At the South Cumberland Community Fund Community meeting on October 8th, representatives of organizations across the mountain from the Beersheba Free Clinic to Marion Animal Rescue Connection gathered at the historical Christ Church Episcopal in Tracy City. Each representative introduced themselves and stated “what they would like to see more of” on the mountain.

“Food access, theater, affordable housing, children’s activities, more funding for non-profit organizations, less drug use, more recreation, more arts and music, more home ownership and ownership retention, no more stray cats and dogs” were among the wish list. SCCF director Paul Mc-Kee introduced himself and his connection to the mountain, growing up spending summers with his grandparents who had retired in Monteagle and later employed by the Southeast TN Development District as Regional Project Developer working as a grant writer in “almost every municipality in Grundy County.” He recalled how the SCCF’s vision of hope and prosperity for life on the GCH – $1.00

plateau came into sight in 2012 in an early workshop seeking common solutions for prob- lems people are facing on the mountain. At that time, residents were called together to identify the issues that mattered most for those who live in the area. They formed three categories of improvement to meet the needs of the mountain community: health, education, and economic development.

Items on the vision board from early inception are reflected by organizational work in the area now striving to improve conditions and extend resources to the community. Under the category “health,” healthcare, healthy food, recovery, prevention, and opportunities for active living were placed on the drawing board. “Education” included early childhood through adulthood, literacy, arts, and enrichment. “Economic development” drew a throughline from jobs and housing to building an all-around stronger community for everyone. The October 2026 meeting materials included a list of recipients of the SCCF Spring Grant awards for 2026, and some of the representatives who were present shared and update on how they were able to implement the funding.

1. Altamont Fire Department was awarded $10,000 for specialized winch and ascender equipment to improve rescue operations and reduce evacuation times.

2. Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic was awarded $5,700 for an autoclave, sterilization supplies, and medication labeling equipment to improve patient safety and clinic efficiency.

3. BetterFi was awarded $8,000 to launch its Savings + Credit Builder program, helping individuals and families save money, build credit, and avoid predatory debt.

4. Discover Together was awarded $7,500 to restore and expand its preschool co-op summer programming, family learning opportunities, and literacy efforts in Tracy City and beyond.

5. Grundy Recovery Alliance Community Endeavor (GRACE), a recovery program that provides more than 600 made-from-scratch meals a month to people in extreme need, received a $10,000 award that will fund a new oven, cooking equipment, food, and transportation.

6. Grundy County Saddle Club was awarded $5,000 to rebuild its historic pole barn, destroyed by a tornado in April 2025. The new barn will provide stalls for members’ horses and facilities for youth programs, clinics, events, and other community activities.

7. Marion Animal Resource Connection (MARC) was awarded $5,000 for Scan the Plateau, a program creating microchip scanning stations to reunite lost pets with their owners. MARC plans pet microchipping clinics and eventually seven scanning stations across the Plateau.

8. Mosaic Recovery Center was awarded $8,697 for three new freezers and 200 tons of gravel to improve on-site work areas at its residential addiction recovery facility for men.

9. RISE UP Grundy was awarded $5,000 for “Getting Ahead While Getting Out,” a 20-week re-entry program at the Grundy County Jail designed to help participants prepare for successful community reintegration.

10. Sewanee Children’s Center was awarded $10,000 for the Complementary Curriculum Approach teacher training module and learning materials for children.

11. South Cumberland Community Clinic was awarded $7,500 in general support as it responds to an increasing number of uninsured people seeking free medical care in Franklin, Grundy, and Marion counties.

12. The Housing Hub was awarded $10,000 for upgraded materials and construction techniques to make its third affordable home, now under construction, more energy efficient and durable.

13. Sewanee Summer Music Festival at the University of the South was awarded $5,000 for 25 free performances featuring chamber music, orchestra, opera, and musical theater, and free transportation for community members to attend up to 20 performances.

14. United for Literacy was awarded $5,890 to partner with the local Public Summer Camp, providing STREAM and literacy enrichment for K-8 students at risk of academic retention.

McKee then asked those representatives who were present that evening if they had implemented their funding. Beersheba Springs Medical Clinic had made immediate use of the equipment. Mosaic Recovery Center were utilizing their kitchen upgrades and reported, you’ve never seen anyone so happy to receive a load of gravel. MARC said they had microchipped 50 of the 100 dogs allotted by the grant funding and would be installing a scanning station at the Greta Carrick Memorial Library in Coalmont, an example of how community collaboration or “synergies” as Mckee referred to the energy and resources shared among various groups on the mountain has an expanding and strengthening effect to the impact of community work.