Calhoun, Georgia, businesswoman Carol Nance watched for decades as Chattanooga’s Neediest Cases Fund changed lives. Now she has partnered with the United Way of Gordon County and the Calhoun-Gordon Community Foundation to create “Gordon Gives,” a program that will provide monetary support to those in need in the Gordon County area.
“I saw hundreds of $25 donations and less, as well as anonymous gifts of $500 or more, sent each season to Chattanooga,” Nance said in a news release. “I know we can do some amazing things here in Gordon County. We hope you join us in lifting up others who are facing devastating hardships.”
(READ MORE: Chattanooga basketball star suffers brain injury, gets help from Neediest Cases fund)
Chattanooga’s Neediest Cases is a program started in 1914 by former Chattanooga Times Publisher Adolph Ochs that provides funds to people in need. Nance said she was inspired by the difference the program was able to make and the effect it had on the community each year. Then, in November of this year, she turned that inspiration into “Gordon Gives” with the goal of providing once-in-a-lifetime assistance to those who are in “extraordinary” situations or experiencing a tumultuous event.
Nance said other organizations already exist in Gordon County that provide assistance with one-time bill payments or grocery shopping near the holidays. “Gordon Gives” will instead focus on bridging the gap between existing assistance programs and the remaining needs of the community. Those needs could include anything from helping someone after they’ve lost their home in a fire to lending a hand after someone has lost a loved one to illness.