In this area we have many growing non-profits, especially those that greatly improve the lives of those who live in poverty and are home or needs insecure. This article serves the purpose of highlighting the involvement of three local non-profits, all serving the upper eight counties of Northeast Tennessee.
They especially give attention to uterus-bearing individuals and the students of ETSU, whether through their services or by allowing students to view and/or work with their organizations.
Based in Johnson City, A Step Ahead Tri-Cities seeks to serve individuals capable of child-bearing in Northeast Tennessee. Providing free LARC, or long-acting reversible contraception, they seek to help one take control of their body and plan preventative care that works on individual terms.
They are a non-profit that works closely with clinics in this area, and they can even provide transportation to the appointments. If this sounds like an organization that you or someone you know would be interested in, you can reach out to Maggie Woods, executive director, at maggie@astepaheadtricities.org.
In Elizabethton, Tennessee, Red Legacy Recovery sits on the Main Street of town. Serving women from all eight counties of Northeast Tennessee, they seek to provide the only female non-religious substance use recovery program in this area. Providing daily transportation to places like Overmountain Recovery for clients to receive their narcotic dependence treatment.
This organization has been awarded multiple grants and training experiences from the state of Tennessee. Executive Director Sam Loveday can be reached at redlegacyrecovery@gmail.com if you feel you’d like to donate or wish to see how you can be apart of the change.
In Johnson County, Tennessee, Women of Mountain City runs daily. Their original goal of ending menstruation-related poverty still rings true, and they have succeeded in working to make Johnson County a place where menstruating individuals can have access to needs that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to get on their own.
They provide products like menstrual cups, tampons, pregnancy tests and clothing. They also provide computers and assistants to help you apply for jobs, find personally needed resources, state help and more. You might notice their signs in places like Campus Center bathrooms, where they have provided menstrual products for students at ETSU. If you want to donate or help, please reach out to their executive director, Olivia Seltzer, at womenofmc@gmail.com.
