve children who have been victims of severe abuse through prevention, education, and intervention.”
Impact: Since August 2019, Coffee County Children’s Advocacy Center has received 263 referrals for services due to severe child abuse. There were 138 forensic interviews, 34 specialized medical exams through our medical on-site clinic, 275 victim advocacy services provided, and twenty-two children received mental health services. Additionally, 1,459 children participated in child abuse prevention programs in the local school systems and 63 adults received training on how to protect children from abuse.
“On behalf of United Way of Highway 55, we thank all the nonprofits for their constant efforts and passion towards their missions in our community”, says Ashley Abraham, Executive Director of UWHWY55. United Way of Highway 55 just announced their new 2020-2021 sixteen partner nonprofits and are excited to continue their work in this community supporting each one. UWHWY55 is promising another $40,000, with a goal amount of $50,000. Ashley states, “I want to visit and learn more about each nonprofit and strengthen the areas of opportunity.” To donate or learn more visit their website at http://highway55unitedway.org/. Also, if you need rental or utility assistance due to the pandemic, visit their website and click on COVID-19 and Relief Application then Submit. #LiveUnited
