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Two local nonprofits, New Ventures, Inc. and the Calumet Center for Healing and Attachment, recently announced they would merge.

New Ventures will serve as the parent organization, with Calumet Center now operating out of the former Tyhme Away Bed and Breakfast. Thyme Away was accepted as a gift-in-kind donation by Calumet Center and is currently serving as office space.

Well-known in the community, New Ventures provides work-based training to teach work and career skills to people with disabilities and to people who face educational, legal, behavioral, economic or other barriers.

Calumet Center provides a nurturing environment for women and children seeking recovery-support services for trauma, mental illness or substance abuse. Combining individualized care and a compassionate, trauma-responsive community, CCHA advocates for hope, new possibilities and the enduring spirit of faith and family.

LaGrange Mayor Jim Thornton put it best when he said he was “amazed by the level of generosity and commitment to service of people in our city, and these organizations and individuals are great examples of that.”

We also would like to thank Bill and Karen Scarborough for donating Thyme Away, located at 508 Greenville Street, as a gift to these nonprofits.

New Ventures representatives said the merger is another part of expanding their mission, which has changed over the years as the nonprofit has grown and evolved.

Calumet Center will continue to operate, and its employees have been brought into the New Ventures fold. Calumet Center Executive Director Michele Bedingfield, who also runs the Harmony House domestic violence shelter, said the merger would provide an opportunity to better serve the women and children of Troup County.

We wish these two organizations success as they operate together in the future. They do important work in the community and deserve support from those who are able.

We also would like to thank Bill and Karen Scarborough for donating Thyme Away, located at 508 Greenville Street, as a gift to these nonprofits.