GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga — Pat Anne Harter loves her art class, but her classmates are the real reason she likes to come. “All these people are like a big family to me,” Harter said.
Harter is one of 45 clients — “friends” they like to call them — at Peachtree Christian Healthcare in Duluth. It’s a special day care for folks living with dementia. It opened in late 2019, but last month its end seemed near.
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“I was in tears. My immediate thought was, ‘What now?’” caregiver Jennifer Albrecht said. Albrecht brings her mom here. She was devastated to learn the place was about to close.
“COVID has continued to be the major challenge for us,” Peachtree Christian President Anne Mancini said. Mancini says that after the 2020 lockdowns, far fewer people continued to attend. The nonprofit no longer had enough clients to stay open. So in November, it launched a major fundraiser that Channel 2 told you about. Channel 2 viewers were among the 500 donors across 24 states who gave nearly $600,000. “There’s no other way to explain it — it’s a Christmas miracle,” Mancini said.
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Peachtree Christian also has some new “friends” who now attend, and some current clients now visit an extra day or two during the week. Harter is one of them. “I love these people, and they love me,” Harter said.
Peachtree Christian is working on a plan to provide its clients return transportation, and to help caregivers cover the costs so their loved ones can attend more days during the week. To learn more, click here.
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