Charitable Grants

Good Work

By CML Staff

The High Country Charitable Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a vision to help the Avery County, NC, community by providing for neighbors and animals in need. The Foundation’s goal is not to compete with the large national foundations, but to fill the needs of the local charities who may greatly benefit from additional support. The foundation raises funds and distributes every dollar it collects from contributors to local agencies serving the needy. We invite you to get to know some of the many charities that were supported by the High Country Charitable Foundation’s 2022 grants.

AMOREM specializes in palliative medicine, hospice care, advanced cardiac care and grief support. Their mission is to provide quality, thoughtful, loving care to their patients and support to their families. 828-754-0101, https://www.amoremsupport.org/

Avery Association for Exceptional Citizens

(Yellow Mountain) serves adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities living in Avery County. Yellow Mountain Enterprises is an adult day vocational program that operates under the umbrella of Avery Association for Exceptional Citizens. 828-733-2944, http://yellowmountainenterprises.org/ Avery County D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a collaborative program in which local law enforcement and local schools join together to educate students about the personal and social consequences of substance abuse and violence. 828-733-6006, https://dare.org/north-carolina/ Avery County Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. 828-7331909, http://www.averycohfh.org/ The Avery Humane Society provides food, shelter, medical care and lots of love to our county’s homeless animals as staff and volunteers work to find permanent, loving homes for them. 828-733-9265, https://averyhumane.org/ Banner Elk Book Exchange offers opportunities to bring a book or books and exchange them for the same number of different books. In lieu of a book to exchange, patrons can make a small donation to take a book home. An academic tutoring program and summer enrichment classes are also offered through the Book Exchange. https://bannerelkbookexchange.com/ Banner Elk Fire & Rescue’s volunteer firefighters protect life and property in the communities of Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain, Elk River, Diamond Creek, Eagle’s Nest, Tynecastle, The Farm, Balm, and Lees-McRae College. 828-8984623, https://bannerelkfire.org/ Blue Ridge Partnership for Children serves and supports the children, parents, and childcare providers of Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties. 828-733-2899, https://blueridgechildren.org/ Community Care Clinic is a non-profit community-supported medical clinic that provides free primary care, mental health and behavioral health services, select specialty services and health education to low income, uninsured persons. 828-265-8591, https://ccclinic.org/ Ensemble Stage Theatre is a professional theatre in Banner Elk dedicated to culturally enriching the lives of residents and visitors by providing a broad range of live theatrical presentations of the highest possible quality at an affordable price. 828-414-1844, http://www.ensemblestage.com/ Feeding Avery Families (FAF) is a non-profit Christian organization in Avery County dedicated to eliminating hunger by any means possible, including monetary donations, volunteerism, and food donations. 828-7838506, https://feedingaveryfamilies.org/

Grandfather Mountain Stewardship

Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation established to preserve Grandfather Mountain, operate the nature park sustainably in the public interest, provide an exceptional experience for guests, and inspire them to be good stewards of the earth’s resources. 800468-7325, https://grandfather.com/support/ non-profit-foundation/ High Country Caregivers is a stand-alone not for profit organization dedicated to relatives, respite, and resources for kinship caregivers, and relatives caring for loved ones with life-limiting illnesses and debility. 828-832-6366, https://www.highcountrycaregivers.com/ Hill Learning Center seeks to transform students with learning differences into confident, independent learners. 919-719-7560, https://www.hillcenter.org/ Holston Camp and Retreat Center in Banner Elk has hosted summer camps for kids since 1959. Now a year-round facility, today’s campers play together and explore creation, try new activities, build community, develop physical, social, psychological, and spiritual skills, and make memories to last a lifetime. 844-465-7866, https://holstoncenter.org/ Hospitality House of NW North Carolina, founded in 1984, is a non-profit crisis agency based in Boone that serves seven counties and

helps those in crisis, poverty and homelessness rebuild their lives using housing, prevention, nutrition and myriad supportive programs and services. 828-264-1237, https://www.hosphouse.org/ Hunger and Health Coalition’s mission is to be a resource for individuals and families within our community who are struggling to provide themselves with basic needs. 828-262-1628, https://www.hungerandhealthcoalition.com/ Kiwanis Club of Banner Elk Foundation is dedicated to helping the youth in our community. Over the past 40 years the service organization has given out over a million dollars in grants to support organizations that focus on youth. https://bannerelkkiwanis.org/ Lees-McRae College educates and inspires students to approach life and work from a creative, collaborative, and critical perspective in preparation for diverse careers and environments. 828-898-5241, https://www.lmc.edu/ LIFE Village is dedicated to meeting the ongoing residential needs of adults with autism and related challenges. 828-406-2855, https://www.thelifevillage.net/ Linville Volunteer Fire Dept. proudly serves and protects the citizens of Avery County NC, (828) 733-2188, linvillevfd@gmail.com Mediation & Restorative Justice Center works to reduce the physical, emotional, and financial harm caused by unresolved conflict, litigation, and incarceration by providing mediation, alternative sentencing, and other restorative processes that increase the respect, peace, productivity and safety in the communities served. charity828-264-3040, https://www.mrjc.us/ CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE Winter 2022/23 — 79

Mountain Alliance for Teens provides free service and adventure trips after school and on weekends for high school students. 828-2631770, https://www.mountainalliance.org/ NC Rush Mountains Soccer Club is a youth soccer organization that provides players of all levels an equal opportunity to explore their potential and pursue developmental experiences, both on and off the field. 828-278-8111, https://northcarolinarush.com/mountains/ OASIS, Inc. (Opposing Abuse with Services, Information, and Shelter), founded in 1978, is dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault in Watauga and Avery Counties. 828-264-1532, https://www.oasisinc.org/

Parent to Parent Family Support Network

provides free support, caring connections, information and hope to families who have a premature baby, a child with a disability, an emotional or behavioral challenge, a mental illness, a chronic health condition or to families who are grieving the death of a child. 828-262-6089, https://parent2parent.appstate.edu/ Pisgah Legal Services pursues justice by providing legal assistance and advocacy to help low-income people in Western North Carolina meet their basic needs and improve their lives. 800-489-6144, https://www.pisgahlegal.org/ Reaching Avery Ministry (RAM) is a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry that has served Avery County for over thirty years through their Ram’s Rack Thrift Store and Emergency Food Pantry. 828-733-5127, https://ramsrack.com/ Spirit Ride Therapeutic Riding Center is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization committed to helping children with disabilities and other health concerns achieve their full potential

through equine related therapeutic and educational activities. 828-278-7464, http://www.spiritridenc.org/

The Jason Project/ “The Grandfather Project”

is a program for at-risk kids suffering from mental problems and/or drug addictions. The program also seeks to assist any special kids who are struggling with adversities, including family, school, or other personal problems or challenges. 828-765-6561 Volunteer Avery County finds resources to aid families and individuals that do not qualify for public assistance and fall through the cracks. VAC also matches volunteers with opportunities to help in the community. 828-737-0718, volunteeravery@gmail.com, averycountync.gov WAMY Community Action’s mission is to partner with communities and families to provide the disadvantaged the support and tools they need to become self-sufficient. 828-264-2421, http://www.wamycommunityaction.org/ Western Youth Network (WYN) is a relationship-focused resource for at-risk youth in the High Country. Through prevention and intervention programs, WYN specializes in providing youth with the tools they need to reach their potential and discover their place in our world. 828-264-5174, http://www.westernyouthnetwork.org/ Williams YMCA of Avery County serves the community in the areas of Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. The “Y” strives to help create a community where people have the opportunity to live healthy, all youth can be safe and reach their potential and the elderly have support to live quality, independent lives. 828-737-5500, https://www.ymcaavery.com/ To learn more about the High Country Charitable Foundation, Inc., call 828-898-3810, email whitney@highcountryfoundation.org, or visit https://highcountryfoundation.org/.