Real Life Center

220 Parkade Ct, Peachtree City, GA 30269
(770) 631-9334
http://www.reallifecenter.org

Non-Profit

Our Staff

Carolyn Mayo

Position: Tyrone Store Manager

Carolyn is one of our part-time managers at the Tyrone store. She and her husband, Jim, are passionate about helping marriages thrive and she serves on the Board of Directors of Marriage Mentors based in Dallas, TX. She often speaks at women’s events and enjoys writing Bible study materials. Carolyn…

Cathy J. Berggren

Position: Executive Director

Cathy Berggren is the Executive Director of the Real Life Center. With a background in the area of social work, Cathy holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and has over 28 years of experience in a variety of community work, including previously being a volunteer at the Real Life…

Dana Eisfelder

Position: Assistant Director

Dana serves as Assistant Director of the Real Life Center and oversees the Real Life Store in Tyrone. She and her husband were active volunteers for more than 4 years before she joined the staff, and they currently buy and refinish furniture to supplement donations for the store. Dana worked…

Jan Fender

Position: Client Care Coordinator

Jan serves as our Client Care Coordinator. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and has worked in public health for several years. Jan was a volunteer at the Real Life Center before joining the staff and has been active as a volunteer in the community. She and…

Kem Williams

Position: Fayetteville Store Manager

Kem Woody Williams is a native of Atlanta married for 26 years to Bob Williams with 3 children. After interning at the State Capitol, Kem spent 11 years in International Shipping Services. She has carried that servant attitude into managing 150 vendors and helping in the coordination of the Georgia…

Leslie Camp

Position: Store Manager

Leslie serves as one of our part-time managers at the Tyrone store which provides additional revenue to help the families at the Real Life Center. Leslie has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She has worked as a designer for Milliken Textiles, as a…

Leslie Dell

Position: Tyrone Store Manager

Leslie serves as one of our part-time managers at the Tyrone store. She is a native Floridian who moved to Peachtree City in 2012. Leslie is a graduate of the University of Florida and previously worked at the Broward Sheriff’s Office and the School Board of Palm Beach County. She…

Maria Lee

Position: Accounting

Maria serves as our Accountant, overseeing the financial functions of the Real Life Center and the Real Life Center Stores. Maria joins us with more than 20 years of accounting experience in various industries, providing support and consulting of computerized accounting systems. She obtained an Accounting Degree from Fisher College…

Pete Trebotte

Position: Interim Operations Coordinator

Pete serves as our Interim Operations Coordinator. In that capacity he is responsible for all transportation and warehouse functions at the Real Life Center, as well as operational support to the two thrift stores. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and a Master of Arts degree in…

Rose Gossett

Position: Marketing

Rose began her association with the Real Life Center as a volunteer project manager, and now serves as Marketing Coordinator. She is responsible for marketing & branding activities, fundraising, donor development & social media strategies. She brings over 25 years of sales and marketing experience from various leadership roles in…

About Us

Dear Friends,

We seem to be always dreaming of new things to come. When we are children we can’t wait to become adults. When we are young adults we can’t wait to get to 21 or 25 or even 30. When we are hurting or scared we have hope that tomorrow will bring a new day and new hope. But for some it seems like that hope is just out of reach.

The years repeat with the same life challenges and struggles. Often it feels like there is no end, with little or no light at the end of the tunnel. Oftentimes, hope gets drowned out by the reality of living. People are left at the end of the day wondering does anybody care? Is this all there is to life, just a repeat of past days?

The one thing we have learned at the Real Life Center and have seen over and over again is love is often a verb. It does, it gives, it comes alongside, it wipes the tears of the hurting, it reaches out. Love as a verb is a hand on a shoulder and arms of comfort. You won’t find it staying in one place doing nothing; it is action personified. It is hope in a physical form.

The Real Life Center often witnesses first hand a community overflowing in action, overflowing in love, for the hurting of Fayette County and now Coweta County. From the tiniest child bringing in bread from a grocery store pickup, to the rugged aged hands with the experience of life lining cans on our shelves in perfect order in the food pantry. These hands so carefully make sure not one can is out of place so that those who came would be given dignity, respect, and honor.

The verb has taken flight in many different ways. We have also had the privilege to watch a man who envisioned and planted an orchard. One that would produce thousands of pounds of fresh fruit through the long Georgia growing season to serve hurting families.

All throughout this year, in a time of true economic hardship, we saw businesses, organizations, and individuals hold food drives and donate in tremendous numbers. They flooded the warehouse to the point of almost overwhelming it. They refused to let the times dictate how they would help their fellow man, woman, and child. Over and over love has exploded on the scene.

I am so grateful to live in a community that does not hesitate to meet the needs of those around them; a community that sees value in every human being no matter what their social status or standing.

The Real Life Center could not do what we do without the support of our community, partners like you and your businesses, groups and your church.

Thank you for believing in the mission of the Real Life Center. We can’t wait to reach even more hurting people in Fayette and Coweta counties this year. We look forward to partnering with you in even greater ways as we bring hope to the hurting, the struggling, and the hopeless. We look forward to sharing this little verb, full of action in an even greater measure. We do this by changing one life at a time, one community at a time.

From everyone here at the Real Life Center we say…

THANK YOU!

Sincerely and very grateful,

Cathy Berggren, Executive Director
Real Life Center

How To Get Involved

Volunteering with an organization is a precious gift that anybody can give to help others in their community. Volunteering at the Real Life Center, Real Life Store, or Real Life Orchard directly impacts the families of Fayette and Coweta Counties in a very real way.

Real Life Center welcomes your act of service and provides a variety of opportunities to serve. One opportunity is to assist families when they come to receive food and clothes. Another is to sort donations in the warehouse to help us be good stewards of the donations we receive. For more detailed options please see the menu to the right.

Real Life Stores are a vital revenue stream for helping the families we serve through Real Life Center. All profits go directly back to the center each month. Through your generous act of volunteering at the stores more customers can be served, nice displays can be created to showcase the store merchandise, donations can be received and managed. It truly is neighbor-helping-neighbor.

Real Life Orchard will provide 3-7 lbs of fresh fruit weekly to each client family at the center. Through your participation on one of the orchard teams, you are directly responsible for helping grow and nurture the fruit that will end up on our clients’ tables. Your service will help supplement the food they get with fresh fruits that are so vital to daily nutrition.

We know at Real Life Center that volunteering is a huge undertaking and comes with an emotional attachment to the place and people where you give of your time and resources. Whether you give 2 hours or $10, we will treat your gift of time and resources very carefully and will use it in a way that has maximum impact on the clients we serve.

We understand that you do not have to volunteer, but that you do it to make a difference in YOUR community. We want to partner with you and help you make that difference and to help change the lives of those who need someone to come alongside them on their journey.

Thank you in advance for your willingness to make a difference in your community by volunteering at the Real Life Center, Real Life Store, or Real Life Orchard. We are so glad you came!