Caring Hands helps Carroll County families facing medical hardship

When serious illness strikes, medical appointments, travel and unexpected bills can quickly overwhelm a family. For Carroll County Caring Hands, a volunteer-run nonprofit formed to meet those needs, the mission has remained simple: step in during a medical crisis and help families get back on their feet.

Carroll County Caring Hands began taking shape in 2016, though Secretary Cheri Miller said the first year was spent building the structure of the organization.

“There were no applicants then because that was just their year of putting everything together,” Miller said.

The group’s earliest records from 2017 and 2018 are limited, but by 2019 the program was serving families steadily. Miller, who joined the board in 2023, said the impact has grown every year.

Beginning in 2019, the organization’s financial assistance steadily climbed each year. Caring Hands provided $22,056 in aid in 2019, $35,446 in 2020, $41,764 in 2021, $64,511 in 2022, $84,976 in 2023, $105,329 in 2024 and $117,687 in 2025. From 2019 through 2025, the nonprofit has supplied $471,769 in direct assistance, which includes examples such as $71,845 for accessibility ramps, $52,863.80 in gas assistance to help families reach medical appointments and $77,882 in utility payments for households that fell behind during treatment or recovery.

Caring Hands was formed to address a gap local agencies were struggling to fill. While resources existed for long-term assistance, there was little available for families facing sudden medical emergencies.

“We are an organization that was formed to be able to help a need we were seeing in the county,” Miller said. “It all centers around having a medical diagnosis that’s causing a financial issue.” The program is limited to residents of Carroll County, ensuring local donations stay within the community.

The group does not pay for routine medications, but it does help with high spend-down costs some older adults face at the start of each year. The nonprofit also provides gas cards for families traveling to frequent medical appointments. Miller said the organization distributed $10,000 in gas cards in 2025 alone.

“They may have two and three appointments a month,” she said. “We’re just helping people get to their appointments.”

The assistance often goes far beyond fuel. Caring Hands has paid several months of rent or utilities for families who fell behind during hospital stays or treatment schedules. They have also covered the cost of accessibility ramps for residents unable to enter their homes after an injury or surgery.

“It’s been wonderful,” Miller said. “Every year we have about five or six ramps we’ve been known to do.”

Local volunteers, including Men With a Mission in Sherrodsville and skilled community members, often build and install the ramps. Caring Hands covers the material cost.

Miller said the goal is short-term support — usually three or four months — followed by referrals to long-term agencies such as Job and Family Services or the HARCATUS programs.

“We want them to be able to sustain themselves but realizing that they have this issue that’s caused trauma for this moment in time,” she said.

The nonprofit operates entirely on donations and the generosity of the community.

“The community has really rallied around this program,” Miller said.

Funding has come from the Huebner Subaru Share the Love program, local Eagles and VFW organizations and many private donors. Miller said anonymous gifts often appear unexpectedly.

“We just received a $10,000 check the other day,” she said. “People hear about us or we’ve helped a family member, and they want to pay it forward.”

Families also donate unused or unneeded ramps back to the organization, which allows Caring Hands to reuse parts in future projects.

Many referrals come through the Friendship Center, Area Agency on Aging and area churches. Those organizations typically contact Miller or another board member directly.

Caring Hands does not publish a public phone number; instead, families can reach the group by emailing ccch4u@gmail.com or sending mail to P.O. Box 322, Carrollton, 44615.

When a request comes in, a board member contacts the family, talks through the situation and completes an application with them.

“The application is pretty self-explanatory, but we always call no matter what,” Miller said. “You want them to explain a little bit more of what they’re going through.”

The board votes on each request. Most are approved, but Miller said the process ensures fairness.

“It’s a good balance and check with each other,” she said.

Caring Hands is overseen by a nine-member board. Ellen Sinnicum serves as president, Faith Lanigan as vice president, Cheri Miller as secretary and Christine Monaco as treasurer. Additional board members include Dini Cheviron, Lisa Ellington, Mackenzie Hodge, Marissa Miller and Lisa Smiley.

Miller said she is proud to be part of something rooted in community generosity.

“We’re very blessed in the money that we have and being able to use it,” she said. “We’re definitely finding families who need us.”