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Local couple's entire shop earnings go to counseling center, mental health care

The Colony Courier-Leader - 12/6/2016

It's been four months since Rich and Carol Whites opened ReNew Resale in The Colony. Since then, the two have already made a difference in the lives of others.

Though the Whites' wanted the store to flourish, they would refuse to accept any of the profits for themselves. Instead, Carol said 100 percent of the sales would go to the Meier Clinic, a nonprofit Christian organization that provides counseling and mental health care at reduced fees.

As a mother to a son diagnosed with schizophrenia, Carol said she is all too familiar with the struggles that come with mental health care.

"The doctors would just medicate him and not help any further," Carol said. "And it was expensive, but nobody would help except MHMR (My Health My Resources), but only to a certain extent. So, we paid for what we could but eventually just gave up. It blew me away that no one seemed to care. At that point I thought 'Someday I'm going to find a way to help pay for mental health services.'"

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 1 in 5 American adults will experience mental illness in a given year, while 1 in 25 adults will experience a mental illness that limits or prevents them from carrying out every day activities. Furthermore, counseling, regular mental health appointments and prescriptions can end up costing thousands of dollars per year for one affected person.

"My passion lies in mental health," Carol said. "I'm sure tons of other people have gone through what we went through ? my dream is to help in any way I can."

With unique items ranging from clothing to vintage knick-knacks (with furniture coming soon), the Whites' resale store has slowly but surely caught the eyes of shoppers. On Tuesday, Rich wrote their first check to the Meier Clinic for $1,000, which Carol said will be matched by an anonymous donor.

"It may not be a lot," Carol said. "But, it's a beginning. I know it won't help everyone, but if it helps one person that's a start. When we were trying to get our permit from the city, a council member said to me 'I hope you make a million dollars.' I said 'I hope I do too, and I want to give all of it away.'"

Store Director Dana Phillips said although there are countless (unpaid) hours involved, her work in the store pays in forms better than money.

"Seeing the first check being written ? this makes it all worthwhile," Phillips said.

Phillips and the Whites' have plans to hold fundraisers in the near future and upgrade their store to have a big screen TV with photos of all the furniture they have for sale. Carol stressed that the store is not the average resale shop ? it is organized, homey and 100-percent nonprofit.

ReNew Resale is located at 6700 Main St., next to The Colony City Hall. For more information, visit renewresaletc.com or go to the ReNew Resale Facebook page.