In 2020, Gordon County showed its heart
All things considered, 2020 was, perhaps, the hardest year that many living in the United States and around the world have experienced. But here, in Gordon County, 12 months of illness and tough economic realities brought out the very best that citizens had to offer.
The community came together to provide for its first responders, veterans and low income residents by chipping in however they could, and the organizations that work on a daily basis to make the community a more welcoming place for those groups and others saw recordbreaking levels of involvement and donation.
When COVID-19 first hit Gordon County in March, there was an immediate response from the community. By April 10, a grassroots organization made up of locally-owned restaurants
and catering companies known as Because Calhoun Cares had provided more than 600 free meals to healthcare workers and at- risk seniors.
Organization co- founder Denise Stripling told the Calhoun Times every restaurant she asked to get involved immediately agreed to do so without hesitation, and the meals were cooked and delivered free of charge to vulnerable locals. The effort was made possible, in part, by the donations of the community to a GoFundMe page, which gained more than $7,000 in under two weeks.
Just a few days later on April 13, Mohawk Data Management Specialist Alicia Kilgore worked with the Mohawk Home team to produce gowns and face shields at their Antioch Road facility in Dalton and the Marine Drive location in Calhoun.
More than 1,500 gowns and 1,000 face shields were donated to first responders and healthcare organizations like Hamilton Healthcare System, AdventHealth Gordon and Emory University Hospital. Face shields were also donated to the Gordon County Sheriff’s Department, Calhoun Police Department, Adairsville Police Department, Whitfield County Sheriff’s Department, Dalton Police Department and Catoosa County Fire Department.
Calhoun students Johanna Moss, Will Moss and Allie Mason got to work making N95 masks later in April, all of which were donated to the United Way of Gordon County and later distributed to the organization’s partner agencies. The Moss students are the children of Heather Moss of Family Connection of Gordon County.
More than 2,500 additional masks were created by a group of 19 women calling themselves the ‘ Calhoun Mask Angels” by April 22. The masks were donated to AdventHealth Gordon first in the hopes that they could be given to the families of patients visiting the hospital. Later, the women continued to donate masks to the local school systems for use in classrooms and cafeterias.
Notes of encouragement and gratitude written by local children were attached to the masks donated to healthcare workers, an idea that Calhoun cheerleader Etta McDaniel came up with alongside her mother and Mask Angels founder Marsha Mc
Daniel. She said the hope was that the workers could keep them in the pocket of their scrubs while working.
“I’ve always heard people say our community is so clos, e and I’d never really seen it firsthand,” Etta told the Calhoun Times back in April. “Now I have and I feel blessed to be part of it.”
Teacher James Morris, who works with Gordon County Schools students in the G6 program, also wanted to take part in providing personal protective equipment to area hospitals. He gathered together a group of approximately 30 makers, people with sewing design and other skills, and worked quickly to develop designs for face shields and ear savers that could be approved by hospitals. Then, they got to work.
“I am now putting out 100 face shields and 200 ear savers within a week’s time frame,” Morris said in an interview. “Our printers will continue 24/ 7 to meet the needs of our healthcare workers for as long as is needed.”
Beyond just face masks and safety equipment, community members and businesses also donated to organizations designed to care for its most vulnerable individuals, like the United Way of Gordon County and the Voluntary
Action Center.
United Way of Gordon County launched a COVID- 19 Response and Recovery Fund early in the year to provide resources to partner agencies, local churches and nonprofits that were assisting those impacted by the coronavirus. The earliest investments included $ 2,500 from their own reserves, $ 5,000 donated from the
Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia and $2,600 donated from Truist Bank.
At the Voluntary Action Center, contributions were especially high in May and June, when an anonymous donor decided to match dollar- for- dollar all donations they received up to $ 25,000. A large donation from myDOCTORplan in the amount of $ 10,000
meant the VAC received $ 60,000 to put toward its long- awaited dinner programs, community kitchen and thrift store.
“We are so thankful and appreciative of the support, both from our donor and the community,” VAC Executive Director Stacy Long said. “Everyone who made a contribution made a difference for families here in the county.”