LaGrange Personal Aid
2007 - 2008

A 35 year old resident of LaGrange came into our office and said his brother died suddenly of cancer in Atlanta. The funeral was in a few days. He didn’t have any appropriate clothing, needed a suit and some shoes. We paid for the clothing he needed.

A 24 year old resident of LaGrange who is four months pregnant and her husband left her. She tried to support her three young children on her own. We paid her utility bill.

A 40 year old resident of LaGrange has breast cancer and another major illness. Has had surgery and chemotherapy within the past few months. Raising her two children on her own, she has found it very difficult to deal with the pain and sickness. She could not pay her car tag and needs car to get to work. We paid the tag fee.

A 28 year old resident of Hogansville received a call from a relative that her father had died. She was very distressed because she didn’t have the money to purchase a ticket to Chicago, Illinois to attend the funeral. We purchased the ticket for her.

A 50 year old resident of LaGrange needed to see a dentist due to multiple dental problems. She said she has been under a lot of stress lately. Her son and husband have been ill. Her husband was in the hospital several times recently and then lost his job. We cleared her to be seen at the First Baptist Church Dental Clinic and also paid part of her utility bill.

A 58 year old resident of LaGrange had open heart surgery six months ago in Florida and has not seen a doctor since. He needed to have his condition checked. We cleared him to be seen at Troup Cares clinic. Trying to find work, he ran out of gas for his car. We gave him a gas voucher.

A 55 year old resident of LaGrange she had been out of work under a doctor’s care due to serious medical problems. Her doctor said she is not able to work, but she went back to work because she needed the money. Trying to raise three grandchildren. She got behind on her rent and utility bills. She said she has water leaks and the hot water heater is defective. Her landlord has not fixed them. Her utility service was scheduled to be disconnected. The $100, added to an amount from LPA and $300 she had, paid the amount needed to prevent disconnection.

A 42 year old resident of West Point is confined to a wheelchair. The batteries that power her chair needed to be replaced. She had no funds to purchase new ones. We purchased the new batteries for her.

A 25 year old resident of LaGrange needed to have oral surgery. Had insurance that covered 80% of the surgery, but it didn’t cover the anesthesia. She and her husband have two young sons. We paid for the anesthesia.


A 33 year old resident of Hogansville. A representative from a local company called about an employee who needed assistance with the purchase of a stove. She said the family had been cooking on a small hot plate. Working with United Way, we found a stove that would be adequate for their needs. We purchased the stove.

A 57 year old resident of Greenville has been out of work due to an injury at the beginning of last year. Used up the savings he had, now has no money to pay his rent. He had received an eviction notice. Also had no money to purchase his prescriptions, which were vital to his continued recovery. We paid his rent and purchased the prescriptions.

A 44 year old resident of LaGrange needed help from the Dental Fund. Applying for disability, she lives with her elderly mother. Both of them have small, fixed incomes. She was in a lot of pain when she came into the office. We paid the amount needed for a tooth extraction.

A 50 year old resident of LaGrange who was referred to us by Dr. Tom West at First Presbyterian Church. His mother’s doctor had contacted him from the state where she is living. He told him that his mother needed to have one of her legs amputated due to a medical condition. His mother didn’t want to have the surgery, so the doctor asked him to go there to convince her. We received a fax from her doctor, which verified his mother's condition. We paid for a round-trip ticket.

A 25 year old veteran from LaGrange is raising her three young children on her own. Had been out of work for two months due to severe medical conditions. Was in danger of being put out of her home, utilities were to be disconnected the following day. We paid her rent and her utility bill to avoid disconnection.

A 70 year old resident of LaGrange who lives on a very small Social Security check of only $400 a month. Says it is difficult for her to make ends meet, but tries to make things stretch as much as she can. She wasn’t able to pay her utility bill. We paid her bill.

A 35 year old veteran from LaGrange who has three children. She has been out of work since November 2007 due to severe lower back pain and depression. Her doctor said she was on strong medication, and is not able to work. Her rent was past due, and her power was in danger of being turned off. We assisted with part of the rent and the utility bill.

A 67 year old resident from Carrollton was referred by United Way. Her husband had been out of work for two weeks, to go back to work soon. Has very low income. Has health problems, needs to have power for her breathing machines. She was in danger of disconnection. Said her sons were paying the utility bill, but they have moved out and she can no longer pay it. We paid the utility bill.

A 68 year old resident of Hogansville. Her home health worker called and said she needed a shower bar to steady her in the shower. Is very low income, so she could not purchase what she needed so we purchased the shower bar for her.


Harmony House (Domestic Violence Shelter)
2007-2008

“Mable” entered the shelter on December 22. Mable had finished high school and was very street smart and was raised by a grandmother. The domestic violence in her case involved some emotional and mental abuse, but most of her abuse was physical. Sometimes the abuser would use weapons such as guns or sticks. Sometimes it would occur in front of their three children. But the one thing she knew, it always happened when he was drinking. While she was a resident, Harmony House was able to assist her in the following ways:
Legal action – Assisted her in obtaining a temporary protective order (TPO), discussed new charges with the local police department, contacted her abuser’s probation officer regarding violation of probation and informed his bondsman of the new charges which revoked his bond. Shelter staff attends all court hearings with her and provide support and information as needed.
Transportation – Because her vehicle was recognizable, we were able to hide it and then provide transportation for her to get back and forth to work. We were able to work with a local car dealership to swap her vehicle out for another so that her abuser would not recognize it.
Work – She was working at a local restaurant when she came into the shelter. While a resident, she was able to obtain a second job to increase her income.
Counseling – She began seeing a licensed counselor to work through her current situation as well as issues from her childhood. She also became an active member in Celebrate Recovery.
Budgeting – She had several outstanding bad checks. The staff was able to take her to her bank and worked along with the bank to correct her account, get it back in good standings and then close the account. She met with a local non-profit credit service to discuss her credit and then we assisted her in setting up a workable budget based on her income and expenses.
Department of Children and Family Services – While at the shelter, arrangements were made for her to have visitation with here three young children. She had lost custody due to the violence and drugs in the home.
Rehabilitation – “Mable” admitted that 9 months prior to coming to Harmony House, she had a drug addition and was concerned about being able to make it on her own. With support from her counselor, she transitioned from the safety of our shelter into a long term inpatient faith-based rehabilitation program. Assistance was given in the form of clothing, supplies, transportation and medical fees. She graduated from the program on June 15th and is currently living with a relative. Harmony House was able to provide a nice piece of jewelry was given to the caregiver of her children so that they could give it to their mom as a graduation gift.
Harmony House will continue to provide outreach support to her as needed. She is planning to continue with her counseling sessions, support groups and Celebrate Recovery weekly.

“Kay” entered the shelter July, 2008 and is a current resident. Her abuser was emotional and physically abusive. She has a two-year college degree as a Para-legal. Embarrassed by her situation, she has only told one family member that she is living in a shelter.
A representative from Harmony House attend a family support meeting at her son’s daycare and shared information with the parents about domestic violence. She recognized the signs and was able to put a plan together to save her and her 17-month old son from the abuse and control. During the last episode of violence, her husband had left her alone in the country with no phone and no vehicle. When he finally did return, she was able to talk him into dropping her off at a neighbor’s house to use the phone to call the doctor . . . she also called Harmony House. She arrived at the shelter with a broken partial in the front where four teeth should have been, a child with a fever and no diapers.
During her stay, we have assisted her with medical care, dental care, legal aid, obtaining a job in customer service, arranging and assisting with child care, acquiring personal legal documents, receiving counseling and attending support groups, maintaining her car and budgeting. Recently we assisted her with finding a place of residence. Employees and volunteers have helped with painting and getting her home ready for her and her son to move in. “Kay” has grown strong and confident while in the shelter. She is very appreciative of the love and support she has received Harmony House has two storage units that store donated furniture and appliances. She has had the opportunity to go to these units and tag what she will need to start her life over without her abuser. We are now working with her to develop a workable budget and assisting her with some of the financial needs that come along with a new residence. She will be moving into her new residence by mid-August.

You have just read about three women who made the decision to leave everything that they had behind and start over again. They now realize their emotional, mental and physical health and safety were more important to them then any material item. Their decision wasn’t easy; but, it did dramatically better their lives as well as the lives of five children, all under the age of six.

Harmony House is making a difference for this generation and the next.


Communities In Schools of Troup County
2007-2008

A 3rd grade student in the Literacy Plus Reading Tutorial Program advanced two grade levels in reading after one-on-one tutoring from a community volunteer during the 2007-2008 school year.

A student at an area high school expressed an interest in culinary arts and a desire to put these skills to use. Through a network of community resources, CIS connected this student with an employment opportunity at a local pastry shop. Upon graduation, this student will further his studies at a prestigious Culinary Art Schools in Atlanta.

A student referred to CIS at the beginning of the school year with failing grades, poor attendance, drug use, and low self-esteem. With the assistance of CIS this student improved failing grades to A’s and B’s, coming to school regularly, attending a local church and has plans to attend law school after graduating from high school.

Hogansville Senior Center
2008

In January one of our clients, who is a Methodist minister at a local church, was told she had cancer.  They could not operate but would follow up with treatments. She lives by herself and she isn’t able to fix anything to eat.  We started her on home delivered meals 5 times a week.  On weekends her church provides for her. She has finished the treatments and will still receive meals until she is able to come back to our center. She calls every week to let us know how much the meals are appreciated. She told me there were days she can hardly get out of bed.  She is one of the lucky ones that was able to get back on her feet.