Hinton Rural Life Center Receives $150,000 Grant

The Hinton Rural Life Center, a retreat center of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the UMC, has received a $150,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to fund the organization's efforts to increase its overall awareness and reach through social media and other communication mediums. 

The Hinton Center’s mission is to build community through safe, affordable housing, effective congregations of faith, and sacred space for retreat, reflection, and renewal. Hinton also hosts around 1,000 volunteers each year through it’s mission program, which reaches out to the nearby underserved communities in rural North Carolina. 

In just the past couple of years, the Hinton Rural Life Center has grown tremendously with an increase in the number of programs and with an increase in the number of stays on the campus. The Endowment grant will help the Hinton Center to succeed and flourish even further, as it is giving the organization an opportunity to enhance its communication and marketing initiatives.

“Not only will it enable us to promote the Hinton Center across the Southeast Jurisdiction, for The United Methodist Church, but also across the United States, and even within other denominations,” said Jen Crouse, Director of the Summer Missions Program and the Administrator of Housing Ministries, at Hinton Center. 

Based in Charlotte and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $3 billion in grants. The Endowment shares a name with Duke University but is a separate organization.

For more information on The Hinton Rural Life Center or how you can support this effort, please call (828)389-8336, or visit www.hintoncenter.org.