Karen and her 12-year-old son, Jason, have been living with family for the past year. After an unfortunate divorce, having to relocate, and having to find a job due to loss of income from the separation, Karen has been trying to gain stability. Jason is a whirlwind of energy and is involved in multiple school activities. Karen works full-time as a receptionist in a medical office. Over the past several months, she has been…

This is the story of Mark. He is a veteran living in our community with deep roots going back three generations in Blount County. After he left the service Mark worked on private contacts where he put to use the skills he gained from the military to good use in engineering. During this time, he raised his family with his wife and had a good life. Over 6 years ago he lost his wife…

They say it takes a village to raise a child; I say it takes the whole community to thrive as a community. Over the past several months Good Neighbors has witnessed the impact a caring community can create. This story of hope is a little different than we normally tell. Today I would like to tell you the story of the amazing collaborations happening between the different non-profits in Blount County.  Recently, we had…

Today, I have a wonderful story of hope for you! A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderfully resilient lady named Marcia. She is a young mother of two who was diagnosed with cancer less than 8 months ago. Over the past several months she has had surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Through it all she has kept her smile in place and stayed positive knowing that it was important for…

Life is a precious thing and being part of a team, couple, family, and community helps us live a full life. Over the years we have seen more than one neighbor who has lost someone they depended on for comfort, love, and stability. This is the story of Nate, who lost his father recently. It had been just the two of them since his mother passes over 10 years ago and Nate was his…

It has been six full months since Good Neighbors started a partnership with the East Tennessee Collaborative (ETC) to start our Mentoring Program. Over 20 families have enrolled and been excelling in the program by setting goal and crushing them! This is the story of Megan, a young single mom of two boys. When Megan heard about the program through the Family Resource Center in the boy’s school, she decided to call our Mobility…

Starting over can be overwhelming, and knowing where to ask for help makes it so much easier. Matthew and Cristine are a young couple that moved to Maryville last year. Matthew had a good job that paid almost all the bills until he lost it a month ago. Cristine works at a daycare and her income is not enough to cover all the bills alone until Matthew gets a new job. It takes both…

Today I share with you the story of Megan. She is a young mother with an energetic 4-year-old son, James. Megan came to the Good Neighbors office when she was looking for some help with move in costs with her new apartment. This would be her first home with her son and she was really excited about having her own place. Even though she had been saving for a few months the security deposit…

This is the story of Travis and his young family. Earlier this year Travis came to Good Neighbors when he got a high utility bill that he simply did not have the money to pay for. Travis had been working in a restaurant and had lost his job the month prior. Luckily, he found a new job rather quickly. There was just one detail that made him very uneasy. It was a commission-based sales…

Sometimes, things can pile up, and we feel like we cannot get out from under the weight of shut doors and negative answers. I am here to tell you there is a way if you want it and are willing to make the effort to accomplish your goals. This is the story of Brenda and her two children, Anthony and Marcus.  They live in an ancestral home that was passed down to Brenda five…

“I am so sorry for making you stay late to help me”, said Shandra in a slight panic as she rushed into the office last Friday. We received a call from her while she was on her lunch hour earlier that day, trying to figure out how to move into a new apartment with her daughter. She had found a place by pure chance and was finally going to be able to move out…

Every so often, we can see a real impact in the lives of the neighbors we serve. This is especially true this time of year when so many families are just trying to make it to the end of the year in the hope that the new year will be better. This is the story of Jonathan and Tina.  Jon, as he asked us to call him, requested to be contacted on our website…