Non-Profit Organizations

NEWS - Non-Profit Organizations

By Lou Phelps

June 21, 2010 - The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has leased land from Bethesda Home for Boys across from the entrance to Whitefield Ave. to stage heavy equipment for the Truman Parkway extension project.

Local residents were surprised last week when a road was cut into the north side of Rt. 204 onto Bethesda land – where the timber was recently harvested by the school – and heavy equipment suddenly appeared.

No building is taking place by Bethesda. No permits have been taken out through the MPC.

Instead, GDOT’s “dirt contractor has leased the space to stage equipment. And, the spot made sense because we will have to be doing work on that intersection anyway, as part of the road widening,” explained David Spear, press secretary for GDOT.

But according to a long-time Whitefield Ave. resident, “it seems like a weird place to build a staging area when we already have so much trouble with that intersection. There are long waits trying to get out across traffic going both east and west,” he said. Residents have wanted a stop light there for years, but GDOT has repeatedly turned the requests down on the state road they control that leads east to Ferguson Ave. and the Skidaway Island area.

“Having large excavation equipment driving up and down what is already a busy road, particularly at rush hours, just doesn’t make sense,” they added. “A lot of times, people don’t even stop at the stop sign coming off of Whitefield onto the 204 Spur because it’s backed up there and the car before you goes, you often just follow along.. If we’re having to wait on heavy equipment and slow moving trucks, it’s going to be a nightmare.”

 

NEWS - Non-Profit Organizations

SBJ Staff Report

 

June 14, 2010 - Union Mission’s president and CEO, the Rev. Micheal Elliott, has officially resigned from his position, announced last Friday by Jerry Rainey, chairman of the board of directors for Union Mission, Inc., and retired president of SunTrust Bank in Savannah.

 

Frances Carter, who was recently hired to become Union Mission's Chief Operating Officer, will take over Elliott’s duties as Interim President and CEO of Union Mission, Inc. as of July 1, 2010. 

 

Carter currently serves as the Associate Director, Academic Program Development at the Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon.

 

“I am very proud of my 23 years at Union Mission and the things that have been accomplished,” said Elliott in a prepared statement to the local media. “I have had the good fortune to travel much of the country and see what other cities are doing in response to the human need that it has. I have learned there really is no other non-profit organization as diverse and as rich as Union Mission. This was accomplished because of a history of dedicated staff, tremendous support of the Board of Directors, and an outpouring of community support. The lives that have been made better have been the most important result of our efforts. I am humbled and proud to have been part of such a unique and incredible organization.”

 

Union Mission, created in 1936 as part of Savannah’s response to the Great Depression,  is devoted to ending and preventing homelessness in the greater Savannah region, he said.

 

UMI operates a number of entities including the J.C. Lewis Outpatient Services division which served 6053 people in 2009, alone. And, the organization operates the Starfish Café, a restaurant and training facility to prepare people to return to the workplace, as well as managing the Dutchtown Campus Apartments, 48 housing units for homeless individuals and families on Middleground Rd.

 

It is a nationally-recognized non-profit organization, and serves nearly 1,000 men, women and children each day with housing, healthcare and a wide range of support services.

 

In addition to charitable contributions from the community at large, in 2009 the Union Mission received a number of grants including a $715,000 HRSA Expansion Award; a $215,000 HRSA Stimulus Award; a $225,000 HRSA Capital Improvement grant; $50,000 from the Kaiser Foundation; and $20,000 from the Caear Foundation.

 

UMI’s work was also supported by $26,416 from United Way for behavioral work readiness; $65,000 from the Barbara Bush Family Literacy fund; a $25,000 Community Development Block Grant; $12, 000 from the Center for Working Families; $20, 000 from the Dollar General Foundation; $5,000 from the Bank of America Foundation; $2,500 from Dermody Properties; and $5,000 from Wachovia Bank.

NEWS - Non-Profit Organizations

SBJ Staff Report

 

June 14, 2010 - The Savannah Philharmonic will present a donation of $4,500 to Memorial Health Foundation in honor of the Anderson Cancer Institute on Wednesday, June 16 at 11 a.m. 

 

The check presentation ceremony will be held at the Anderson Cancer Institute located at 4700 Waters Ave. with Memorial Health representatives Phil Schaengold, president and CEO of Memorial University Medical Center and Steven Brower, M.D., FACS, director of the Anderson Cancer Institute.

 

Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson will accept the donation from Savannah Philharmonic representatives Dick Platt, chairman, and Peter Shannon, artistic director and conductor. 

 

“Music can have a profound effect on our health and wellbeing.  Beyond the healing force of a Beethoven symphony, it is appropriate for us to make this donation to the Anderson Cancer Institute in a way that shows our concert goers that we are committed to making Savannah a better place to live,” said Shannon.

 

The donation was raised from last season’s Beethoven 9th concert at the Lucas Theatre for the Arts.  The Savannah Philharmonic is donating half of the proceeds from the premium ticket sales to the Anderson Cancer Institute as a way to give back to the community of Savannah.

 

This is the third time the Philharmonic has made a donation to a worthy cause in Savannah from ticket sales, according to Platt.  Other beneficiaries have been The 200 Club, The Alzheimer's Association, AWOL, Big Brother Big Sister and Social Apostolate.

 

Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) is a two-state healthcare organization serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes its flagship hospital, a 530-bed academic medical center; Memorial primary and specialty care physician networks; a major medical education program; business and industry services; and NurseOne, a 24-hour call center.

 

The Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional per-service symphony orchestra accessing a community-based auditioned ensemble that works regularly with the orchestra in an oratorio and opera setting, as well as performing a wide range of music from a cappella Baroque to rock and pop standards. 

NEWS - Non-Profit Organizations

SBJ.com Staff Report

The Savannah Book Festival came to a close Sunday afternoon, reporting good attendance and successful fundraising events, new additions to this year’s event.

The Festival opened Friday night, featuring the internationally renowned and bestselling thriller writer Vince Flynn who presented a keynote speech at Trinity United Methodist Church, sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Dick Eckburg. The event was free, open to the public, with an almost capacity crowd.

And, despite rain and chilly weather on Saturday, all events featured a variety of national authors were well attended, according to Madison Parks “Matt” Prickett, executive & creative Director of the Festival.

Prickett is the co-founder of Systems Techniques, Inc., and is the former chair of the Candler Alumni Council of Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, and is currently its representative on the Emory Alumni Board. He now resides in Savannah, devoting much his time to the Savannah Book Festival.

Flynn, author of several New York Times bestselling novels, including his latest, “Pursuit of Honor,” provided a colorful look at his method of developing the military and government sources which add authenticity to his works, including from the CIA, State Dept, and foreign governments. 

And, he talked about his close friendship with President George W. Bush, who is a prolific reader, according to Flynn, and a fan of his work. Flynn was a frequent guest at the White House during Bush’s presidency.. “He always wanted to know how I got my information,” laughed Flynn. “How did you KNOW about that?” Bush would ask, he said.

Flynn spent much of Friday with Army Rangers based at Ft. Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, a number of whom were in attendance Friday night, and received a standing ovation from those in attendance. “I’ve been at a lot of military installations in my career,” said Flynn, “but have seldom experienced the kind of positive relationship and support between the military and a city, as you see in Savannah.”

Flynn’s novels feature counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp, who proves himself to be a hero unafraid “to walk the fine line between the moral high ground and violence,” according to a review by The Salt Lake Tribune, “for our country’s safety, for the sake of freedom, for the pursuit of honor.”

He talked about how he developed the character, came up with name, and talked about his strict Irish Catholic upbringing in Minneapolis, the youngest of seven children, which steeled him to be tough, and has aided his career success.

“There are hundreds of thousands of manuscripts written every year as good, or better than mine,” said Flynn. “But I broke through because of my background, the way I was raised.”  He credits his father’s very strict, tough approach in raising boys, and insistence that all of his children participate in four sports a year in school as part of what contributed to his high level of determination.  

He has had, "one publisher (Simon & Schuster), one editor and one wife," he added. "It's almost unheard of in this business." 

Flynn also appeared on Saturday morning at the Festival to talk about his life in letters and his eleven novels, several of which are a part of the beloved Mitch Rapp series.

Flynn spent much of his talk discussing how he overcame severe dyslexia, pursuing the unlikely career as a writer.

This year’s festival included two fundraising events, after coming out of last year’s festival in serious financial trouble, according to

On Saturday evening, a Eudora Tribute Concert was held at 8:00 pm, featuring Kate Campbell, Caroline Herring and Claire Holley, in collaboration, co-sponsored by Carolyn Luck and John and Stephanie Duttenhaver.

The concert was a tribute to the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Southern writer Eudora Welty. Welty’s 100th birthday would have been April 13th, 2009. The concert, which debuted at the centennial celebration for Welty earlier this year, received rave reviews despite the cancellation of Mary Chapin Carpenter at the last minute, due to the mid-Atlantic snow storm this past weekend.

On Sunday, a fundraising Brunch Talk featuring Julia Reed, was held. Reed is the author of Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena; Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties.  She is also the author of a collection of essays on food published in the New York Times Magazine, as well as “The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story,” a memoir.

The fundraising Sunday Brunch and talk by Ms. Reed was held in the Jepson Center for the Arts on Telfair Square, sponsored by Georgia Power. Ms. Reed was introduced by Savannah College of Art & Design President Paula Wallace.

Green Life Space provided recycling for the 2010 Festival, with recycling bins placed in and around Telfair Square for attendees.

NEWS - Non-Profit Organizations

12/07/2009 - Community Kitchen is an initiative of America's Second Harvest to address job-training needs in our area. Community Kitchen offers a concise, 18-week course during which students learn life skills along with culinary skills. They spend nine weeks in the classroom, preparing to obtain a GED if they do not have one, learning culinary theory and safety and acquiring practical skills such as budgeting, resume writing and job interviewing. They spend another nine weeks in the kitchen for hands-on culinary experience. The program cites a 68 percent increase in year-to-date enrollment for 2009 compared to same time frame for 2008.

To date, 52 individuals have graduated the program, and 84 percent of the graduates obtained ServeSafe certification on the first try, giving them the ability to earn a living wage. Eighteen percent of the graduates report having new jobs since finishing the course.

The food prepared by Community Kitchen students on a daily basis provides hot, nutritious meals to the food bank's 34 Kids Cafe® sites throughout our community. More than 74,000 school-aged children are at risk for hunger in our area, and more than 21,000 of these children live in Chatham County. America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia has been leading initiatives to reduce childhood hunger since the creation of Kids Cafe® in 1989. Kids Cafe® has grown to offer more than 2,500 hot, evening meals for children at-risk for hunger in Chatham and surrounding counties. Each child also receives homework assistance or tutoring to improve his or her academic achievement. Many of these children also participate in cultural enrichment activities or team sports to help build positive social skills.

For more information about alleviating hunger in our community, please visit www.helpendhunger.org or call 912-236-6750.

NEWS - Non-Profit Organizations

The new Southwest Chatham Branch Library of Live Oak Public Libraries is set to open in the coming weeks behind Target at Rio Road and Shawnee Street at the Savannah Mall.

The new 50,000 square foot library will be the system’s second largest branch, but will offer  the largest amount of public space, including an auditorium.

Library officials estimate that half a million users will walk through the library’s doors in the next year. The Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation has made available an array of naming opportunities including the auditorium, children’s department, teen room and grand staircase at the new library. Less expensive levels of giving, such as auditorium seats and bookshelves, are also available. The Chatham County budget was very tight this year, and funds were not made available to meet all the needs of the new branch.  Therefore, the Foundation is working to make up the difference.

The Foundation is also offering a smaller, but very unique recognition opportunity for members of the business community. Located in the lobby of the new library, the Giving Tree will be one of the first things people notice when they walk into the building.

The Giving Tree features up to 500 multicolored brass leaves on a bronze trunk. The leaves are available for $100 each and will be inscribed with a message.

“Giving Tree leaves are a great way for small businesses especially to show they support libraries, literacy and lifelong learning,” said Christy Divine, director of marketing and development for Live Oak Public Libraries. “Each leaf offers significant exposure, since this recognition wall will be permanently spotlighted at the new library.”

Proceeds from the Giving Tree will be used to pay for the life-size three-dimensional tree located in the children’s department. This tree, designed and constructed by NatureMakers in California, features an 18-foot canopy and wraps around a column that is 10 feet high. Its trunk measures three feet in diameter. The tree is fabricated from 75 percent recycled steel.

For more information on naming opportunities or to purchase a leaf on the Giving Tree, contact Christy Divine at 652-3605, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

NEWS - Non-Profit Organizations

The First Tee of Savannah (TFTS), a youth development organization that teaches life skills through the game of golf, is partnering with International Paper Company to add another program location. 
Beginning Sept. 16, TFTS, one of 204 Chapters nationally, will be adding a second location at the Mary Calder Golf Course located on the grounds of International Paper’s Savannah Mill.  The course is currently managed by Alan Cale and CGL Management. 
Although programming will begin on Sept. 16,  in order to conduct the full program, the course will undergo a $310,000 renovation which will include constructing a driving range, enlarging the putting green, adding a practice area and installing junior tees.  A dedicated clubhouse will also be renovated to accommodate indoor programming and tutorials.
TFTS has already raised more than half of the needed funds for the project. Through the generosity of the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation, founded by Brent and Jean Wadsworth, headquartered in Middleton, Ohio, TFTS will receive $150,000 towards the project. The remaining funds will be raised from grants, corporations, and individual contributions. 
Leon McNair, Board President of the foundation and the staff, has worked diligently with TFTS to bring this project to realization.  Michael Potts, Chairman of The First Tee’s Board of Directors says “We are very excited to have the opportunity to expand our program to the West side of Savannah.  We believe it will give us a wider reach, and allow us to expand our impact on the lives of more young people.”
To get involved, or help with the project, contact Karen Bogans, Executive Director, The First Tee of Savannah at (912) 692-1162 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it