Partners & Donors - Hand in Hand of Glynn

Partners & Advisors

We work with forward-thinking, problem-solving supporters, partners, and advisors who drive our mission with advice, leadership, and encouragement to position Brunswick as a leader of Housing First in Southeast Georgia.

Planning & Construction

Thomas & Hutton

Thomas and Hutton, the well-known engineering firm, has partnered with us to assist with the city’s Conditional Use Permit application process as well as laying out the physical plan for 60 homes. Thomas and Hutton supplies engineering expertise for the Building Permit process and will advise Hand in Hand during construction.

Thomas Thaddeus Truett Architect

Floor plans were provided by Thad Truett, a local architect of renown, who volunteered to design our one bedroom tiny homes (which will be 240 square ft. each with an additional eight-foot by 18-foot porch) and the site plan for the entire village of 60 tiny homes.

W.H. Gross Construction

Bill Gross, who successfully completed Norwich Commons in Brunswick and other developments in Waycross, and Savannah, has agreed to be our general contractor. Working with him will be John Williams and Darrell Dawson, neighborhood contractors whose crews have graciously accepted the invitation to work at our site. Bill Gross is providing his expertise pro bono.

William E. Edenfield & Associates, Inc.

Bill Edenfield, Retired Landscape Architect in association with Sea Island Company has designed the site layout and placed the gardens in a compelling village, landscaped to add privacy and interest to our 4.25 acres community. Bill Edenfield is providing his expertise pro bono.

Shupe Surveying Company P.C

Shupe Surveying Company P.C provided the original survey of our site including the existing sewer and utilities.

Partners

Coastal Community Health Services

Coastal Community Health Services is a non profit Federally Qualified Health Center providing primary, preventive, vision and dental services to the communities of Glynn and McIntosh Counties, Georgia.

Gateway Community Service Board

Gateway’s mission is to be a leader in the provision of comprehensive community services for mental health, substance use disorders, and developmental disorders and disabilities to the people and communities it serves.

Southeast Georgia Health

Southeast Georgia Health System is a not-for-profit health care system with multiple locations and services. The Health System has served residents and visitors to the beautiful Golden Isles and surrounding areas of Southeast Georgia since 1888. Headquartered in the historic port city of Brunswick, the Health System serves the needs of residents from six counties in Southeast Georgia – Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, McIntosh and Wayne. Hand in Hand of Glynn is excited to be partnering with SGHS to serve our residents with initial health assessments and ongoing care on site.

Heart and Hands

St. Simons Presbyterian Church Hand & Heart Ministry will provide personalized quilts gifts for each our Hand in Hand residents.

Margie Stockton

Realtor and artist, Margie Stockton is supplying 60 landscape paintings as a gift for our residents at Hand in Hand of Glynn.

Supporters & Advisors

Pete and Ada Lee Correll

A.D. “Pete” Correll is the Chairman Emeritus of the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation. He is retired Chairman and CEO of Georgia-Pacific and has served as a director of SunTrust Bank, Mirant and Norfolk Southern. Pete was raised in Brunswick, Georgia, and married the love of his life, Ada Lee. Along with their extraordinary philanthropic engagement in Atlanta where they live, Pete and Ada Lee have also been consistently and overwhelmingly generous supporters of the ongoing revitalization efforts in Brunswick, including the Correll Center for Teacher Education and Learning at the College of Coastal Georgia and the Elizabeth F. Correll Teen Center (named for Pete’s mother) at the Boys and Girls Club in Brunswick. The Corrells embody the spirit of giving back. Their lead gift of $500,000 to Hand in Hand of Glynn allowed us to move forward with our tiny homes project, and Pete and Ada Lee remain important advisors, engaged in the ongoing support of our efforts to help end homelessness in Glynn County.

Elsa and Craig Donohue

Elsa and Craig Donohue hail from the city of Chicago where Craig was CEO of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (the CME) and is credited with successfully broadening their reach internationally through more than $20 billion in acquisitions, including the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Mercantile Exchange and the COMEX Metals Exchange. Elsa has always been an active partner in the philanthropic decisions of the Donohue household. As new Glynn County fulltime residents, both Elsa and Craig had a keen interest in the dilemma facing the homeless of Brunswick. With a 39% poverty rate, one could view Brunswick as a community at risk. The Donohue’s generous $300,000 gift to Hand in Hand of Glynn will build 10 tiny homes, helping ten people experiencing homelessness bridge to a new life. Elsa and Craig are excited to make these life-changing events possible for our future residents.

Elizabeth and Jackson Moore

Elizabeth (Betty) and Jackson (Jack) Moore are Memphis, Tennessee residents well known in their home town for their good works and philanthropic activities. As a lawyer and former CEO of Union Planters Corporation and Regions Financial, Jack has always understood the importance of strong community involvement. Betty is Chair of the Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation that serves the Memphis area through educational scholarships and grants to numerous other non profits. The Foundation, founded by her parents in the early 1960’s, has been family run for over 50 years. Hand in Hand of Glynn was a natural fit for Betty who, through her church, has taken mission trips with her grandchildren to Mexico to build homes for the indigent population there. These experiences have proved to her the importance of being in your own home. The mission of Hand in Hand “hit home” with the Moore’s since the Brunswick area is now their second home. Betty’s commitment is underscored by joining the Board of Directors of Hand in Hand. The Moore’s generous donations allow Hand in Hand to complete a large number of tiny homes and will start the new residents down the path to a healthier, happier, life.

Synovus Bank

Synovus Bank gave a generous three-year grant to Hand in Hand of Glynn to support housing the homeless. It was one of the largest grants Synovus has ever awarded.

Hunter MacLean

Hunter MacLean, a highly respected regional law firm, has overseen our real estate transactions as well as our Conditional Use Permit submission to the Brunswick City Commission. Chris Jordan, a partner at Hunter MacLean, sits on our Board of Directors, and Zach Harris, a Hunter Maclean lawyer specializing in real estate, has donated countless hours of his time and expertise on our behalf.

Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation

Counsel from Paul White has helped us locate foundations supporting causes like ours. We have also sought advice from Paul of the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation with regard to using online resources to understand various foundations and their missions.

Chatham-Savannah Homeless Authority

Cindy Kelley is the Executive Director of the Chatham-Savannah Homeless Authority, and has built over 24 Tiny Houses for the Homeless Vets of Savannah. Cindy promises to serve as a consultant during the first year. She has been a great help to us since we began to explore tiny houses as an economical solution. She also gave us permission to use photographs of the The Cove at Dundee ( A Tiny House Project) which is a project of the Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless.

Homeless Coalition of Brunswick

Jeff Clark and the members of the Homeless Coalition of Brunswick have helped with our vision, and will assist us in identifying candidates for residency in our tiny homes. Jeff knows this community well and has been our strong advocate from the beginning.

City of Brunswick Georgia

Support has also come from many government officials and community leaders including Mayor Cornell Harvey, Mayor Pro Temp Julie Martin, and Commissioner Johnny Cason, all of whom voted to approve our Conditional Use Permit at the town hall meeting held Wednesday, January 15th, 2020 at old City Hall.

Mark of the Buffalo

Lina M. Bareno founder of Mark of the Buffalo has reimagined Hand in Hand for this website. Her creativity and thoughtful interpretation brought our vision to life in record time.

Neighborhood
and City Leaders’ Support

Mike Williams of GY6, Inc. whose organization represents homeless veterans, Reverend Jeffrey Muchison who chairs the Neighborhood Planning Association, NAP, for College Park and Magnolia Park in Glynn County, and Glynn County Commissioner Allen Booker have been important neighborhood proponents of our plans, and advocates and friends in dealing with the City.

John Hunter, Director of the City Zoning and Planning Commissioner’s Office, was helpful in presenting our case to the City. Zoning Commissioners Dave Bowers, Charles Day, William Kitts, and Lance Sabbe were of critical importance in supporting our efforts to receive a Conditional Use Permit from the City.

Because no Permanent Supportive Affordable Housing exists in Brunswick, and because the “tiny homes” concept did not immediately fit the current housing code, it took a stretch of imagination for our city government and the zoning commissioners to understand how this project will benefit so many in Brunswick and to step forward to support us.

We are grateful for the far-sightedness and courage of these city leaders to try something new, and for the support of our plans by neighboring communities. We are humbled by their encouragement.