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Upstate nonprofits thrive due to funds provided by Blue Ridge Fest

Pickens — Blue Ridge Fest, a philanthropic initiative of Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and Blue Ridge Security Solutions, will be held Friday, May 6, and the 19th annual event will benefit 12 local nonprofit organizations.
For nearly two decades, Blue Ridge Fest has donated $2 million to its four-county service area including Greenville, Pickens, Oconee and Anderson counties. The funds provided by Blue Ridge Fest are used in various ways by each beneficiary and have a significant impact on the individuals each organization serves.

BR_Fest2016_logo Three organizations that have been able to greater support the families and individuals they serve by the funds received from Blue Ridge Fest are The Dream Center of Pickens County, The Rosa Clark Free Medical Center and Samaritan Health Clinic of Pickens County.
The Dream Center of Pickens County exists to provide support and resources to local individuals and families living in crisis, poverty or need, with an emphasis on helping them improve their lives through rehabilitation and mentor and educational programs to re-acclimate them to general society. The Dream Center is open to walk-in patients from different backgrounds including homelessness, hunger, unemployment and drug abuse. In addition to tackling the immediate needs of some, long term mentoring programs are also available to those who are ready to achieve self-sufficiency. The Dream Center of Pickens County has been a beneficiary of Blue Ridge Fest for two years, and has used the funds received to help further their mentor programs that assist individuals and families on a regular basis.
“The funds from Blue Ridge Fest are allowing us to offer a hand up instead of a hand out to those in need by empowering, educating and equipping them to be successful,” said Chris Wilson, executive director of The Dream Center of Pickens County. “For example, through The Dream Center Resale Store, participants are able to attend classes on budgeting, parenting and nutrition, receive Dream Dollars, then redeem those Dream Dollars at the resale store which teaches them basic self-sufficiency skills.”
Wilson can be reached at wilson@dreamcenterpc.org, (864) 630-6313 or dreamcenterpc.org.
The Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic provides medical care and prescription medicine to residents of Oconee County who are unable to consult an area physician for medical services. The clinic has eight volunteer physicians that provide primary care office visits and has more than 30 referral partner physicians who work with their patients. Rosa Clark conducts nearly 20,000 patient visits annually which include primary care visits, new patient applicants, medication pick up, lab order pick up, re-enrollment appointments, signing patient assistance applications, and other requests for assistance. The Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic has been a beneficiary of Blue Ridge Fest since 2010, and operates by donations from local pharmaceutical companies, patient assistance programs and the funds from Blue Ridge Fest.
“This funding has helped us provide approximately 174,210 prescriptions to our patients at no charge,” said Vicki Thompson, executive director of Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic. “Additionally, 17,643 primary care visits have been provided for people with low income and no insurance.”
Thompson can be reached at rosaclark2@aol.com, (864) 885-4825 or rosaclarkclinic.com.
Samaritan Health Clinic of Pickens County provides free medical care to residents of Pickens County who are not eligible for Medicaid, Medicare or private health insurance, and who have a limited income. Medical care, including general physical screenings, GYN center and dental services, is provided by a staff physician and many volunteer nurses, pharmacists and technicians. Samaritan Health Clinic has been a beneficiary of Blue Ridge Fest for several years, and in the Fall of 2015, the organization was able to open its first dental clinic to provide oral health care and services to patients in need. In addition, these funds have enabled their pharmacy to treat patients for a wide variety of conditions.
“Unlike a typical grant, the Blue Ridge Fest funds are unrestricted as to what division they can finance, therefore, we have been able to use the funds for various needs,” said executive director of Samaritan Health Clinic of Pickens County Tobias Vogel. “Specifically, we’ve been able to purchase medication for our pharmacy, cover operational costs for our dental clinic and even provide funds to cover a long-time provider’s healthcare costs.”
Vogel can be reached at tvogel@goodsamalliance.org, (864) 855-0853 ext. 26 or samaritanhealthclinic.org.
In addition to these three charities, the beneficiaries of Blue Ridge Fest also include: Cancer Association of Anderson, Collins Children’s Home & Ministries, Center for Developmental Services, Dot’s Kitchen, Emerson Rose Heart Foundation, Feed A Hungry Child, Foothills Alliance, North Greenville Food Crisis Ministry and Wilderness Way Camp School.