Why Establish For Granted: Our Hopes and History.
In a lot of the early interviews I have had during For Granted’s ‘soft-launch’, two questions seemed to pop-up frequently: “What made you want to start this nonprofit?” and “What do you envision is the future for this nonprofit?”
Both are fair and valid questions, and of course there are answers. But first, I believe explanation goes best with a warm cup of context, so I would like to start by explaining the story of how For Granted came to be.
The History:
Thomas Alexander Insurance and Associates Inc. has been a family owned business for over 40 years. During that time they have grown from a one-man operation, to a one-woman operation, to a thriving local business with 7 full and part-time employees. All the while, their focus has remained the same: Ministries and Nonprofits.
Why? Because that’s what got us started so long ago. When my Grandfather, Thomas K. Alexander volunteered at his local church, he saw first-hand the struggles of a ministry that didn’t have adequate insurance coverage. This story could be a post in of itself, but the important takeaway is this: Thomas Alexander Insurance was created to support those who help.
Why we wanted to Start For Granted
Fast-forward about 40 years, and now the company is owned and operated by my mother, Dhea Alexander-Simpkins, who has built upon the original mission and expanded its reach all throughout the state of Ohio. We’ve also expanded from ministries to include nonprofits of all shapes and sizes. Camps, soup kitchens, food pantries, free stores, private schools and more have found their way under the TKA umbrella but the mission remains the same: support those who help.
Eventually, we began to notice a pattern. Our 501(c)(3) charity organizations began to contact us for purposes not related to insurance. They would reach out because they did not have anywhere else to turn in their time of need, and knew us to be not just an organization, but a group of compassionate individuals. These needs could be anything from a shortage of goods to finding quality contractors to needing volunteers. It didn’t matter, we would try to help.
How would we help? By reaching out to our contacts. We would reach out to Ministries near the organization for support (a food drive, volunteers, etc), contacting contractors we have enjoyed in the past, or anyone else in our umbrella who could lend a hand. And then a lightbulb went off.
If nonprofits need help connecting, and have benefited from a central connected location that can find them help, why not make an official one? If we were fulfilling a need in the community with our connections, why not create a concentrated effort into doing that as effectively as possible? We decided to form For Granted to fill a need that we found in our community, and continue our mission. ‘Support those who help’ was and continues to be at the heart of what we do.
Our plans for the future
As I see it, the goal is to now expand our umbrella as far as it will go. In order to best support those who help we need to build connections and partnerships with two groups. Those who help, and those who support. We want to connect with as many organizations as possible in the Central Ohio area in order to create a network of support for our 501(c)(3) partners. And, of course, we aim to partner with as many organizations as possible while ensuring that we can provide the necessary support.
But the goal is to be more than just a network. We want to be a hotline for our nonprofit friends, to act as an endless resource for social capital, save them time and effort searching for quality connections, and provide emergency relief for any dire situation. We want to be able to remove any obstacles in the way of charities seeking to do good in our community so they can focus on what’s really important.
Questions, Comments, Concerns?
So now you know a little bit about the why of For Granted. I hope this was able to help you see things from our perspective. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out at connect@for-granted.org , or visit our contact page for more information.
We are always looking to bring in new members to the network. If our mission sounds like one you would like to be a part of, whether you are a private business or public charity, we would love to hear from you!
‘Till next time,
Dane Simpkins
Director