Give to Make a Difference
Make a Difference — Give!
- Your support makes an impact on the lives of our rural Appalachian neighbors, community volunteers, and mission teams, as well as the communities to which they return. Through your donations (financial, “in-kind,” and volunteer time/skills), you partner with Hinton to: help make homes safer, healthier, and warmer; help parents provide new clothes for their children at Christmas; equip young adults to serve as missional leaders and discern calls to ministry; provide educational and networking opportunities that empower local residents to become community builders. Here is what friends of Hinton helped accomplish in 2024:
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- Number of Families Served — 232
- Home Repair Projects/ Number of Projects — 62/282
- Loads of Firewood Distributed — 787
- Mission Participants — 727
- Hurricane Relief Cleaning Kits Assembled — 423
- Christmas Care, # of Children Provided Gifts of New Clothing — 432
- Volunteers — 1,142
- Value ($) of Volunteer Hours — $735,219
- Leadership Chatuge Graduates — 14 (bringing total # of grads to 103)
- Participants, Rural Poverty Simulations — 525
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Ways You Can Give
Financial Donation
Financial gifts are ALWAYS appreciated at Hinton. Whether you make a small automated monthly donation, a large end-of-year contribution, or any size gift in between, we are grateful for your support and encouragement. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Hinton cannot do what we do in our community for our neighbors, on our campus for our guests, or with our mission teams and beyond without the generosity of donors. There are several ways you can make a financial donation:
- Online through PayPal or credit card. Use the PayPal button for these options. (You do not need to have a PayPal account.)
- Online through The United Methodist Advance. The Advance is a designated giving arm of The United Methodist Church that ensures 100% of each gift is used for its intended mission. Hinton Rural Life Center is Advance Project #731372. The United Methodist Advance button takes you to the online giving page for Hinton.
- By check. Make payable and mail to Hinton Rural Life Center, PO Box 27, Hayesville NC 28904
- By credit card. Call Hinton at 828-389-8336 with your credit card information. We’ll process your payment and send you a receipt.
In-Kind Contribution
Hinton receives a variety of in-kind, or non-monetary, contributions throughout the year. These may include donations of equipment for home repair or firewood ministries or donations of furniture, appliances, and cooking/serving dishes. Other in-kind donation items include stocks, airline tickets, and vehicles. If you have something you’d like to donate or want to inquire about specific needs and the in-kind donation process, please contact Karen Kluever for lodging/campus items, Dawn Martin for mission-related items, and Jacqueline Gottlieb for stocks, vehicles, and other “large-ticket” in-kind gifts. Call 828-389-8336 or email info@hintoncenter.org.
New Board Member Pens Passionate Appeal Letter
At the April meeting of Hinton’s Board of Directors, Hinton Minister of Church Relations & Development Karen Kluever met new Board member Rev. Betsy Eaves and sat at her table for lunch. “Betsy was telling everyone at our table about her first – and only!—time at Hinton as a youth director in 1979, when she brought her youth group from Paducah, Kentucky, for a summer mission week,” recalled Kluever. “Then, she just kept going on and on about everything she was learning about Hinton and our ministries and how we need to make sure we’re telling everyone about them, and she was coming up with lots of ideas for how to get the word out and to whom. So, I asked her, ‘How about you? Would you like to tell people about Hinton and encourage their support?’” Eaves enthusiastically said yes and agreed to pen Hinton’s summer appeal letter. A portion of it follows, but you can read the full letter HERE. Thank you, Betsy!
Betsy Eaves: “When I rediscovered Hinton this year, I was amazed at how the good work of home repair for people living in poverty in rural Appalachia has expanded immensely, not just in terms of project numbers, but in the focus on leaving homes safer and healthier for those who live in them. I discovered that the 10 weeks of summer youth missions continues, but that, over time, the ministry has expanded to include even more year-round mission opportunities for youth, campus ministries, men’s and women’s groups, and intergenerational groups. I was excited to learn about the educational component in Hinton’s mission outreach that helps local residents learn about home repair and maintenance, poverty perspective activities for mission teams, community members, and other organizations, and Hinton’s vital firewood ministry that keeps hundreds of people warmer in the winter. And, during these times when we all face challenges to our physical, mental, and spiritual health, Hinton offers us opportunities to retreat, reflect, and renew.
“Please join me in making a financial gift to support the good and impactful work of Hinton Center. Donations from individuals, churches, businesses, and organizations provide a critical component of the financial support that is needed. You can mail a check or donate online at www.hintoncenter.org/donate. The site also provides information and opportunities for giving monthly (very significant!), tribute gifts, legacy giving, donor-advised fund giving, and donating through the United Methodist Advance. Thank you for your ongoing support of Hinton Rural Life Center! I am excited to be a part of the leadership of this innovative organization and look forward to the future impact it will have on the local region and those who come to retreat and to serve.”
Wish List
Hinton’s wish list consists of items that would be very helpful in the upkeep of our beautiful campus and the facilities entrusted to our care. They could be items that help us in our mission outreach or help us to provide more excellent hospitality for our guests. To see if there’s an item you’d like to gift Hinton, contact Karen at 828-389-8336 or karen@hintoncenter.org.
Legacy Giving
Legacy gifts are made by visionary supporters to support the ongoing creation and sustainability of Hinton’s impactful and transformative work in the local community, the ministries of congregations, and in the lives of neighbors, volunteers, and guests. Legacy gifts include planned giving to Hinton Rural Life Center through charitable bequests (wills, trusts), life insurance, endowments, and retirement plans. For more information, contact Jacqueline Gottlieb, Hinton CEO and president, at 828-389-8336 or jackie@hintoncenter.org .
Tribute Gifts
Honor or remember someone special with a gift that changes lives through the ministries of Hinton Center. Along with your financial donation, include a note, email (karen@hintoncenter.org) , or call 828-389-8336 with your tribute information:
- Donor’s name and contact information
- ___ In honor of ___ In memory of _________________________________________
- Name and contact information for acknowledgement card. (Gift amount will not be disclosed.)
Volunteer
Volunteer Opportunities
Hinton offers year-round opportunities for different ages, interests, and skill levels, for both individuals and groups who want tovolunteer in our rural Appalachian community. Whether you have a few hours, a day, a week, or more, there is a way for you to serve. Options include, but are not limited to, Safe & Healthy Home Assessments and Repairs, firewood ministry, tending trails and gardens, Christmas Care of Clay County, campus maintenance and landscaping projects, helping staff our Rural Poverty Simulation, Charity Golf Tournament, and office help.
Click HERE for our Community Outreach brochure, which features the many ways Hinton serves the community and the opportunities for individuals and groups to volunteer. You can also submit our Volunteer Interest Survey linked HERE, and Hinton’s Community Connections Coordinator Jeremy Jenkins will follow up with you to explore ways you can give to our community through volunteerism. You can also contact Jeremy for more information at jeremy@hintoncenter.org or 828-389-8336.
