Charleston Gazette
Her staff knew about it in advance. So did news media, who were contacted Tuesday by a public relations firm in California.
Her staff knew about it in advance. So did news media, who were contacted Tuesday by a public relations firm in California.
But not Julie Alston, co-CEO of the Roark-Sullivan Lifeway Center in
Charleston. Alston picked up a phone Thursday morning and found former
talk show host Jenny Jones on the line, telling her she was awarding
Alston $25,000 to furnish the center's new shelter for homeless
veterans.
"I was in shock," Alston said a few minutes later. "Everybody knew but me. They made sure I was here.
"I was speechless: One, that it was Jenny Jones on the phone; and two, that she picked our project."
Alston - and the veterans center - are the latest winners of the
"Jenny's Heroes" program that Jones announced in January. Through her
Jenny Jones Foundation, Jones is giving away $1 million this year
through weekly grants of up to $25,000 to "individuals wanting to make
a difference in their community," according to a news release.
For Roark-Sullivan, "It all started a couple of months ago," Alston
said. "My CFO, Jeremy Young, had seen this on TV ... you can apply
online. I submitted an application in March. I received a couple of
e-mails back, asking for additional information."
In the planning stage for about three years, the veterans center has
gone though a number of changes. A 2006 plan to acquire the Mattie V.
Lee Home on Donnally Street fell through, so Alston drew up plans to
erect a two-story building beside the existing men's shelter on Leon
Sullivan Way. Bids for that design came in over budget, however.
"We went back to the drawing board and totally redesigned our project."
By coincidence, Alston signed a construction project for the new design earlier Thursday. "So it's a great day," she said.
"It's a one-story plan. That's what we'll be building. It has 12 units
[bedrooms], and we'll be rehabbing 15 units in the existing shelter for
long-term stays."
The Jones grant will pay for beds, nightstands, sofas, chairs, tables
and more at the shelter. "It will furnish the transitional living
program, so it will pretty much furnish the entire project," Alston
said.
Workers from Shamblin Construction should start within 10 days and
finish by the end of September, she said. "We'll be open by the end of
October, or earlier if possible."
Total project cost is "a little over $1 million."
To contact staff writer Jim Balow, use email or call 348-5102.
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