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QUICK LINKS
Learn about our Programs:
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Board of Directors Liz Neal Robert Schwartz Traci Carrier Paula Turner Sandra Baxter Richard Garcia John Heffley Linda Hook Alton Johnson Terry Kneece Chrissa Matthews Denny Michaelis Shelia Taylor |
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Aiken's Cookin' 2012 News & Photo Album
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Weathering the Storms
We all have those "rough patches", those times when it seems we've taken up permanent residence in the valley and not sure if we'll every see "the peak" again. I recently shared a story with a friend of a time in my life when I felt I was standing on the edge of a cliff and was torn between the choice of forcing an outcome and losing my balance or enjoying the view while sitting to rest awhile. Now, I have to say I am terrified of heights, so this analogy held even more weight for me. In the end, my decision to rest in the belief that my efforts would pay off did just that. Although this was a personal story, I realize how many parallels there are in the obstacles and successes of a non-profit. I'm sure you've all had circumstances and life events much like this. The key is "doing all that you can and resting in that knowledge". So, read on as I share how I've seen this work in my role as Executive Director of MHA Aiken County!
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Nurture Home News
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Did you know that Nurture Home originally opened as a home for teenage girls in foster care who were pregnant? Until 2009, that was Nurture Home's role in the community. Because of financial obstacles and changes to funding sources, Nurture Home had to close for a few months in early 2009. At that time, MHAAC researched and determined that the greatest need was for the provision of services to single, homeless women and so began our journey to our current status of helping single, homeless mothers become self-sufficient through our individualized approach to confronting their obstacles and empowering them to turn their lives around. Since the Spring of 2009, we have provided a home to 39 women and 44 children. What an accomplishment to reinvent our program and begin to see success! But then, the unexpected news in 2011, we lost funding we had depended on for over 10 years! Talk about a "cliff moment"; that was certainly one. Fortunately, I had become involved with the Midlands Area Consortium for the
Homeless, a group organized to meet the Federal requirements of Housing and Urban Development. Even more timely, the discussion was centered on the new Continuum of Care funding and its criteria of funding programs that transition individuals from homelessness to permanent housing. So, about 9 months ago I began the tedious work of submitting a grant application to HUD and, as demonstrated by the photo below, we were awarded close to $121,000 for Nurture Home for a two year period. This grant will enable us to continue to our success at Nurture Home as well as strengthen our agency as a whole.
 | | Pictured: Lisa Tindal, MHAAC Executive Director, Mr.Bradley S. Evatt, Director, HUD Columbia Field Office and Jennifer Moore, United Way of the Midlands, Continuum of Care Lead. |
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Welcome Baby Donation
Donations provided by:
St. Cecilia Vocation Club of
St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic School
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Thank you so much for the beautiful, handmade blankets for our Welcome Baby bags! It's always a joy for us to include unexpected and special gifts in our bags!
WELCOME BABY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! GIVE US A CALL IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. |
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Mental Health News
Summer Institute
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Positive response to 
"Don't Duck" Mental Health
was the consensus based
on feedback from
Public Education Partners.
Financial support from
Rotary Club of Aiken's
Community Service Grant
will fund our plans to carry out this program in Aiken County's elementary schools this year. We are very excited to empower young people in Aiken County to successfully navigate the stressful situations of everyday life! |
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In case you didn't hear...Aiken's Cookin' with Celebrity Chefs 2012 was our most successful event to date! Oh, and by the way, we were voted the "BEST FUNDRAISING EVENT' by the readers of the Aiken Standard in this year'S Readers' Choice competition!
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Thank you for taking the time to
learn more about our efforts to
promote positive mental health!
Remember, "When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you 'til it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then; for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." Harriet Beecher Stowe
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