By Johnny Jackson
jjackson@henryherald.com

The blessings keep coming for the McDonough-based non-profit, A Friend’s House.

Board members of the temporary home for children in crisis learned late last week that the home would be adding more children to its family. The facility has grown steadily, and served hundreds of children since it opened in 1998.

More children, however, can also mean more expenses. A Friend’s House Executive Director Jill Holder said the children arrived on Thursday — an otherwise uneventful day, until the non-profit organization’s board members got a surprise visit from radio personality, Steve “Southside Steve” Rickman, who presented the board with a $1,100 donation.

“This was a wonderful surprise,” Holder said.

Rickman and Jeff Embrey are business partners, and part owners of Southside Steve’s Bar and Grill Restaurant, which hosted a fund-raiser earlier this month to benefit A Friend’s House.

The businessmen held an open auction on March 6, at their McDonough bar and grill, during an Atlanta Motor Speedway event. They auctioned off three racing jackets provided by Ed Izzo, of Georgia Crown Distributing Company.

“Instead of giving the jackets away in a game, we decided to give them to charity,” Rickman said. “Three individuals bid on them and won the jackets, and they put them back up for auction. By auctioning them off again, we raised, maybe, $300 more.”

Rickman noted that efforts to raise money for worthy causes related to physical health, such as cancer research, have persisted in spite of the struggling economy.

“What about a healthy kid that’s coming up? What about their welfare?” asked Rickman. “These are tough times, but no matter what, I think you’ve got to set aside money to give to those less fortunate. I think that’s a very noble act.”

Rickman and Embrey’s recent donation to A Friend’s House is just the latest in a series of exclusive charity events, dating back to last October, with the “Southside Ride to Break the Cycle” fund-raising event.

Rickman said that event, a police-escorted, two-hour motorcycle ride through Henry County, raised more than $5,000 for A Friend’s House..

“Our relationship with A Friend’s House is just one way that we feel we can give back to the residents of Henry County,” added Embrey. “Both Steve and I love that this partnership benefits the kids that really need support and help.”

The business partners said they are planning to be involved in the upcoming “Taste of Henry” fund-raiser also set to benefit A Friend’s House. Some 2,000 patrons are expected to attend the event, to be held April 23, from 6 p.m., to 9 p.m., at the Jason T. Harper Event Center at Heritage Park, 95 Lake Dow Road, in McDonough.

Jill Holder, the director at A Friend’s House, said she is encouraged by the partners’ commitment to the non-profit children’s home. “We’re looking forward to a long partnership,” Holder said. “We’re very thankful that they chose us as their charity. We’re blessed to be in the community we’re in, where people help us and support us.”

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On the net:

A Friend’s House: www.afriendshouse.org