For the second year in a row, Red Legacy Recovery has been awarded $15,000 from the Women’s Fund of the East Tennessee Foundation to help with transportation needs.

Red Legacy has been a part of the Carter County community for about three years and started meeting with women in the Carter County Jail who wanted to end their drug and alcohol dependence and begin building sober and stable lives for themselves.

Red Legacy offers many services to its clients to help them get their lives restarted, but many of the women have a difficult time getting to job interviews, court dates and meetings with probation officers. Since many clients have issues with drug and alcohol addictions, many have had their driver’s licenses revoked or suspended, and those who still have a license do not have the means to buy cars for themselves.

This need was provided for last year when Red Legacy received the first $15,000 grant. Red Legacy executive director Angelee Murray used the grant to buy a van to transport Red Legacy clients for important trips and to pay for the driver and upkeep of the vehicle.

Because the purchase of the van took around $9,000 of the $15,000 grant, there was limited funding left for travel. The agency was only able to offer 12 hours of transportation each week, and it was left to transportation coordinator Dawn Canter to decide which trips could be made.

Because of the additional need, the Women’s Fund Advisory Board awarded Red Legacy with another $15,000 for transportation needs again this year, upping the total awarded by the fund to Red Legacy to $30,000.

“We will now be able to operate the van for 25 hours a week instead of 12,” Murray said. “This is more than double.” 

“At the Women’s Fund, we not only believe in providing financial support, but we want to shine the light on Red Legacy Recovery to help raise awareness, create publicity and new volunteer opportunities for this great community organization,” Terry Morgan, director of the Women’s Fund said. “We will continue to stand with them and work towards increased opportunity to grow their capacity to serve.”