Connecting people with the services they need.
Contact 211 of Northeast Tennessee, Inc.
In June 2017, two agencies (Contact Ministries of Johnson City and Contact-Concern of Northeast Tennessee of Kingsport) with identical missions and visions for the community were merged to form Contact 211 of Northeast Tennessee. Both organizations had served communities for over 40 years.
The organization is comprised of dedicated staff and volunteers who selflessly give of their time and resources, in order to provide a much-needed ministry in our region. Contact 211 of Northeast Tennessee, Inc. provides three crucial services to the community: Information & Referrals, Helpline, and Reassurance Calls. Our services are free, confidential and available to everyone. Post merger, the organization now serves eight counties in Northeast Tennessee, with a population of over 500,000.
Our Service Area:
- Carter
- Greene
- Hancock
- Hawkins
- Johnson
- Sullivan
- Unicoi
- Washington
Our Mission
To provide a helpline, information and referral service, and supporting ministry.
Our Vision
A community connected with resources that improve their lives.
Our History:
Contact Ministries, Inc. (“Contact 211”) – Johnson City, TN
In the early spring of 1977, the Reverend Jim Green, then Johnson City District Superintendent of United Methodist Church, and area Methodist churches got together to explore the need for a faith-based telephone counseling ministry in Johnson City. Through their efforts, Contact Ministries, Inc. was born.
After the 9/11 tragedy in New York City, the 911 numbers were so crowded with non-emergency phone calls, the federal government went to United Way of America to ask them to support a call center for Information and Referral nationally, called 211. United Way agreed.
Contact Ministries, Inc. in Johnson City, TN was chosen to serve as the 211 call center for Carter, Greene, Unicoi, and Washington counties. To help the community better identify with the services offered and provide an easy way for people to remember the phone number, the organization began incorporating “Contact 211” as the brand.
From 1977 to 2017, Contact 211 served hundreds of thousands of callers, through the Help Line, Information & Referral, and Reassurance Call services.
Contact-Concern of Northeast Tennessee, Inc. – Kingsport, TN
In 1976, a community need for suicide prevention was identified by Reverend Dan Kelly in Kingsport. The result was Contact Concern of Kingsport, Inc. being created to address these needs. In the 1990’s the United Way of Greater Kingsport was looking for an organization to help provide information and referral services to the community. The organization assumed this role and the name was changed to Contact Concern of Northeast Tennessee, Inc. Along with information and referral, reassurance calls were initiated to those with limited contacts or that were homebound. Counties served by Contact Concern of Northeast Tennessee were: Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, and Sullivan.
Governance
Contact 211 of Northeast Tennessee, Inc. is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. This board consists of 10 to 14 individuals in the communities we serve. The typical term is a 3 year term. Two consecutive terms can be served before taking a break from the Board of Directors. Current active phone volunteers can serve on the Board of Directors. A variety of skill sets are required for the Board and the sitting board and membership of the organization approves board members.
Current Board of Directors
- Clark Parker, Chairman
- Shalini Rajoo, Vice Chairman
- Maria Verret, Treasurer
- Cody Murdock, Secretary
- Vickie Ellet
- Stephanie Naegle
- Mark Nickels
- Rosalee Sites
- Samantha Sizemore
- Glenda Wooten
- Margaret Counts (ex officio)