Auction print to feature Elliott Hotel

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The once derelict Elliott Hotel, which is now undergoing renovations, will be featured on the annual limited edition prints for Greenfield Rotary’s auction this year during the Greene Countrie Towne Festival.

Rotarians on Thursday not only decided to feature the nearly 130-year-old building in the print during its heyday, but to have artist Tammy Wells create an 11th print, with the proceeds of its sale going toward renovation efforts at the Elliott.

Elliott owner Doug Karnes purchased the building last year, and since then has been working to clear out years of debris and destruction left by former tenants, fires, and the elements.

Karnes said he plans to have the building open for tours during the festival. More information on the progress at the hotel can be found at the Designing Greenfield Facebook page.

Previously, a concert featuring Lorrie Morgan to benefit the Elliott was being planned, but that has since been cancelled due to the unexpected passing of the concert’s organizer. Anyone who purchased tickets should contact Eventbrite about a refund.

The Greene Countrie Towne Festival will be held this year on July 15-17 in Greenfield. The annual auction will be held on Saturday, July 16. The auction is the Greenfield Rotary Club’s largest fundraiser of the year, with Well’s prints being just one of the items up for bid at the auction that funds the festival and several other charitable causes the club supports throughout the year.

Also on Thursday, the club heard from Rotarian Julia Wise, executive director of Highland County Community Action Organization (HCCAO), who talked about the organization’s involvement with the Rural IMPACT pilot program. HCCAO was one of 10 organizations chosen across the nation to participate.

Wise said the program, which looks at barriers people face to overcoming poverty and at second-generational poverty, is gaining attention from national organizations like The Aspen Institute and the Ann E. Casey Foundation.

She said local people who live in poverty have been asked what they would say if they woke up tomorrow and their life could be whatever they wanted. She said the answers they have received have been items that a lot of people may take for granted, like a vehicle and beds to sleep in.

Wise said that sometimes people equate poor people with being lazy. “That’s not what we see,” she said, adding that there are real barriers people face in overcoming poverty.

She also said that HCCAO is “really serious about building a facility” in Greenfield, which represents “the second highest pocket of poverty” in the county.

Currently, the organization operates out of three different buildings across the village, but Wise said a central facility that will allow more programs to be offered, such as day care, is what the organization is looking for.

For more information about HCCAO and its services and programs, go to hccao.org or call 937-393-3458.

The Greenfield Rotary Club meets each Thursday at 11:30 a.m. at Catch 22, 250 Jefferson St. This month the club also began a once-a-month evening meeting for those interested in Rotary but who are unable to attend the weekly lunch meetings.

Reach Angela Shepherd at 937-393-3456, ext. 1681, or on Twitter @wordyshepherd.

Julia Wise, executive director of Highland County Community Action Organization, speaks to the Greenfield Rotary Club on Thursday.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2016/05/web1_RotaryWise.jpgJulia Wise, executive director of Highland County Community Action Organization, speaks to the Greenfield Rotary Club on Thursday.
HCCAO looking to central facility in Greenfield

By Angela Shepherd

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