The mission of newly established nonprofit Turn To Us Inc. is to connect people and their families impacted by chronic and major illnesses to resources.

Turn To Us is located at 69 Broadway in Jim Thorpe, on the third floor of the Career Link building. The three dedicated women running the office are co-founders Alicia Kline, Nicole Dunn and Nicole's mother turned co-worker, Marie. The 501 (c)(3) organization was established in March but was granted the nonprofit status in July.The women work to a bridge between patient or family and resources including support groups, grants and even sometimes food. A 14-acre farm, located on the border of Jim Thorpe and Summit Hill, is one of the first local businesses to work with Turn To Us."We are looking for where the gaps are for the families, and where we can fill in those gaps. Sometimes families struggles between food or medical attention. We want to help take the pressure off," Kline said. "We want to change the way communities look at health care. It's OK to ask for assistance, it's OK to be open with your story."It's through sharing of their personal stories that the organization has made a lot of their contacts.When Marie's son was diagnosed with diabetes she recalls she felt overwhelmed."There's so much information out there. I didn't know where to go for help; I didn't know where to turn," she said.This is the perfect example of a gap the group is looking to fill."We want to bring in other organization and help raise awareness. We are trying to get the word out," Kline said.Kline and the Dunns completely run the organization on their own time. Turn To Us has very low overhead, which means all donations go directly to clients and their families."We look at a community and assess what is needed, what's dear to everyone's hearts. We like the idea of encompassing all illnesses. There is so much cancer support, but a lot of other illnesses get swept under the rug," Nicole said.Combined, the women have strong backgrounds in social services, nonprofit direction and resource coordination.Nicole is credited with spending hours of her free time on the Internet researching resources for the nine clients they currently serve."No one should walk this path alone. I've been so eye-opened to something that is in our own backyard," Marie said.Recently the organization participated in working at the Special Olympics. "It's extremely valuable to work those events and get the word out," Nicole said.The only real qualification for the organization's free services is that the illness be physical. "If we aren't able to handle a situation we will refer the client to someone who can. We don't want to leave anyone out in the cold," Nicole said.All information is kept confidential. "We don't ask for specifics. It's whatever the client wants to share," Nicole said. As the organization grows and more volunteers are added, special training on confidentiality will be required along with background checks.Turn To Us is open Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anyone in need of services or interested in donating gas cards, gift cards or money can contact Turn To Us at 570-325-2701 ext. 108 or

Alicia@TurnToUsInc.com