Ronica Shannon
Representatives of the county’s domestic violence shelter, Hope’s Wings, are now turning to the local business community and other groups to assist in the non-profit organization’s ongoing fundraising campaign.
Hope’s Wings Director Robyn Moreland addressed the Madison Fiscal Court on Tuesday about the organization’s needs that will help the shelter continue its operation.
“During this past year, we’ve shelter 72 women, which makes up 177 women and children,” Moreland said. “Those numbers show how much our facility has been needed and how much its been used. It’s important to us, it’s important to this community that we continue this fundraising campaign.”
The fundraiser is looking for “100 Good People” who are willing to donate $1,000 either individually, or as a business or non-profit group, Moreland said.
“We’re already taken in about $7,000 in that campaign,” she said.
That is far short of the $100,000 goal, but enough to meet Hope’s Wings’ immediate needs and get the center through the holidays, Moreland said.
The 16-bed center, which is almost always full, needs $20,000 a month to operate.
“Regardless of what our future may be with partnering with other (similar) agencies, we are still going to be looking at our community to support this project and support this program,” she said.
Dr. Linda Fagan of the Madison County Health Department, who also is a member of the Hope’s Wings Board of Directors, addressed the Fiscal Court about the non-profit organization’s needs and asked for a court representative to serve on the Hope’s Wings Board of Directors.
Fagan also said she would be seeking board members from Berea and Richmond governments.
In other business:
• Federal reimbursements continue to flood into the fiscal court’s operating budget, and county treasurer Glenna Baker, gave an update Tuesday regarding the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) funding received to date for January’s ice storm and May’s tornado.
FEMA has given the county $467,691.80 to compensate for ice storm and tornado recovery, but still owes $45,785.35, according to the original grant amount.
• The court adopted a resolution agreeing to act as the fiscal agent for Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center (PAC) to help the hospital, which is a non-profit organization, receive federal stimulus funding.
The state was awarded $14.9 million to be used for increasing energy efficiency, and $6.2 million of that money is being made available in the form of competitive block grants, according to PAC spokesperson Jill Williams.
If awarded, the money will be used to replace all first- and second-floor windows that were not replaced during the hospital’s recent remodeling.
It also would fund window replacements along the pedway that leads to Medical Office Building No. 3.
Energy-saving measures already have been taken on the hospital’s third floor, Williams said.
“We’ve seen a dramatic difference in the energy use for the third floor based on the previous years,” she said.
• Former Berea Police Chief Dwayne Brumley was hired to work as a communications officer for the county’s CSEPP (Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program) after the retirement of Glenn Foley.
• Gary Hart was appointed to serve as Madison County Road Commissioner.
• A bid for new mobile data unit laptops was awarded to CDW-G, which is headquartered in Illinois, for the cost of $8,700. The second bid received came from Independence Communications, based in Lexington, at the cost of $10,306.
The next meeting of the Madison Fiscal Court is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
