This year’s grant winners were Atlanta Day Shelter in Midtown and Child Evangelism Fellowship, headquartered in Warrenton, Mo. They were announced at the group’s annual awards luncheon Oct. 25 at Cherokee Town Club in Buckhead.
“This $50,000 will give us the program funding we need to restart our computer training program,” said Ginny Nickles, the shelter’s executive director. “It will give us 22 new computers and salary for a part-time computer trainer.”
Nickles said the shelter’s goal was to graduate 300 women from the computer training program in 2013.
The shelter provides a place for homeless women and children to stay during the day, showers, job training, clothes, medical care and more.
Ron Tant, the fellowship’s state director, said the $50,000 grant his organization received will help form an urban Atlanta chapter of the organization, which brings a Bible study club to after-school programs in elementary schools.
Tant said the Good News Club was in 200 schools in Georgia, mostly north of Macon, and in 61 counties.
“This money will help us reach out to 20 to 25 churches in the Atlanta area to recruit 10 to 15 volunteers from each church,” he said.
This year’s grant winners were narrowed down from 15 applicants.
The giving group was founded six years ago, with 100 women, but there are now about 120 women in the club, and Teresa Kamm, communications chair, said she hopes to expand it to 150 next year.
“We think we could get to 150 and be able to give $150,000 next year,” she said.
Anne Irwin, founder of the group, now travels to other cities to speak about it and assist in starting other local chapters.
“We’re trying to get this idea out to the entire country,” she said. “This is just a simple thing for busy women to do who don’t have time to do anything but give money.”
Irwin said she has spoken to women who are interested in starting a similar organization in Dallas, San Diego, Nashville and South Florida.
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