About Us
Change in our World, Inc. is a local nonprofit, founded in and servicing Union County. Our mission is to empower our community to combat suicide by creating relationships, finding wholeness, and strengthening others. Our vision is to see our communities fighting for the future of our young people, and our young people actively participating in our communities. We specifically bring awareness to the issue of suicide because Union County has the 3rd highest suicide rate in the state of Georgia according to the CDC 2018 report, and our neighbors Towns county is number one.
Change began in 2015 by helping others host community events, however, there was quickly a need expressed among the high schoolers attending our events. This led to our weekly classroom sessions with the youth that wanted to attend. This past May we had the honor of witnessing 11 of our participating students graduate high school! In addition to working with the teens in any way that we can, we also work with the students to put on community events. Not only does this get the youth involved in the community, it teaches them responsibility and servanthood. The community events are not only an opportunity for the youth but is our way of reaching out to the community. We host a range of events from our Community Christmas event to the Blairsville Corn Maze to smaller events such as Mommy and Me’s and awareness tents at local businesses.
Our overall goals are to empower members of our community to change and create their world by providing opportunities for them to grow outside of their comfort zones. Changing one life at a time is what we live for.
Testimonies
“Change has helped me a lot over the amount of time I have been involved. When I first got knowledge about the group from my friends I had no idea that it would help me as much as it has. I had the mindset that a group like this wouldn’t do anything. But I was wrong; over time I have grown because of change. I’ve become stronger, more involved and started to accept myself more. The struggles that I faced weren’t hard anymore and I learned to face them head on.” -Female 19
“It gave me a place to hang out and make new friends. [It] allowed me to open up.” -Male 18
“It’s helped me by giving me a higher self-esteem and realizing that I’m worth it.” -Female 17
“Change has helped me in so many ways. Change makes it where if something is happening and u need someone to talk to even if it is just a bad day or anything that [Rebecca] will talk to you and help you through it. She is a kind leader and through change she has taught me many things. She has taught me how to make friends even when I am shy and she has helped me learn how to finance money so I [know] how to do that when I move out. And [Jeffrey] has taught us how to mow and work on cars if we want to know. Change has got me out of my comfort zone and helped me through a hard time in my life and the friends I made are friends I would keep around for a long time. And whenever I need anything she is only a call away. She has become family to me and she has never failed to help someone in need. She’s someone I look up to. Change is such a great organization and I am so thankful I met change.” -Female 18
“Change has help me see the good in people. How to open up and not be shy. [It] helped me learn how to keep myself happy even when things are bad.” -Female 16
“I am a single mom of two children. I work at a domestic violence shelter and I work at an ice cream shop, and I have been going through a challenging divorce. You can imagine how tough life has been lately with all of these things to juggle and work through. I heard about Change last year through the organization that I work for… The counseling sessions have truly changed my life. I started counseling with [Rebecca] as broken woman who felt like I was drowning in life. Instead, now I feel as if I can handle the situations life has given me. I have been given the tools and resources to do so. I am forever grateful to Change and Rebecca Brendle for all that they have done for me.” -Female 23
