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At Eblen Charities, we have one eye turned towards the future, and the other gazing at the past. We look to the past to see the needs we addressed, the problems people were experiencing, and the impact we had. And we look forward to anticipating needs and planning our response.
One need that regularly troubles our neighbors is maintaining their housing and working utilities. Last month we helped 73 households stay housed with Covid-19 Recovery funds awarded to us last year. Thirty-five of those families avoided eviction or foreclosure by our paying their past due rents or mortgages payment. 25% of these families had members who were over age 60, and 11 of the households needed funds from other sources to fully solve their problem. That’s a lot of need for one month.
As we think about the future, we know that rents and costs associated with housing will continue to rise. And that means that we need to provide solutions for our neighbors. These neighbors are parents raising children, people living on a fixed income, or who are struggling to survive a crisis like cancer. We continue to raise funds so that when our neighbors turn to us for help to stay in their home, we can respond with real solutions.
We also have plenty of good things to look forward to. Read on to learn more about our events, one of our most famous volunteers and our newest addition to the staff!
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The Be the Change Grant supports organizations that serve vulnerable individuals and children in Western North Carolina. The Junior League of Asheville awards five $1,000 grants each May. We are grateful to have been selected as one of the recipients this year. We will use this grant to purchase much needed backpacks for our Tools for Schools giveaway in August. Thank you, Junior League! | |
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Eblen provides fans at no cost to families without air conditioning.
Your donation helps us provide more fans for more families. Thank you!
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Exciting News! Eblen is a Finalist!
Eblen Charities has been selected as one of 24 finalists in the Asheville Chamber of Commerce's 125th Anniversary Grant! If Eblen is chosen to receive one of the twelve $10,000 grants, it would enable us to provide even more gas vouchers to individuals needing help for transportation to medical appointments, job interviews and to get to work until they receive their first pay check. This in turn will benefit the economic growth of our community allowing more people to obtain employment.
But, we need YOUR help and votes to increase the chances of being rewarded this grant. From June 15 until July 31, you will be able to cast your vote for Eblen Charities at www.ashevillechamber.org/125years. You will be allowed to vote once a day per device. Watch for links on our website and social media.
YOUR VOTE WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AND HELP US WIN THIS GRANT
SO WE CAN HELP OUR COMMUNITY EVEN MORE!
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Our annual golf tournament is coming up soon. If you have already registered,
THANK YOU!
If not, we still have room for your team, but space is limited.
This is Eblen's largest
fundraiser and your support
is greatly appreciated.
If you can't join us on the course this year, please consider a hole sponsorship.
Click here for more details
and to register.
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Meet Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson has supported Eblen for many years and is a leading sponsor, along with Wicked Weed Brewing, for our annual golf tournament each spring. Here are some fun facts about him:
- Attended Owen HS in Black Mountain
- Attended Florida State University and joined the football team under legendary coach Bobby Bowden.
- Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1992
- During his NFL career he played with the Vikings, the Washington Redskins, the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Led Tampa Bay to it's first Super Bowl Championship and earned his second Pro Bowl appearance in 2002.
- First quarterback to complete a touchdown pass to himself in 1997 against the Carolina Panthers.
- Married to his wife, Nikki and has two children
- His son Max, is quarterback for Texas A&M.
- Has popular following on TikTok @bigbadbrad14 has some humorous and impressive trick shots.
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Pictured here is Brad, along with Ryan Guthy, co-founder and president of Wicked Weed.
Brad will be stationed at hole #9 this year and will putt with each participating team.
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THANK YOU!
Thank you to Cowboys Mexican Grill for providing lunch for our May staff meeting.
We appreciate your kindness.
If you would like to provide lunch for our staff, please contact Beth at brusso@eblencharities.org.
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Meet the New Faces of Eblen Charities | |
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Jennifer Addis will be serving in Eblen's newest role as Volunteer and Development Coordinator. Originally from Florida, she and her family have lived in Asheville for ten years and comes to us from ABC Pediatrics where she was employed as a registrar. She has held a variety of jobs including running a brewery, assisting a landscape designer, working as a hospital operator and teaching English to at-risk girls. Jennifer and her husband Matt, have two daughters, Luci (10) and Madi (6). She loves to garden, read, and take on various art projects when the inspiration hits her. She has long admired the work Eblen does in the community and looks forward to meeting new people and helping them recognize how their gifts can be used to help Eblen and our community. If you are interested in volunteering, email her at jaddis@eblencharities.org.
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Christina Darity is our newest intake worker. Most recently, she has been a stay-at-home mom but previously worked in a medical office doing records, insurance verification, patient services, etc. She grew up in Mills River and has been in Asheville for the last fourteen years. Christina is married to her wonderful husband, Tony, and has two beautiful daughters, Kyla (19) and Julia (14). A lover of the Tarheels, Target and Chick-fil-A, she also enjoys being in the sun, especially at the beach, reading, exploring the area finding new places to eat and spending time with her family. Christina is looking forward to the experience of helping others. She will never forget the times that she needed a helping hand as a single mom, including from Eblen Charities. It brings her joy to be in a position to help others.
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The Eblen office will be closed on
Monday, May 29 in observance of Memorial Day and on
Monday, June 19 in observance of Juneteenth Day
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