NOV. 19–DEC. 16, 2015 • THE CSRA’S MONTHLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Giving back to the community Businesses thrive in many ways when they give back
Metro FCU sets an example of how to give
By Gary Kauffman Fred Daitch of International Uniform has always advocated for doing business locally, and for giving back to the community. But there was a certain business in Augusta that with which he’d never worked. However, as he attended various charity events he was affiliated with, he discovered that the business was almost always present in subtle ways. Impressed with that company’s continued low-key display of generosity, he switched some of his business to that company. “I think businesses want to do business with other businesses who think like they do,” Daitch said. “I, as a business owner, look to do business with other businesses who are charitable.” Many companies in the CSRA are generous in their giving, and few do it with the expectation of a return. Jay Waldron, Jan-Pro franchiser for Augusta and Columbia, said giving is part of the natural progression of owning a business. “You go through stages in business, and you get to a stage where you realize it’s more than about just making money,” he said. Businesses have different reasons for giving and different types of places to which they give. Jan-Pro, for example, donates $25,000 annually to The Family Y because of the opportunities
By Gary Kauffman The list of community fundraising and activities Augusta Metro Federal Credit Union is involved in is so extensive that you might think fundraising is their main job and handling financial assets is only a sideline. “We truly enjoy giving back to the community,” Paula Kitchens, vice president of Augusta Metro FCU, said. “That’s all across the organization, managers and employees.” Included on that extensive list is the Children’s Miracle Network, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, the American Heart Association, Toys for Tots and the United Way. But to Augusta Metro FCU , giving means more than just writing a check in a corporate office. Employees do things like work the phones at Children’s Hospital of Georgia during the Children’s Miracle Network telethon; participate in the Relay for Life walk; bake items to be sold at fundraising bake sales; and use their talents to create other fundraising items, like Hershey’s Kisses roses,
See GIVING BACK, page 6
See METRO FCU, page 6
Christ Community one of many relying on community help By Millie Huff When Augusta businessman Clay Boardman purchased the Widows Home and donated it to Christ Community in 2007, it was with the stipulation that it be renovated to become a medical facility to serve the low-income population. Without the continued support of the local business community, the faith-based non-profit organization would not be able to fill the gap in healthcare for the uninsured and lowincome. “The founding physicians of Christ Community had the vision to share the love of Christ by providing affordable, quality primary health and dental care to the underserved in our community,” said Ron Skenes, Director of Development for Christ Community. “Since we began providing services in 2007, we have grown from almost 3,800 patient visits per year to more than 20,000 patient visits per year in 2014.”
The Ann Boardman Widows Home opened in 2011, becoming the second clinic for Christ Community Health Services. The first floor of the building was renovated and now provides 12 exam rooms and an on-site laboratory. The front of the building originally faced Greene Street but has been reoriented to face Telfair Street, where a spacious parking lot was added. A staff of 13 provides family and internal medicine, pediatrics and dental care on a sliding fee based on household income and size, as low as $25 per visit. They also care for patients with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance. Since 1818, the Widows Home on Greene Street has been a place for those in need to seek service and care. Originally built as a medical facility, it was an appropriate home for Christ Community Health Center to expand its services from its first location on D’Antignac Street. The historic site has a long history of car-
ing for the underserved of our community, being the birthplace of both University Hospital and GRHealth Center. The original building opened in 1818 as the City Hospital, which later became University Hospital and moved to its current location. At City Hospital, Georgia’s first school of medicine opened its doors as the Medical Academy of Georgia in 1829, later to be renamed the Medical College of Georgia and moved to another building at the corner of 6th and Telfair Streets. The current Widows Home structure was completed in 1887 and provided 42 rooms to shelter “needy women” and did so until 2003. “Christ Community fills an important gap in the medical community,” Skenes said. “Uninsured and underinsured patients who would ordinarily either do without healthcare or seek care in emergency rooms have an affordable, accessible alternative. We strive to develop long-term relationships
One of the exam rooms at Christ Community Health Services.
with our patients and become their primary source of healthcare for the entire family.” Local hospitals recognize that Christ See CHRIST COMMUNITY, page 2