Low-interest loan boosts Dunlap nonprofit agency

photo Serenity Pointe founder Debbie Morrison organizes items in the Dunlap, Tenn., nonprofit organization's thrift store.

DUNLAP, Tenn. -- A $532,000, low-interest loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is allowing a nonprofit Dunlap organization to purchase, renovate and expand its building.

The loan will fund the work at Serenity Pointe at 15507 Rankin Ave. Most people know of the organization because of its thrift store in the front of the building, but the expansion will allow organizers to house all of their classes and offices together.

Serenity Pointe was founded by Debbie Morrison and her husband, Gerald, as a shelter for battered women and children. Since then, the organization has expanded its services.

The loan "was a no-brainer for us," Debbie Morrison said. "And we have picked up 6,000 square feet."

Beginning this month, Serenity Pointe will hold classes and workshops five days a week, she said. It offers classes ranging from parenting to financial training. On Sunday mornings, the main room is used for the Mission, a churchlike service typically attended by those who have attended the classes.

"We call it the Mission because we don't feel like we are really a church," Debbie Morrison said. "Just missionaries working this valley to those who wouldn't normally walk into a church."

The goal is to help people learn to stand on their own, she said.

Improvements at the building include more energy-efficient heating and air conditioning, better insulation, electrical upgrades and ensuring full compliance with state and federal accessibility requirements, said Josh Clendenen with the USDA office in Nashville.

USDA area specialist Clay Copeland said Serenity Pointe offers the kinds of programs the department wants to assist.

"Basically, it fit within our mission and our goal in the community facilities program to help nonprofits in rural areas," he said. "And being that they are nonprofit in Dunlap, this is an underserved area, we wanted to help them out as much as we could. They serve the community as a whole, rather than specialized. And they serve a lot of people."

To secure the loan, USDA representatives came to Dunlap several times to see how the programs were run, Debbie Morrison said. They also reviewed the bookkeeping and paperwork Serenity Pointe has kept since its startup in 2008, she said.

She said the organization was in two buildings before the loan and paying rent on each. The difference between their lease payments then and their loan payment now is $7, Debbie Morrison said.

Corrina Sisk-Casson is based in Dunlap. Email her at corrinacasson1@aol.com.

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