MUST Ministries is in the final push of a fundraising effort to build a new health clinic in Marietta.
The nonprofit organization, which helps the homeless and the poor, must raise $700,000 by March 31, to receive a $500,000 facility challenge grant from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation, according to John R. Moeller Jr., executive director of MUST.
To reach that goal, MUST has embarked on an aggressive campaign to reach potential donors including using billboards, direct mail and video messaging. This is a broad strategy to reach institutional investors and major donors, yet also appeal to the $5 donors as well, Moeller said. MUST has facilities in Cherokee, Marietta and Smyrna.
The clinic will be housed in MUST's new facilities at 1407 Cobb Parkway North. It will replace a smaller one that is in a single-wide trailer with one examination room. Annually, it serves about 3,000 people.
"We're doing tremendous work in, frankly, abject conditions," he said. "That facility is ancient, held together with chewing gum, chicken wire and duct tape. It's nothing to write home about."
The entire project, which includes the earlier purchase of a new building, will cost $6.8 million, of which $5.6 million has already been raised. Moeller said another $1.2 million is needed, which would include the Kresge challenge grant. A Kresge staffer could not confirm the amount MUST has to raise by press time. She did, however, confirm the organization had been awarded the challenge grant for the new facility.
The free clinic, however, is far larger at 3,000-square-feet. It will include six examination rooms, one of which will sometimes be used as a classroom for health care education, and space for a social worker.
"We all agreed that we can do more to help people living in poverty if we had bigger facilities," Moeller said, adding that the classroom will be used to help patients learn about self care and management of chronic conditions like diabetes.
As is often the case with people who are homeless or poor, there is a lack of access to health care facilities. As a result, the health problems often go untreated and become exacerbated.
Virginia Romano, program director for the human services team at Kresge Foundation, said the foundation provides support for organizations like MUST that are safety net providers. According to its Web site, Kresge is a private, national foundation that seeks to influence the quality of life for people through its support of nonprofit organizations in the areas of health, the environment, community development, arts and culture, education and human services.
Annette Lee, MUST's resource development coordinator, said overall donations and individual giving have been negatively affected by the down economy. “It is becoming more and more of a challenge in recent years to convince people to give locally and that there are ongoing emergency needs which exist right in their own community.”
If you want to donate
Contact Seth Tuttle at stuttle@mustministries.org or 678-218-4513, or visit the Web site at www.mustministries.org
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