Home Tour goes to reserve funds to match 2008 donations

Charity representatives attended a luncheon to receive donations from the SML Charity Home Tour. They are (from left) Susan Epling, Bedford Hospice House; Russell Baskett, SML Good Neighbors; Lois Macdonald, Free Clinic of Franklin County; Bob Barlow, Free Clinic of Central Virginia; Kathy Ellis, Miriam's House; Sam Campbell, Helping Hands of Franklin County; Sheila Andrews, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia; and Jim Cameron, Lake Christian Ministries.

The Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour committee pledged $15,000 donations to eight regional charities on Nov. 19 during a luncheon at Trinity Ecumenical Parish.

Marty Bowers, tour chairman, said the committee voted to dip into its reserve funds to provide charities with the same donation as last year. She said sponsorships were down this year, due in part to some long-time sponsors going out of business.

Attendance to the tour also was lower than previous years, with almost 1,400 this year compared to about 1,800 in 2008. This year's tour, however, was held over two days while last year's was a three-day event.

The charities received half -- $7,500 -- of the donation at the luncheon. Bowers said the remainder will come soon from the reserve fund.

The charity representatives expressed gratitude for the donations and remarked that more people are coming to use their services because of layoffs and a struggling economy. Bob Barlow with the Free Clinic of Central Virginia said its client base has increased 50 percent. The Home Tour funds will help them keep up with the growing demand, representatives said.

"We would not be here if it were not for a few programs like the Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour," said Sam Campbell with Helping Hands of Franklin County. "We're very grateful, as always."