ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – The TLC Community Center and Abortion Alternatives & Women’s Center in Elizabethton held its open house event to celebrate 23 years. The TLC Center has been helping families and mothers in the community by providing alternatives to abortion and pregnancy-related services, providing additional support to clients and assisting them with the needs of daily living.
“Somebody asked me how many babies or children we’ve seen,” said Angie Odom, founder and director of the TLC Center. “I just know thousands. I have no idea and no count other than the fact that my life feels so full and blessed.”
The center is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations and volunteers to continue helping the community. Sandra Monger has been volunteering with the TLC Center since she retired five years ago.
“We have many success stories,” said Monger. “We have some adoptions; we had one recently just a couple months ago, and that’s a plus. So we have lots of positive stories.”
Odom said she is more than grateful for the community and volunteers that come in to help.
“I’m so blessed with my volunteers,” Odom said. “I could not operate daily without my retired population.”
The TLC Center also provides a summer food service program to help children who rely on school lunches to receive those during the summer. According to Odom, the summer food service program has been successful.
“Last summer, we fed over 75,000 meals,” said Odom. The program has allowed them to feed an average of 425 children each summer day.
The center also gives families the opportunity to come in and pick up clothing and food for their children. Monger said that volunteers can help the TLC Center in a variety of ways.
“They can sort clothes, they can help the clients when they come in, they can also stock food,” said Monger.
