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HEROES Our Hometown
In our November and December issues, we ran a listing of ways (Helping Hands) our readers could help local nonprofits and government agencies that work to enrich the lives of those less fortunate in our community. You — our hometown heroes — responded in a powerful way. Read on to see the good news about how you and your neighbors made a difference during the holiday season, as well as ways you can help throughout the year.
WarAngel Farms Rescue and Rehabilitation
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www.warangelfarms.com
From
Casey Montana, founder
We received extra donations for blankets, some gently used horse blankets and gained new volunteers/followers! Overall, we definitely have gotten many wonderful volunteers from your magazine throughout the year. In 2023, we could use more animal lovers who want to become monthly sponsors at any level. This helps us care for the current rescues at the farm.
Goshen Valley Foundation
www.goshenvalley.org
From Caitlin Brunson, marketing and community engagement coordinator
We had incredible support from the community during the holidays. Woodstock City Church sent more than 600 volunteers to help with landscaping, decorating for Christmas and wrapping hundreds of gifts for the boys at Goshen Valley Boys Ranch. We saw huge support from the community at large helping us to purchase gifts off our Amazon Wish Lists for the 117 foster kids at Goshen during the holidays. The community rallies around our kids at Christmas, and we truly couldn’t do it without its support. We are so grateful to everyone who touched our kids’ lives! Our 2023 needs are focused around a big need for foster parents in Cherokee and Cobb counties. At Goshen Homes, we license, train and recruit foster parents to work with sibling groups in foster care. That’s because more than 75% of siblings in foster care are separated, and we believe siblings are better together. If you or someone you know might be interested in becoming a foster parent or getting involved at Goshen Homes, visit fosterwithgoshen.org to download the fostering guide.
The Children’s Haven
https://cherokeechildrenshaven.org
From Daphne Mullen, office manager
The end of the year always is crazy and heartwarming for us. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we had people drop off holiday pajamas and gift cards for the children we serve. We had a tremendous amount of support from individual donors, local families and businesses within the community. People held drives for needed items in our Caregivers’ Closet, helped sort and organize donations, volunteered at our events and called to ask how they could best assist us. We love the generosity our community continues to show, and the support helps us serve the needs of children impacted by abuse and neglect within our county.
We were able to provide holiday gifts for more than 100 children. These were/are youth in foster care and at-risk youth served by our four programs: CASA Cherokee, WellStar Visitation, PCA Cherokee and Chin Up.
In 2023, we are in need of items to stock our Caregivers’ Closet – new sneakers for toddlers through teens, girls’ camisoles, boys’ undershirts, baby wash, etc. Contact us for an up-to-date list. Additionally, gift cards always are welcome.
Some of the sweet donors who dropped off new holiday pajamas had mentioned reading the Helping Hands article. This definitely helped us reach farther afield and spread awareness of our holiday needs.
