Trenton Foundation raises $10,000 for north Gibson Co.
By Crystal Burns
The Trenton Foundation raised $10,000 for north Gibson County during its annual Harvest of Hope Gala held Thursday in the First Presbyterian Church fellowship hall in Trenton.
The foundation is a chapter of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation. The Trenton Foundation keeps all the money it raises to promote health and wellness in the local communities it serves. Annual contributions include $1,000 to the Backpack Programs at Trenton and Gibson County Special School districts, $1,000 scholarships to one Peabody and one Gibson Co. High School graduate going into the medical field, $1,000 to the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, $1,000 to the Wo/men’s Resource & Rape Assistance program and $500 to the Dyer Lions Club vision program.
The Trenton Foundation also assists local families with medical-related expenses. In the past five years, the foundation has contributed over $60,000 to north Gibson Co. communities.
“It’s not our money,” Chairman Tom Lannon told the crowd Thursday evening. “It’s your money.”
The sold-out gala included dinner catered by Northside Market, entertainment from Benjamin and Christina Duffey and silent and live auctions benefitting the foundation. Several local businesses and individuals donated items and services for the auctions.
The foundation also awarded its Volunteer of the Year, which is given annually to a person nominated by the community.
This year’s winner is Jenny Corbin, who was nominated by Cheryl Crider, executive director of TLC Riding Academy, a therapeutic horseback riding program for persons with disabilities. Crider said that Corbin volunteered 2,605 hours to TLC, a number that doesn’t include the time she spends brushing horses, cleaning out stalls and preparing for riding lessons.
Corbin began volunteering at TLC Riding Academy in 2006. In 2012, she obtained her certification as a registered instructor for PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) International. Last year, Corbin was a driving force in helping TLC win a Gypsy horse in a nationwide contest.
Corbin also volunteers at her church and has helped organize the Trenton Teapot Festival block party the past several years. She is a longtime employee of Trenton Light & Water and recently served as interim general manager.
“There aren’t many people as dedicated as Jenny Corbin,” Crider’s nomination letter said. “I feel blessed to know her as a friend.”
In addition to recognizing Corbin with a plaque, the foundation will give a $500 donation to the health-related charity of her choice.
