Rainbow Village Awarded $15,000 Grant From Jackson EMC Foundation

DULUTH, GA – This summer, Jackson EMC Foundation, funded by contributions of the cooperative’s members, provided a $15,000 grant to Georgia-based nonprofit, Rainbow Village. Dedicated to breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence in Georgia, Rainbow Village represents a community of transformation poised on a campus that houses five apartment buildings, administrative offices and community center that is home to the Village’s Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) and After School Program.

Thanks to this grant from Jackson EMC Foundation, the nonprofit can continue to provide child care for children of Rainbow Village residents, graduates of the Rainbow Village program and the surrounding community.

“We are extremely thankful to the Jackson EMC Foundation Board of Directors for selecting Rainbow Village to receive this grant,” said Reverend Melanie Conner, CEO of Rainbow Village. “I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to have an entity like the Jackson EMC Foundation truly see the value in the important work that we are doing here. From housing in fully furnished apartments and life-skills training to financial counseling and mental health services, all of our programs are important pieces in the puzzle for leading our residents from homelessness to hopefulness. By mitigating the overwhelming economic burden childcare causes to working adults with children, the provision of early education and child care to their children means that parents can keep their focus on putting their lives back together in the wake of recent homelessness. It’s simply impossible to put a price tag on a blessing like that!”

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Rainbow Village’s ECDC and its teachers serve up to 60 infants and children, ages six weeks to four years. The Center builds children’s cognitive skills, capacity for problem solving and self-esteem – preparing them for kindergarten and beyond. ECDC teachers observe and document their students’ proficiency in four developmental areas: social/emotional, physical, cognitive and language.

To learn more about Rainbow Village or make a donation to support Rainbow Village’s mission to break the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence in Georgia, please visit www.rainbowvillage.org.

Established in 1991, and based in Duluth, Rainbow Village is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization devoted to breaking the cycles of homelessness, poverty and domestic violence. Committed to serving as a “community of transformation,” Rainbow Village applies a holistic, two generational approach to serving homeless families with children. With the goal of helping families achieve emotional stability and financial independence, Rainbow Village provides housing, early childhood education and after-school care, child and youth programming, financial planning, career counseling, workforce readiness, mental health counseling, community events and more.

Rainbow Village accepts applications from homeless families with minor children throughout Georgia. To learn more about Rainbow Village, register as a volunteer or make a donation, visit www.rainbowvillage.org.

The Jackson EMC Foundation was established in 2005 to channel the donations of Jackson EMC’s members to Operation Round Up, a program that raises funds for charity by rounding up the monthly
electric bills of members who choose to participate. Currently, more than 188,275 accounts participate in the program, 89 percent of the cooperative’s membership. Since its founding, the Jackson EMC Foundation has directed more than $13,400,00 back into the 10 counties it serves through 1,314 grants to organizations and 362 grants to individuals. Those grants were awarded by a volunteer foundation board of directors.

Photo courtesy Rainbow Village