Metro Pulse/Gamut/Local Non-Profits

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Worthy organizations abound around town

by Joe Tarr

One Christmas vacation when I was in college, I made it my mission to watch every version of Dickens' Christmas Carol that I could find on late night cable.

At that point in my life I was thoroughly disillusioned with the Christianity I was raised on and disgusted by the holiday's commercialism. But lying on the couch late at night sipping beer, after my parents had gone to bed, I found something in Dickens' prose that even the maudlin Hollywood portrayals couldn't dilute completely. The most disturbing scene—and not surprisingly the one that some producers omit—is where the ghost of Christmas present shows Scrooge two "wretched, abject, frightful, hideous" children from under his robe. Scrooge asks who they belong to and the ghost answers: "They are Man's...And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!...Slander those who tell it ye! Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And bide the end!"

"Have they no refuge or resource?'' cried Scrooge. "Are there no prisons?" said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. "Are there no workhouses?"

To anyone who believes people have an obligation to the world, this is chilling stuff.

Christmas gift trees are, of course, great things, and no doubt thousands have a better holiday because of them. But when the holidays are over, the poor will still be poor, the disenfranchised still cut adrift, the victimized still hurting.

There are many non-profits going beyond mere charity. (One group's motto is "change not charity.") They are small, grassroots, member-driven organizations trying to empower people to make social change and take control of their lives. And they're making strides. Consider helping one of them this holiday or next year.

Please don't think I'm here to preach. Truth is, I don't give much money to anybody but bill collectors and bartenders. But I'm going to this year. It's not going to be a lot of money, but every little bit helps. If you feel like doing the same, here are some local organizations making a difference. Several of them are partner organizations, so by helping one you can help several. And of course, this month is your last chance for tax deductions for next year.

Community Shares raises money for grassroots groups working for social change. "Part of our mission is to create just and caring communities in Tennessee," says Shelley Wascom, executive director. "We give to groups that are trying to change the system in some way, to make the system better. In social services, if you're dealing with hunger, you would provide food. The groups we give to don't provide food, they work on the policies related to hunger. They try to get health care for all people, but they don't run clinics."

They give to 46 non-profits, each of which is evaluated regularly. Most of the donations come from voluntary payroll deductions, from some 150 employers across the state. The group raised $408,000 this year. Talk to your employer about getting Community Shares in your workplace or send donations directly to: Community Shares Knoxville, 107 W. Main St., Suite 201, Knoxville, TN 37902. For more information, or a list of member groups, see the group's website — www.korrnet.org/cshares/index.html.

The Appalachian Community Fund raises money and then distributes it to non-profit groups in Kentucky, West Virginia, southwest Virginia and East Tennessee. "This area in particular was lacking in philanthropic resources and still is," says Gaye Evans, executive director of ACF, which was established in 1987. The agency (which gave away $300,000 last year) gives money to grassroots groups working toward social change, many of them located in rural communities where there are few public, social or religious resources—places like Hurley, Va., and McDowell County, W. Va. The ACF funds groups working for women's rights, a cleaner environment, economic and social justice, labor rights, as well as arts organizations, like Kentucky's Appalshop and Knoxville's Carpetbag Theatre. In order to get a grant, groups must go through a rigorous application process, and their proposals are decided on by a board comprised of other community organizers. Donations can be sent to Appalachian Community Fund, 107 W. Main St., Knoxville 37902. Visit www.appalachiancommunityfund.org for more information or to donate online.

Tennesseans for Fair Taxation is trying to educate people about tax reform and how our current system, which relies almost entirely on sales taxes, is particularly savage to working stiffs. "The poor have to consume nearly all of their income and almost all of their income is subject to taxes. Those who are better off, most of our income isn't touched," says Glenn Phillips, a member. The group advocates the elimination of taxes on food and other essentials, an income tax with large exemptions (say $30,000 for a couple), among other things. With a reformed system, Phillips says, "The state would have fewer budgetary crises. We also think it would allow for the burden of government to be distributed much more equally on all its citizens." The group doesn't lobby directly, but does workshops around the state to educate people about how tax dollars are collected and used. Donations can be sent to TFT, 2918 Magnolia Ave., Suite 150, Knoxville 37914.

One of the biggest hurdles out of poverty can be homeownership. With a house, you have equity and a bigger stake in your community. You can leverage it toward a college loan for your child or to start a business. But with few resources, low-income people can't qualify for a mortgage and are forced to live in sub-standard rental units, where they remain at the bottom of the economic heap. Knox Housing Partnership formed in 1990 to tackle this problem. It manages a number of apartments for the poor, but perhaps its biggest contribution has been to helping working poor buy homes. Its programs help people get their finances in order to better qualify for loans and can help with downpayments and obtaining low-interest loans. Some of the partnership's early houses weren't the greatest looking, but the group has made a commitment to inner-city neighborhoods by renovating old houses, and selling them at a loss to working poor. This helps the entire neighborhood by improving the housing values and strengthening the community. Knox Housing Partnership, 900 E. Hill Ave., Suite 270, Knoxville 37915. Visit www.khp.org for more information.

Solutions is a member organization of people of low- to moderate-income. The members decide each year what issues they want to address—they've focused this year on childcare, low-income housing, and welfare, says Jane Crowe, community organizer for the group. The group has been lobbying to stop the state from outlawing small, unlicensed, in-home childcare providers. The current law allows people to care for four unrelated and three related children without a license. It's a vital resource for working poor, who can't afford licensed childcare, and gives the small providers a source of income, Crowe says. The group is working with KCDC to shorten the waiting period for Section 8 housing vouchers and convinced KCDC to raise its inspection standards for such housing. The group is also starting a low-income tenant association to advocate for poor renters. And the group lobbies on behalf of welfare issues in Nashville and Washington. "We lobby for more childcare funding, more education funds, and trying to make the system more responsive and compassionate to people's needs," Crowe says. Donations can be sent to Solutions, 3204 Magnolia Ave., Knoxville 37914. www.korrnet.org/solutions/

The 30-year-old Save Our Cumberland Mountains (SOCM) is one of the granddaddies of Appalachian roots organizations. It fights to protect forests, stop strip mining, change the tax structure, curtail toxic waste, and combat racism. The group is a resource of well-researched information on all these topics and is a strong lobbying force. Like many non-profits, donating your time is just as valuable as your money. See www.socm.org or call (toll free) 1-877-431-7626.

The Southern Empowerment Project focuses on training people to be organizers and fund raisers, so they can coordinate to deal with problems in their Appalachian communities. The group also operates several of its own organizing programs, including Latinos Unidos, which organizes Latinos throughout East Tennessee, with chapters in Morristown, Dayton, Knoxville and Johnson City, providing advocacy for about 28,000 immigrants. The group fights for civil liberties and workers' rights for immigrants, fights to reunite families across borders, and lobbies for a national amnesty for undocumented workers. They've also been involved in getting Spanish-language books in libraries. Send checks to 343 Ellis Ave., Maryville 37804. For information, check out www.southernempowerment.org.

The Tennessee Economic Renewal Network (formerly Industrial Renewal Network) has sponsored some innovative worker exchange programs between East Tennessee and Mexico since 1990. The idea is connect workers across borders to look at labor issues from a global perspective, says fair-trade campaign organizer, Kristi Disney. The exchanges connect blue-collar workers and raise awareness about free-trade issues. "We also look on a personal level at what it means to be a consumer and what it means to be a responsible consumer," Disney says, adding that the group advocates for fair-trade businesses, whose goods are produced by workers getting a decent wage. The group has gotten significant media attention this year—including from a Mexican paper and NPR. The group's $200,000 budget comes mainly from foundation grants, but individual donations also help. Send checks to TERN at 1515 E. Magnolia Ave., Suite 403, Knoxville 37917.

Community Action Committee gets most of its funding from state and federal programs, but it also takes donations of money as well as clothing, household items, appliances and other items. It runs several different programs, but the philosophy behind each is "helping people help themselves," says Calvin Taylor, who oversees Homeward Bound, which works to get homeless people off the streets and stabilize those on the verge of homelessness. "You're helping individuals and families maximize their level of independence. For some, they become completely independent, for others, they decrease their dependence on the system. Everyone is different, but everyone we deal with has an ability to do better than they're doing." Donations to CAC can be sent to P.O. Box 51650, Knoxville 37950-1650. For other types of donations, call 546-3500.

There are many other worthwhile non-profits in this region who could use your help. Most of these websites have links to other organizations. Find a cause you care about and help out.