News
Press Release: September 13th, 2023
Media Contact: Kara Long, Executive Director, 828-488-6512
Hawthorn Heights Home Now Locally Owned
Bryson City, NC - Hawthorn Heights WNC, a nonprofit founded in Bryson City, North Carolina, is thrilled to announce that we have purchased our current facility from Children’s Hope Alliance, ensuring that our agency will continue providing respite services to area youth for generations to come.
“Hawthorn Heights was initially established in 1976 through a grassroots movement of local citizens who understood the necessity of having a safe, nurturing home for children when they had nowhere else to turn,” explains Kara Long, Executive Director. “Regaining local ownership of the home and safeguarding its future has been a key focus since we reopened the program in 2021.”
Purchase of the nine-bedroom Swain County home was made possible through substantial grant awards received from Dogwood Health Trust as well as the Evergreen Foundation.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve the children of this community who are experiencing difficult transitions in their lives,” states Ralph Murphy, Hawthorn Heights WNC Board Chairman. “We will continue to provide quality care to youth in need, and we look forward to expanding our services in order to strengthen the continuum of care in western North Carolina.”
If you would like additional information about Hawthorn Heights, or would like to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit our website at hawthornheights.org or contact us at 828-488-6512.
About Hawthorn Heights WNC
Hawthorn Heights WNC is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, based in Bryson City, North Carolina. Our mission is to provide a safe, nurturing environment for youth in need. Our residential program serves youth ages 12-17 years old, who are in need of short-term care for protection, respite, family conflict resolution, and/or behavior stabilization. We work closely with community stakeholders such as the Department of Social Services, The Family Safety Program, Vaya Health, and the Department of Juvenile Justice, as well as local county governments, schools, and mental health agencies, among others. These partnerships aid in providing wraparound supports and services for residents so they can successfully transition to a permanent home and look to a better future.
About Dogwood Health Trust
Dogwood Health Trust is a private foundation based in Asheville, North Carolina with the sole purpose of dramatically improving the health and wellbeing of all people and communities of 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina. Dogwood Health Trust focuses on innovative and equitable ways to address the many factors that contribute to overall health and wellbeing. With a focus on housing, education, economic opportunity and health and wellness, Dogwood Health Trust works to create a Western North Carolina where every generation can live, learn, earn and thrive, with dignity and opportunity for all, no exceptions. To learn more, please visit www.dht.org.
About Evergreen Foundation
Our focus for funding is improving the lives of those who have Mental Health, Developmental Delay, or Substance Abuse issues. Grant priorities include: infrastructure to the private provider service network; start up and service provision grants; scholarships to enhance the quality of the provider network; public awareness/education; and advocacy on behalf of consumers and the provider network.
The Evergreen Foundation was formed in 1977 as a separate not-for-profit company by the Board of Smoky Mountain Mental Health. The purpose of the Foundation was to provide a place to hold funds that could later provide financial support of their mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse services. In keeping with that purpose, the Foundation continues to provide this same support to the private service providers now responsible for all of the behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disability and substance abuse services in the seven western counties of North Carolina.