Some of the nonprofit organizations of Hamblen County came before the County Commission Saturday afternoon seeking funding for FY 2027.

Mahon Fritts, Executive Director of ALPS Adult Day Services, said that all local funds raised stay in Hamblen County.

“During this fiscal year, 60% of our clients are residents of Hamblen County,” Fritts said. “Through community partnerships and responsible fiscal management, ALPS provided $170,000 in sliding-scale discounts directly benefiting Hamblen County families.”

Fritts asked for funding at last year’s levels.

“We remain committed to fiscal accountability,” he said. “One-hundred percent of county-allocated funds directly offset sliding-scale assistance for Hamblen County residents. All county appropriations and locallyraised funds remain within Hamblen County, exclusively serving its citizens. We’re proud to call Hamblen County home.”

ALPS is celebrating its 40th year of service to the Lakeway Area this year in September.

Morristown Parks and Recreation Board was represented by Morristown City Administrator Andrew Ellard.

“We greatly appreciate the long-standing partnership we’ve had with the county,” Ellard said. “Park and Rec’s budget, pending City Council approval is about $3.8 million. Revenue is only $373,000, which come from concessions, sponsorships, and so forth.

Parks and Rec is split into four departments: Administration, Programs, Athletics and Maintenance. Parks and Rec are requesting a $500,000 donation.

The McNabb Center came to the commission seeking a match for a state Jail to Work Program grant that has been successful in Hamblen County the last few years. This is the third year of the current grant cycle.

Of the $200,000 the commission has provided to McNabb the last three years, half comes from Hamblen County’s Opioid Settlement funds, the other half has come out of the general fund, according to County Mayor Chris Cutshaw.

Valerie Farmer, director of the Morristown Senior Center/ Hamblen County Office on Aging, requested $6,500 for the “Vital Visits” program, the same amount as requested last year. Through “Vital Visits,” a hot meal from a local restaurant is provided daily to 15 Hamblen County residents delivered by volunteers.

The Senior Center/Office on Aging also requested funding. The agency helps anyone over age 50. Food boxes are provided each month for 20 to 25 county residents. The Center also provides a lot of information to residents for other activities, such as who to go to if one needs an attorney, Medicare counseling and so on.

“I’ve seen a lot younger senior come into the center over my 5 ½ years as director,” Farmer said. “We try to be that agency that gives advice for the ‘next step.’” Morristown- Hamblen Library interim director Amanda Baysinger, sought $413,934 to include a 5% pay increase for the library’s staff, and $135,000 for the library’s flat roof to be replaced. That roof has been patched twice over the last 12 years. A $45,000 sewer line in the back part of the library needs to be replaced due to settlement.

Baysinger also requested funding increases due to placing of new books, which includes a required state mandated 12% increase in materials. She also asked for more funding due to its popular programs which are used by area residents and families.

HOLA Lakeway Co-Founder Dr. Kasey Alvarado was requesting $15,000, the same amount from the commission as last year. She stressed that even though the agency provides services for 18 Hamblen County Schools, they receive no funding from the school system, such as language support, teacher prep and professional development. The agency provides economic mobility, stability and integration for the community through education for immigrants, migrants and refugees in the Lakeway Area.

“We believe in community and what’s available there,” she said.

Fifty percent of industries in Morristown are from other countries, including Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico and others. The agency has provided 20,000 books through their mobile van service. In 2025, HOLA Lakeway served 1,095 Hamblen County families for $7.70 a resident.

HOLA Lakeway serves the public from the Sankfora Center in Morristown.

Ready by 6 was represented by Coordinator Tish Jones. Ready by 6 is a prenatal program through age 5-year-old children. Jones requested $5,000 for Ready by 6, the same amount as in past years. Among the programs being pushed is the “Kindergarten Ready Tool Kit,” a pilot program for 60 county children in which each receives information for their parent to work with the child with games, activities, numbers and the alphabet.

The goal is to increase the program to involve more children, Jones said. This helps the children meet the standards that they are currently not meeting when going into the school system.

“If they enter the school system with the skills they need, they’re going to transition the K-12 system easier,” Jones said. “It will be much easier on the teachers; it’s going allow us to have better citizens at the end.”

This past year, the first COVID-19 children entered the school system. Jones said that COVID-19 did a number on the children in the form of behavioral problems, saying that these problems are “tremendous.”

“Part of our toolkit is based on behaviors,” Jones said.

One may access the “Ready by 6” program through Morristown-Hamblen Central Services, Jones said. “Ready by 6” involves 25 local, regional and state organizations that support early childhood families.

“We are there to support the start of our community,” Jones said.

Jones said that the county is considered a “Child Desert” county, in that are three children for every one early childhood center placement. This situation happens when a parent cannot go to work, but has to stay at home to support a child. Some parent who wants to work full-time may have to work part-time to take care of children.

To this end, Alex-Rom Roginski, president of Colortech Industries, told the commission that his plant can’t find workers to be employed due to childcare concerns.

“Sixty-six percent of children in kindergarten aren’t ready to go to school,” he said. “It really is embarrassing.”

The toolkit is given every child who is born at Morristown- Hamblen Healthcare System, whether the child is from Hamblen County or not.

Serenity Hospice House Executive Director Cheryl Fehl said that each person who comes in to stay at Serenity Hospice House at the end of their lives. She said even when one family is able to pay full price to stay with Serenity Hospice House, it’s less than other facilities in the surrounding area.

“Every penny makes a difference,” Fehl said. “We try to help those who fall between the cracks who work paycheck to paycheck to help their loved ones. We’re trying to make sure they can come in and stay.”

Serenity Hospice House provides end-of-life care for Hamblen County and the Lakeway Area. Around 60% of clients are from Hamblen County. Around 120 people have been served this past year by Serenity.

“We’re a niche service,” Fehl said. “Most people don’t know we exist until they need us. It’s really hard to raise money to get people to see us, but we’re doing well.”

Encore Theater Company Board Member Amanda Martin also asked for funds for Encore’s operational and education programs. There are three part-time employees. Encore helps with Drama Clubs in the schools, summer camps through Rose Center for the Arts and more. Most of Encore’s staff are volunteers.

The Drama Clubs have been in Alpha, John Hay, Manley, Meadow View, Witt and a home-schooled Drama program. Three of these schools have yearly theater productions with their children. Cost of the Drama Clubs are $15 per child, covering their script and anything else the child needs, as well as royalties. Many children through these programs later become involved in Encore itself.

Emma Lawson has been involved with Encore since age 13. She talked about the Junior Company program, an application-based program for teens to learn hands-on backstage technical aspects of theater; the Young Stars series for ages 8-18; and the JTF program. She called all of them a “Labor of Love.” She said that many programs ask for a registration fee to participate; Encore does not.

Encore is celebrating its 20th year of service to the Lakeway Area. The company performs six shows in its main season. Encore works with other theater companies.