FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2024

Pelham, Ala.-The Community of Hope Health Clinic-A Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, held their 5th Annual CHHC Fundraiser, presented by AmFirst, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at the Pelham Civic Complex. The goal of the event was to raise $50,000 by the end of the event.

Jody Fuller, solder, comedian, writer, and motivational speaker was the keynote speaker on an evening in which nearly 190 people attended to learn more about what the Community of Hope Health Clinic offers to the indigent of Shelby County.

"The turnout was amazing for this event," Executive Director, Justin Johnston said. "We had never had more than 120 attend and we had a lot of new faces in the crowd, which was good because it allowed us to not only give people a first glimpse into who we were, but more importantly how the clinic added so many services since the beginning of the pandemic."

Johnston said the goal for the event was to raise $50,000 to help with those services which include primary care, physical therapy, mental health/counseling, dermatology, prenatal/postpartum checks, and an on-site dispensary. By the end of the event, donors had given more than $60,000.

At the event CHHC Treasurer and Board Member, Mike Northrup who works for AmFirst as a Senior Vice President, announced that if the goal was met, Johnston would removed his beard and cut all of the hair from his head.

"On Friday, I did two live videos via the CHHC Facebook page in which I shaved at the clinic and then at home I had my wife help me cut use clippers to remove my hair," Johnston said.

The program for the event included a newly produced promotional video for the clinic, a volunteer testimonial from Volunteer Trainer Jorge Vargas, a patient testimonial from Claudia Grado (interpreted by Operations Director, Maria Fernanda Vidal), Johnston's State of the Clinic, and a 25-minute set by Fuller that included some of his comedy routine, but also tied in giving back to the community.

"To raise that much money in one night is amazing for the clinic," Johnston said. "On this one evening, we raised about double of what we had ever raised in one night. But we cannot stop there. because we would like to continue to see if we can get to the next level by eventually raising $100,000 through this campaign. We've also set up a crowdsourcing platform to account for many of the unforeseen expenses the clinic has incurred this year."

The Community of Hope Health Clinic is a nonprofit free and charitable located in Pelham and provides services to Shelby County Residents who live at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines and do not have access to private insurance or government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid or VA benefits. Founded in 2008, CHHC moved to its present location in 2023 at 1970 Chandalar Office Park Circle Pelham, Ala. 35124.

For more information, please go to www.communityofhopeclinic.com, or to donate, please go to www.communityofhopeclinic.com/donate.

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