Friends Helping Friends Club, Inc.
OUR MISSION
Friends Helping Friends Club, Inc. (FHF, Inc.) is a 501(c)3 charitable organization whose mission is to provide inclusive educational opportunities (school trips, special events, summer camps, school supplies, sensory motor development equipment, special projects, scholarships and more) for Elbert County (GA) students facing special challenges at no cost to the school system or to the students served.
FHF, Inc. Advisory Board & Board of Directors are 50 retired and active school superintendents, principals, teachers, nurses, FHF alumni, and other community leaders serving as volunteers (receiving no compensation).
FHF School Clubs
Friends Helping Friends Club (FHF) - Elbert County Middle School (ECMS) & Elbert County High School (ECCHS) service clubs composed of student members who assist Special Education teachers and their students during FHF trips and events.
FHF Alumni Officer
Super Bowl Champ X 2 Mecole Hardman, Jr.
FHF Founding Officer Katie McCall's
Special Message 2012
Origin of FHF
Origin of FHF, Special Message from Former GA State Rep. Tom McCall
Bud McCall
FHF was founded in 2010, dedicated to the memory of Bud McCall, and has progressively become more involved in providing inclusive opportunities that support students with special needs in Elbert County (EC). Due to the rapid growth of our club, FHF became a 501(c)3 charitable organization in 2014 ensuring that all funds raised by our organization are spent exclusively on Elbert County students as we serve all five Elbert County schools and Advantage Friends. It is our hope that our organization continues to grow so that we make an even larger impact in the lives of students. We were honored to be voted as a 2022 Georgia Business Journal Best of Georgia Winner in the charitable organizations category. It is such an honor and awesome opportunity to serve as an inclusive school club model for the state of Georgia and beyond.
Click on this link to watch a 2012 TV Interview about FHF with Tom McCall
(then GA State Rep/now GA Farm Bureau Pres).
What We Do
FHF, Inc. strives to create lasting relationships with our special needs community, while promoting awareness of the issues they face, opportunities available, and growing our network through direct involvement with our schools and community. We assist children and adults with special needs in every way that we can including planning, funding, and assisting teachers with inclusive educational school trips, annual main events including Mecole Hardman, Jr. Week celebrations, FHF Pageant & Auction and FHF Basketball Game with Mecole, FHF Fun Field Day, FHF Jam Fest & Taste of Elberton, FHF Christmas Banquet, FHF Environmental Fun Day at Richard Russell State Park, FHF Friends of Bekkah VBS Summer Camp, FHF Football Fun Day with Mecole, and providing teachers with school supplies, meals, and adaptive sensory motor development equipment for their students. All this and more are provided at no cost to EC students with special needs or the school system. More importantly, we/volunteers develop a sincere respect for students facing special challenges, as we provide inspirational opportunities, giving them thanks for the rewarding experiences and lessons THEY are providing for us.
Become a Friend
As you can see, this is an incredible organization providing amazing opportunities for all involved, thanks largely to the generous support of our Friends. The cost of sending our students on numerous trips and to special events throughout the year and the number of students and adults with special needs we serve continues to grow. This growth has not only reignited our passion towards guaranteeing our students a successful and positive experience, but it makes you more important than ever.
We hope you will consider being an official FHF, Inc. Member. By doing so, you will be helping us enrich the lives of our students whom we serve (and the lives of our FHF student members) in an extra special way. More so than that, you join our FHF family. You become a reason behind our students’ smiles, the hands cheering them on, and the encouragement that makes such a huge difference in each of their lives.
We would be honored for you to join us before we wind down our annual FHF, Inc. Membership Drive. When finalized, Friends pages (and Friends names on the first two pages) are printed in the growing 200+ page FHF Yearbook displayed at businesses, schools, churches, homes and at FHF events throughout the year. Platinum and Diamond Friends receive a complimentary FHF photo page (with their logo or name) printed adjacent to their page. Friends’ names are printed on up to over 2,500 tee-shirts, long sleeve dry fit shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, and jackets worn to FHF events and trips year-round. FHF apparel, yearbooks, flyers & large, framed posters are proudly displayed at FHF events and community events which are often captured/aired on Elberton Net throughout the year. We also proudly post Friends flyers on our FHF Facebook and FHF, Inc. web page. It's a Great deal And a Win-Win when you invest in our kiddos!!
Even though donations are gratefully accepted any time, the annual FHF, Inc. Membership forms are due the second Friday in January to meet the printer deadline for the yearbook and apparel. We encourage making pledges early to secure a space in the yearbook and to give us ample time to design page(s) to your complete satisfaction.
Donations
All donations to FHF, Inc. support Elbert County students who face special challenges. FHF, Inc. currently spends $10K to $15K every three months providing inclusive educational opportunities for Elbert County students and Advantage Friends who have special abilities.
Posted with all the details is the annual FHF, Inc. Membership Form. Any contribution is sincerely appreciated. Everyone involved graciously volunteers to serve without receiving any compensation. All donations go toward serving Elbert County students with special needs unless the donation is designated by the donor as “FHF, Inc. Scholarship Fund”.
Donations designated toward the FHF, Inc. Scholarship Fund help provide scholarships awarded to qualifying ECCHS FHF Senior Officers and to Alumni FHF members pursuing a degree in Special Education, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, or any other such career track specializing in helping children and/or adults with special needs. A special Thank You to Mecole Hardman, Jr. for providing Dye-Hard FHF Scholarships in memory of former Elbert Co. Blue Devil, Clemson Tiger, & FHF Alumni, Tyshon Dye.
