Ronda Illig dearly wants to practically help more hurting families these days.
And now that the at-least century-old Hope Flatrock Hawcreek Ministerial Association has received its nonprofit status, the organization can pursue more grants to help it reach out more people to assist with last-minute rent, utilities and the like. That’s especially significant in a world in which the COVID-19 pandemic has closed businesses and stolen jobs and left some families financially struggling.
“This right now is a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Illig said of the 501c3 designation. “There are so many people in the Hope area living on the poverty line. But it has gotten to the place where we just don’t have all the money we wish we had to help people.”
Illig, the association’s treasurer for the past 12 years, said the organization currently helps about 50 families per year — households that first must seek help from the Hawcreek Township trustee — with a variety of financial needs. She’d eventually love to see that number double as added grants come in.
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“I would be very happy with that,” Illig said.
Pastor Edward Cottrell of Hope United Methodist Church began working with others on the issue soon after he moved to Hope in 2017. He now serves as chairman of the ministerial association’s board.
“I helped figure out some of the detours (to nonprofit status) they previously had faced,” Cottrell said.
Actually, Cottrell did far more than that, said Pastor Andy Kilps of the Hope Moravian Church and another of the association’s eight board members since he moved to Hope in 2014.
“I want to give credit where credit is due,” Kilps said. “Pastor Ed has been the driving force making things happen with this. I really want to congratulate him.
“And I’m excited about more opportunities to receive more grants so we can do more outreach.”
Cottrell has noted that many of the families struggling to cover all their expenses are hard working, double-income households hit by expensive daycare costs. He would like to see the ministerial association eventually be equipped to address those kinds of needs.
“We’re currently looking at helping with things like that,” Cottrell said. “And I emphasize helping with daycare payments. We’re not looking to pay for all of it.”
Illig said she understands that families even having to seek help in the first place can be challenging.
“Many of them say they’ve never had to do that before,” said Illig, who handles intake visits by appointment in an office at Hope United Methodist Church.
Ideally, Cottrell is hoping to get new grant money even by the end of this calendar year. And he mentioned that if the ministerial association secures more grant money, that in turn could make more resources available via Columbus agencies that are helping people in a trickle-down impact.
“I think,” Cottrell said, “that that is a fair assessment.”
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Ronda Illig, treasurer of the now-nonprofit Hope Flatrock Hawcreek Ministerial Association, coordinates intake visits with families needing help with bills ranging from rent to utilities.
Information: Illig at 812-371-5189.
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